Many Bordeaux estates are named after prior owners. That is only part of the tale with Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou, which derived part of its name from its distinct terroir. The soils near Ducru Beaucaillou are practically covered with huge stones. In fact, Beaucaillou translates as “beautiful stones.”
Ducru Beaucaillou is one of the Medoc’s oldest estates. The origins of Ducru Beaucaillou may be traced back to the early 13th century. In 1795, Bertrand Ducru bought the estate. He gave his name to the winery, which immediately became known as Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou. The owner wasn’t finished yet. Ducru Beaucaillou commissioned the chateau’s design from well-known Parisian architect Paul Abadie.
Paul Abadie took the current design they were already using adding a second story to the chateau which became the now-famous-looking facade we enjoy today. They also upgraded the vineyards and built a new, barrel-aging cellar.
Following more than seven decades at the helm of Ducru Beaucaillou, they sold the property to Lucie Caroline Dassier in 1866 for one million Francs. Keep in mind, at the time, one million French Francs was a lot of money! Dassier was the wife of the famous negociant Nathaniel Johnston.
Nathaniel Johnston understood the situation at Ducru Beaucaillou. With the help of Ernest David, the manager of the Left Bank estate, Johnston restored the grapes and modernised the cellars.
Johnston and David conducted multiple grape varietal and vine disease trials at Ducru Beaucaillou. Their efforts resulted in the first remedy to the mildew problem that plagued many Bordeaux vines in 1878. The Bordeaux soup, a combination of lime milk and copper sulphate, was the ideal remedy. Winemakers and vineyard owners all across the world immediately embraced this.
Due to the 1929 downturn, the Johnston family was obliged to sell Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou to the Desbarats family. In 1941, the estate was sold to Francis Borie by the Desbarats family, who were prominent wine traders.
The Modern Era, Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou
By this time, the Borie family had deep roots in the Bordeaux region. They arrived in Bordeaux in the late 1800s and began as negociants. The Borie family currently owns Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste near Pauillac, as well as additional vineyards in the vicinity.
Jean Eugene Borie took inherited the land from his father, Francois Borie, in 1953. Francois Xavier Borie began working full-time at the estate in 1978, eventually taking over from his father following his death in 1998. That lasted until 2003.
Bruno Borie, the current proprietor, has been in control of all that happens at Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou since 2003. Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou is now producing the greatest wines in its history. That is evident while tasting the wines, which says a lot given how many exceptional wines have been made at the estate throughout the years. Bruno Borie deserves a lot of credit for it.
Prior to Bruno Borie’s arrival at the property, there was a problem with TCA contamination in the cellars of Ducru Beaucaillou. The problematic vintages ranged from 1986 through 1993 or 1994. By 1995, the issue had been completely eliminated.
Furthermore, under the leadership of Bruno Borie, all of their earlier vintages from that time period were re-corked. All bottles containing traces of TCA were destroyed. The small amount of leftover stock that has been released, indicating that the bottles have been recapped, is in pristine shape.
Ducru Beaucaillou’s 75-hectare vineyard is planted with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. The vineyard has changed since the mid-1990s, with an increase in Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot due to the removal of previously planted Petit Verdot plants.
The vines are 35 years old on average. Ducru Beaucaillou, on the other hand, has mature vines. Their oldest plot is the Les Sadons parcel, which was planted in 1918. The grapes planted close to the château are the heart and soul of the Ducru Beaucaillou vineyard.
Despite the fact that that area of their vineyard is huge, with close to 50 hectares of vines, easy access to the Gironde, and deep gravel slopes, it has some of the greatest terroirs in all of Bordeaux. They also have additional 20 hectares of grapes farther inland and to the north, near Chateau Talbot. Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou began its transition to 100% organic farming practises with the 2018 vintage.
The grapes are grown in clusters of 10,000 vines per hectare. Each parcel is planted to meet the unique requirements of its soils and terrain. Furthermore, Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou possesses 16 hectares of vineyards in the nearby Haut Medoc region.
The estate has the right to include those vineyards in either their Grand Vin or Lalande Borie since they were part of Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou at the time of the initial classification, even though they are located in the neighbouring appellation of Haut Medoc. They may also make Haut Medoc wine from those grapes if they want to.
Returning to Lalande Borie, it remained a significant winery for Bruno Borie since it was where he frequently experimented with new techniques before introducing them to Ducru Beaucaillou. Lalande Borie ceased to exist following the 2018 harvest. It was superseded by Le Petit Ducru de Ducru-Beaucaillou, which is considered Ducru Beaucaillou’s third wine.
The grapes are macerated for approximately 7 days to make Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou wine. Vinification is carried out in stainless steel vats of varying sizes, allowing for plot-by-plot vinification. The entire process takes around two weeks, with the frequency of pumping and temperature being customised to each particular vat.
Malolactic fermentation occurs in concrete vats. Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou’s wine is matured in 75% to 90% new French oak barrels for 18 to 20 months. The quantity of time and fresh oak used vary per vintage.
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
33250 Saint-Julien Beychevelle – France
+33 5 56 73 16 73
