98

Antonio Galloni

Vinous

The 2016 Ducru-Beaucaillou is an arrestingly beautiful wine. Powerful and sensual in the glass, the 2016 exudes remarkable concentration from start to finish. Red cherry fruit, pomegranate, blood orange, menthol and sweet tobacco all race across the palate. Vivid, sumptuous and impeccable in its balance, Ducru is one of the wines of the vintage in 2016. It has been unforgettable on both occasions I have tasted it from bottle so far. 12/2018

97

Neal Martin

Vinous

The 2016 Ducru-Beaucaillou was picked 24 September to 10 October, matured in 100% new oak for 18 months. It has an ethereal bouquet, the purest on any Ducru-Beaucaillou, with copious dark cherries, violet and mineral scents, a touch of forest floor emerges with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a fine bead of acidity, a little more red fruit towards the finish than the 2018 tasted alongside and maybe just beginning to close up to mature over the long-term. What a fantastic wine, one that will vie with the 2009 and maybe the 2018 as one of the peaks. Tasted at the Ducru Beaucaillou vertical at the château. 06/2021

98+

Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

Very deep purple-black in color, the 2016 Ducru-Beaucaillou delivers a pronounced, enticing nose of baked plums, blueberry preserves, fruitcake and boysenberry with suggestions of lilacs, mocha, hoisin and exotic spices plus a waft of cedar chest. Full-bodied, rich and opulent in the mouth, the palate has layer upon layer of black fruit preserves and spicy nuances, matched by a very firm, grainy frame, finishing with epic length and depth. 08/2020

100

Jeb Dunnuck

Jeb Dunnuck

An absolute legendary wine that's as good as anything out there, the 2016 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is reminiscent of the 2010, yet perhaps with a touch more opulence. A total blockbuster of a wine, it offers huge minerality as well as pure crème de cassis, liquid violets, graphite, and hints of tobacco that all emerge on the nose, and this fabulous Ducru-Beaucaillou is full-bodied, massively concentrated, and structured, yet somehow never loses its overarching sense of purity, balance, and elegance. This ultra-classic beauty deserves another decade of bottle age and will evolve gracefully for another 3-4 decades. Hats off to proprietor Bruno Borie for another incredible achievement. 10/2023

99

James Suckling

James Suckling

Super perfumed, attractive violets with a thread of fresh blueberries, cassis, blackberries and dark plums, delivering a very enticing impression. Beautiful ripeness here. The tannins are perfectly ripe and layers meld into each other, carrying deep, graceful and plush, velvety dark fruit long into the vibrant and seductive, chocolate-laced finish. Great potential. Try from 2024. 01/2019