1970 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
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Tasting notes
Full bottle 1,267 g. Too old to have the alcohol on the label! Jean-Eugène Borie named on the front label. Transparent shaded ruby-to-rust. Very much a fully mature wine on the nose – clearly a different generation from the 1994 Mouton served alongside. Gentle and sweet on the palate now with no sign of 1970's sometimes punishing tannins. Intriguing, subtle complex of classic claret flavours. Lovely sweetness – a representative of great Médoc made by a fine practitioner. Sweet and long but it could dry out easily. I think I may serve this straight from the bottle just to preserve that now-delicate fruit. (JR)
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 1970 Ducru-Beaucaillou is a vintage that I tasted regularly about twenty years ago - always a strong performer even if it did not deliver fireworks. At over half a century, it has not lost a bit of vigour, but there are lovely scents of clove, liquorice and a touch of furniture polish combining with the remnant of black fruit. The palate is well defined with fine tannins, crisp acidity, quite harmonious. Quite peppery on the aftertaste, it is a Ducru-Beaucaillou that is entering its dotage after a fine career. Tasted at the Ducru Beaucaillou vertical at the château.
"1970 was a generous vintage, and back then, when it was generous, we let it be generous!" Proprietor Bruno Borie informed me during the tasting of this 1970 Ducru-Beaucaillou at the chateau. Medium brown in color with a remaining touch of brick, the nose reveals a wonderfully fragrant perfume of dried figs, sultana cake and baking spices with hints of dusty soil, dried herbs plus a subtle waft of crushed rocks. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers bold freshness, laden with dried red berries flavors and mineral-inspired sparks, framed by chewy tannins, finishing spicy.
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.