Ducru Beaucaillou - Saint-Julien 1995

Wine Advocate

95-95

byNeal Martinthe9/20/2022

The 1995 Ducru-Beaucaillou, matured in two-thirds new oak, has a very refined bouquet with blackberry, raspberry, rose petal and cedar aromas, very focused and sophisticated. The palate is well balanced with sour red cherries, balsamic and cedar notes, vibrant and full of energy, though you might well argue it doesn’t quite have the panache and complexity of ensuing vintages on the finish. But it is certainly ageing well and is drinking perfectly now. Tasted at the Ducru Beaucaillou vertical at the château.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

94

byStephen Tanzerthe8/31/2002

Bright dark ruby. Knockout perfumed nose of great purity: cassis, violet, minerals and bitter chocolate. A penetrating wine of outstanding vinosity and verve; offers great tensile strength. Youthfully tight, classic claret whose extremely long finish features very fine tannins. I'm not convinced Ducru has made a wine in recent vintages to equal its '95 and '96 releases. Drink 2005 through 2025. 94(+?)

Wine Advocate

94

byRobert Parkerthe9/1/1998

Wow, does this wine have explosive richness and ripeness! Showing even better than it did last spring, the opaque purple color, and the fabulously sweet, jammy nose of black fruits, minerals, and flowers is followed by an atypically fat, large-scaled, structured, medium to full-bodied Ducru-Beaucaillou that is crammed with fruit. With an inner-core of sweetness, glycerin, and richness, this is a marvelously well-made, compelling example of Ducru-Beaucaillou, the likes of which Ducru's fans have not had since the other-worldly 1982. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2025. Last tasted 1/97

Wine Advocate

94

byRobert Parkerthe2/28/1998

This wine is of first-growth quality, not only from an intellectual perspective, but in its hedonistic characteristics. More open-knit and accessible than the extraordinary 1996, Ducru's 1995 exhibits a saturated ruby/purple color, followed by a knock-out nose of blueberry and black raspberry/cassis fruit intertwined with minerals, flowers, and subtle toasty new oak. Like its younger sibling, the wine possesses a sweet, rich mid-palate (from extract and ripeness, not sugar), layers of flavor, good delineation and grip, but generally unobtrusive tannin and acidity. It is a classic, compelling example of Ducru-Beaucaillou that should not be missed. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2025. It should be obvious to readers of my preliminary reports on both the 1995 and 1996 vintages that the family of Jean-Eugene Borie produced some of the greatest wines ever made at their respective chateaux - Ducru-Beaucaillou, Grand-Puy-Lacoste, and Haut-Batailley - in both 1995 and 1996. That has been confirmed once again in the bottled 1995s, and in the evolution of the powerhouse 1996s.

Wine Spectator

97

byJames Sucklingthe1/31/1998

The greatest Ducru produced this century. Breathtaking aromas of berries, violets, vanilla and blackberries set the stage for a wine that's full-bodied and tannic, yet very fine and long in the mouth. This has fabulous structure for aging. Best after 2004. 18,000 cases made.

Wine Advocate

92-95

byRobert Parkerthe2/28/1997

Ducru-Beaucaillou experienced an uncharacteristically shaky period between 1986 and 1990. The winemaking did not suffer, but the inconsistency from bottle to bottle (too many wines exhibited a musty, wet cardboard-like aroma), is history. The construction of a new cellar and replacement of every barrel has guaranteed the conditions necessary to produce trouble free wines. Ducru is on a roll, with fine efforts over recent vintages, including an exceptional 1994, spectacular 1995, and what looks to be an equally profound, super-concentrated 1996. Wow, does this wine have explosive richness and ripeness! Showing even better than it did last spring, the opaque purple color, and the fabulously sweet, jammy nose of black fruits, minerals, and flowers is followed by an atypically fat, large-scaled, structured, medium to full-bodied Ducru-Beaucaillou that is crammed with fruit. With an inner-core of sweetness, glycerin, and richness, this is a marvelously well-made, compelling example of Ducru-Beaucaillou, the likes of which Ducru's fans have not had since the other-worldly 1982. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2025.

Wine Advocate

90-92

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/1996

The 1995 is extremely flattering, largely because of its exceptionally low acidity and sweet, jammy black fruit character. It is atypically ripe and fleshy for a Ducru-Beaucaillou, an estate known for its reserved elegance, a la Lafite-Rothschild. This flashy, ostentatiously-styled Ducru should prove to be a hit with not only longtime fans of this impeccably run estate, but also with readers who are unwilling to wait the 8-10 years that top vintages of Ducru normally require to round into form. I should note that while a name had not yet been chosen (the most likely candidate is La Croix Beaucaillou), Ducru-Beaucaillou has begun producing a second wine with the 1994 vintage.