This Week's Must-Try Wines from Vinous

Welcome to this week's Must-Try Wines from Vinous! Each week we compile a list of wines from the Vinous database that you need to add to your wine wish list. With all the various regions, producers, and grapes, no week will be the same! All of the wines listed in this feature are available for purchase on Banquet . This week's must-try wines are the definition of wish list wines as these wines were a part of a historic Ducru-Beaucaillou vertical. Neal Martin shares all about the vertical, the estate, its history and so much more in his article, Where the Heart Is: Ducru-Beaucaillou 1934-2018 . Enjoy an excerpt from his article and reviews below! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bruno Borie asked how many vintages of Ducru-Beaucaillou I wanted to taste. My default reply is: As many as you are happy to open. An epic vertical tasting deserves an epic article, and this duly delivers, delving into the estate’s history, the Borie family, its viticulture and winemaking, all with in-depth contributions from Bruno Borie himself. Such a tasting deserves a write-up of equal magnitude. If you are planning to read this, I advise setting aside an hour or take a break halfway through; perhaps, pour yourself a wee dram of Ducru-Beaucaillou. Don’t blame the author entirely. Bruno Borie’s replies to my enquiries were so comprehensive and insightful that they deserve to be published unabridged. They afford readers an insight into the history, modus operandi and the family members that have presided over Ducru-Beaucaillou to create what might well be the definitive article. HISTORY The genesis of Ducru-Beaucaillou can be traced back to 30 May, 1720, when Jacques de Bergeron was betrothed to Marie Dejean, whose dowry included land in a lieu-dit known as “Maucaillou”, a portmanteau of mauvais (bad) and caillou (pebbles). It infers that the soil was difficult to work, not with respect to vines in that period, but to cereal crops. Once vines were found to thrive in this locale, the name was amended from “mauvais” to “beau”. The land was farmed by the de Bergeron family and, according to Clive Coates when researching the Lawton archives, wine was only sold under the “Beaucaillou” name from around 1760. He entertains the possibility that at the time of the Revolution, the parliamentarian François de Bergeron was the same that owned the land. In 1797, the land was purchased by Bertrand Ducru who duly appended his name to the cru. Ducru reconstituted the vineyards and renovated the buildings, which were initially built purely for functional purposes, the grand directoire-style façade that visitors see nowadays was constructed in 1820. Throughout the first half of the 19th century, the quality and reputation of the wine began to befit such a splendid château and production reached 150 tonneaux per annum by 1850. This melioration was perfectly timed, as prices reached a level whereby it was ranked Deuxième Cru in the 1855 Classification. Bernard Ginestet, writing in his Saint-Julien book, attributes the rise of Ducru-Beaucaillou to Antoine Ravez, who married Ducru’s daughter, Marie-Louise. The father of Ravez, Auguste Ravez, acted as député for the Gironde between 1816 and 1829 and ennobled by Charles X. After Bertrand Ducru passed away in 1829, the estate was run by his son Gustave and daughter Marie-Louise, though it is said that its stature and reputation was enhanced by the contacts and influence of her father-in-law, Auguste. That meant that quality of wine notwithstanding, Ducru-Beaucaillou was virtually guaranteed a high ranking in the 1855 Classification, eventually designating a Second Growth. In 1857, Gustave acquired Branaire from his cousin-in-law, Léo du Luc that begat the fellow Saint-Julien, Branaire-Ducru. Presumably, wishing to focus solely on Branaire, Gustave sold his share in Ducru-Beaucaillou to his sister in May 1860. One might have expected her to hold on to ownership for a number of years, but on 3 March 1866, she sold it to Lucie-Caroline Dassier, the wife of Nathaniel Johnston, for the princely sum of 1 million Francs. It was purchased in her name since it was underwritten by her family and added to Château Dauzac in Margaux that Johnston had acquired in 1863. --Neal Martin, Where the Heart Is: Ducru-Beaucaillou 1934-2018, July 2022 1. 1995 Ducru-Beaucaillou 2. 1996 Ducru-Beaucaillou 3. 2003 Ducru-Beaucaillou 4. 2005 Ducru-Beaucaillou 5. 2009 Ducru-Beaucaillou 6. 2014 Ducru-Beaucaillou 7. 2017 Ducru-Beaucaillou 8. 2018 Ducru-Beaucaillou

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2018