Freddy R. Troya

9.3

La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou – 2021
AOC Saint-Julien – Bordeaux, France 🇫🇷

Overview
The second wine of the famed 2nd Growth Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, crafted under the stewardship of the Borie family. The 2021 vintage carries the estate’s signature terroir of deep gravel soils (“beaux cailloux” meaning “beautiful stones”), producing wines with elegance, depth, and longevity. Typical blend leans on Cabernet Sauvignon 64%, Merlot 32% and Petit Verdot 4% for a compelling profile.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, blackberry, and dark plum layered with graphite, tobacco, and cedar. Secondary notes of violets, cocoa powder, and subtle spice add depth and intrigue.

Mouthfeel
Firm tannic backbone with a silky texture emerging mid-palate. Medium to full-bodied, offering precision and finesse over sheer power. Fresh acidity frames the fruit, finishing long with mineral-driven elegance.

Food Pairings
Ribeye steak, venison, or duck confit, gourmet burgers, grilled portobello mushrooms, or truffle pizza. Aged Comté, Ossau-Iraty, or sharp Cheddar.

Verdict
A true Saint-Julien expression, structured yet polished, approachable in youth but built to evolve. This second wine offers a taste of Ducru’s pedigree without the grand vin price tag.

Did You Know?
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou earned its name from the large “beautiful stones” (cailloux) that dominate the vineyard’s gravel soils, perfect for Cabernet Sauvignon, which thrives in heat-retentive terroir.

🍷 Personal Pick Highlight: For lovers of Left Bank Bordeaux, this is a perfect introduction to Ducru’s magic, refined, powerful, and unmistakably Saint-Julien at a very affordable price point. Cheers! — 7 days ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.3

2018 vintage. — 18 days ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.3

Vintage 2014 | so happy I could hold my fingers from this bottle. Now, at eleven years old it has developed a truly distinguished taste. A combination of brushwood and minerals. With in smell and taste pepperbell, clearly Cabernet Franc. Fantastic. Paired with a very simple Cantonese dish (vegetarian): Tofu stewed in oystersauce. — 2 months ago

Jan A

9.5

What better companion to hachis permentier than a trusted chateneuf du pape. Still too young, it can use a couple of years of cellar time.
Edit: went from young to very drinkable in approx 45 minutes. Seamless C9DP. — 14 days ago

"Odedi"

9.2

Pretty red color with medium intensity.

Fresh red berries on the nose with light milk chocolates.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with cherries, red currants, light earth, light wood, spices, coffee, herbs and dark chocolates.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This delicious 3 year old Grenache blend from Châteauneuf-du-Pape is starting to drink beautifully now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 15 years.

Still young, and from the great 2022 vintage. Showing good potential to become a 94+ point wine.

Rich and fruit forward. Complex with a soft mouthfeel. Soft, pure and elegant.

The high alcohol is very well integrated. Spicy and entertaining. Well structured and precise.

Good by itself as a sipping wine.

Grapes are grown on aged vines of more than 100 years old. A blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Cinsault and 20% Syrah. Aged in mostly concrete vats for 2 years. Syrah is aged in new French oak barrels.

16% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$125. — a month ago

Craig Matthews

9.1

Delightful, well-balanced SB. Green apple, freshly mown grass, and the faintest green pepper. A bit of minerally zip like a light rain on gravel. — a month ago

Dave Keatley

9.0

Opened this a few years too early. Dark and brooding. Olives, violet, blackberry. Wild and savory. Would love to try this again in a few years! — 19 days ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.1

Merlot dominates this blend but there is some Cabernet Sauvignon and some Cabernet Franc blended in. Medium ruby color with a slight clear meniscus. Fruit forward aromas and flavors of blackberry, black cherry, dark plum, baking spices and cedar. Medium-plus finish. Medium body and very silky tannins. Well balanced/layered acidity and a very silky texture. A bit more austere than a traditional Medoc red blend. At peak. — a month ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.1

Vintage 2022 — a month ago

John Pavlovich

9.5

From a magnum, shortly before my son’s wedding. Wonderful, but I felt that it would be even better in 5-6 years. — 2 months ago