Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou 1986 Saint-Julien 75cl / 12.5%

A bottle of Château Ducru Beaucaillou 1986 from Bordeaux's Saint-Julien appellation.

Ducru Beaucaillou is a second growth, 75 hectare property whose vineyards are planted with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot.

'The 1986 Ducru Beaucaillou was served by Bruno Borie both decanted and directly from bottle, poured blind. From the bottle, it has an attractive bouquet with plush blackberry and wild strawberry fruit, indeed, showing more fruité than I was expecting. There is a roundness to these aromatics, perhaps a little more like 1985 in some ways. The palate is medium-bodied and here the seriousness and structure of the 1986 vintages shows through. There is impressive body and though it felt firm and masculine on the finish, there is clearly sufficient fruit that counterbalances the backbone. The decanted version showed a little more volatility on the nose, but here I discerned more complexity on the palate. The 1986 Ducru poured directly from bottle felt a little more savory and strangely, more cohesive, with more of the terroir coming through on the slightly loamy, brown sugar-tinged finish. Tasted July 2016. 91/100' Neal Martin, Wine Advocate

This Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou 1986 sold at our online auction for £80