2018 Petit Ducru
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Tasting notes
The 2018 Le Petit Ducru de Ducru-Beaucaillou, to give it its full name, was still "Lalande-Borie" when I tasted it from barrel. Aged for 12 months in 30% new oak, it has a pretty bouquet, less precocious than I remarked back then, with brambly black fruit, crushed rock and a light wilted iris scent. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, the oak now nicely entwined, whereas before I thought that it might take 3–4 years to fully integrate. There is ample ripeness, though this remains classic in style, possessing fine delineation and just the right amount of sapidity to urge you back for another sip.
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
The Merlot-dominated 2018 Le Petit Ducru De Ducru-Beaucaillou (there's 40% Cabernet Sauvignon) is another dense ruby/purple-hued effort offering lots of cedar, green tobacco, damp earth, and darker currant-like fruits to go with a medium to full-bodied, beautifully textured mouthfeel. It has ripe tannins and plenty of baby fat that hides solid underlying structure. It's well worth seeking out and is going to put a smile on your face any time over the coming decade as well.
A newcomer to the Ducru-Beaucaillou stable, Le Petit Ducru wine was formerly called Lalande-Borie. It is essentially a third wine, coming from part of the vineyard of Ducru-Beaucaillou. The 2018 Le Petit Ducru is a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. It was aged for 12 months in barrel, in one-third new oak. It has an alcohol of 14.5%. Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with wonderfully pure scents of black and red currants, black raspberries and mulberries plus suggestions of tobacco leaf, bay leaves and fertile loam. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-filling juicy black fruits flavors with soft tannins and just enough freshness, finishing with an herbal lift.
About the producer
Second Growth estate Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou in Saint-Julien is one of the Super Seconds, an elite group of properties producing wines that regularly compete with the finest in the Médoc.