Croix Ducru Beaucaillou - Saint-Julien 2020

Wine Advocate

91

byWilliam Kelleythe4/6/2023

Unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berries, plums, violets and licorice, the 2020 La Croix de Beaucaillou is medium to full-bodied, supple and fleshy, with a pure core of perfumed fruit and a charming, precise profile.

Jeb DUNNUCK

94

byJeb Dunnuckthe3/30/2023

The second wine of Château Ducru-Beaucaillou matches many châteaux's Grand Vins. Their 2020 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou (52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot) reveals a dense purple hue as well as full-bodied array of cassis, graphite, liquid violets, and tobacco. It has tons of minerality, a stacked mid-palate, and ripe tannins. Give bottles 2-4 years in the cellar and enjoy over the following two decades.

Vinous

92-94

byNeal Martinthe6/25/2021

The 2020 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou, matured in 60% new oak for an expected 12 months, is pleasantly reduced on the nose, opening up in the glass with intense black fruit laced with black olive and subtle estuarine scents. The palate is medium-bodied with an appealing powdery texture. A structured Saint-Julien with tangible backbone and grip on the finish. Yet, there is exquisite balance and impressive salinity on the aftertaste. Excellent.

Tastingbook.com

94

byMarkus Del Monegothe6/7/2021

Dark purple colour with violet hue and black core. Very elegant yet persistent character with aroma reminiscent of ripe blackcurrants and blackberries, discreet minty touch in the background, dark chocolate, fine toasting and discreet hints of vanilla and mild spices. On the palate well structured with excellent balance, ripe tannins, fine acidity, very elegant fruit, with hints of cocoa, excellent length with very complex approach and convincing length.

Bernard Burtschy

93-94

byBernard Burtschythe6/7/2021

La robe est noire avec un nez intense de fruits noirs. Le vin est dense et serré, assez tannique, petite dureté, jolie matière en milieu de bouche, un peu boisé, finale épicée. Il faudra l'attendre deux ans au moins pour que les tannins s'assouplissent.

Jeb DUNNUCK

92-95

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/28/2021

The second wine of the estate is the 2020 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou, composed of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot brought up in 60% new French oak. It's a much more concentrated, structured wine offering classic cassis and blackberry fruits intermixed with notes of scorched earth, tobacco, graphite, and chocolate. Playing in the medium to full-bodied end of the spectrum, it has a great mid-palate as well as the vintage's rich, deep, powerful style. It's going to have some up-front appeal given its balance as well as the quality of the tannins, but this is a serious wine for reserving 2-4 years in the cellar, and it should easily have 15-20 years of prime drinking.

Decanter.com

95

byJane Ansonthe5/25/2021

So much purity and definition, this is a beautiful wine with clarity of flavour. Touches of grilled almond and rosemary, mocha, smoke and coffee bean, there is so much freshness, with juice rushing in between the muscles and a mint leaf finish. 3.78pH, 60% new oak. Yields were 25-30hl/ha. In a year where second wines in the Médoc have sometimes suffered from over-concentration, La Croix de Beaucaillou is a standout success.

The Wine Cellar Insider

92-94

byJeff Levethe5/21/2021

Tobacco, cedar, mint leaf, cigar box and black currants come together on the nose. The wine is refined, soft and supple with silky tannins, ripe, sweet, fruits, lift and freshness. The elegant finish with its black cherry, mocha and spice nuances tastes as good as it feels. Hold this for 3-5 years before opening a bottle and it will really start showing its essence. The wine is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. 92-94

Wine Advocate

89-91

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe5/20/2021

The 2020 La Croix de Beaucaillou is composed of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. It has 13.75% alcohol and a pH of 3.78 with an IPT of 91. It is set to age for 12 months in French oak barrels, 60% new. Deep garnet-purple in color, it leaps from the glass with vibrant scents of crushed redcurrants, black raspberries and fresh black berries, plus hints of bay leaves, lavender and damp soil. The medium-bodied palate is full of energetic red and black berry layers with a grainy texture and just enough freshness, finishing with an herbal lift.

Anthocyanes

93-94

byYohan Castaingthe5/11/2021

Très complexe et légèrement épicé, bonbon anglais, cassis, myrtille avec de très belles notes florales. Pointe de graphite à l'aération. Texture charnue, juteuse, de la profondeur, de très beaux tanins satinés avec de l'allonge et une belle fraicheur. Un La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou qui s'affirme et s'impose. Ciselé et équilibré. Beaucoup moins austère que d'habitude.

Falstaff

92-94

byPeter Moserthe5/10/2021

Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zarte Edelholznuancen, schwarze Waldbeeren, Cassis, reife Pflaumen, kandierte Orangen- zesten. Saftig, elegant, frische rote Kirschen, lebendiger Säurebogen, feiner Nougat, seidige Tannine, zeigt gute Länge, angenehme Mineralität, gutes Entwicklungspo- tenzial.

My Bettane + Desseauve

95

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/7/2021

Jamessuckling.com

94-95

byJames Sucklingthe4/25/2021

This is really serious. It’s full-bodied, tight and linear with fantastic length. Racy, so fine and intense. Very fine tannins. One of the best Croix Ducru. 53% cabernet sauvignon, 44% merlot, and 3% petit verdot.

Yvesbeck.wine

92-94

byYves Beckthe4/14/2021

Bouquet fruité, subtile, révélant des notes de bois de réglisse et de baies noires. Attaque crémeuse et rafraichissante. Le vin est dense, précis et frais. Belle symbiose entre des tannins aux grains fins et la vivacité. La structure acide assure parfaitement les arrières et confère de l'énergie à l'ensemble du vin. Un vin prometteur. 2024-2038.