Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou - Croix de Beaucaillou 2021

Suckling: "Medium body with a compact core of dark fruit, blackcurrants, pine cones, cloves and chocolate. Beautiful depth. Firm, creamy tannins. Dark and firm, yet cool at the end. 64% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot and 4% petit verdot. Serious second wine."

Galloni: "The 2021 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou is packed with super-ripe black cherry, plum, crème de cassis, new leather and bittersweet chocolate, all dialed up in this decidedly exuberant Saint-Julien. There is some firmness in the tannin, but that should soften with time. Deeply pitched aromatics and striking persistence give the 2021 tons of character. This has real potential. Aging is projected to be 12 months in barrel, 50% new."

Weinwisser: "Feingliedriges Bouquet, frisch gepflückte schwarze Johannisbeere, Flieder, Heidelbeergelee und Lakritze. Am gebündelten Gaumen mit weicher Textur, mehligem Extrakt, engmaschigem Tanningerüst. Im konzentrierten Finale schwarzbeerige Konturen, dunkles Graphit und fein mürbe Adstringenz, kann noch zulegen."

Decanter: "Bramble tones; fragrant and rich blackberry notes on the nose. A dark soul with depth and intensity, this has such richness and power, but restraint also. Concentrated with a directness and focus that drives it from start to finish aided by a linear vein of salinity, liquorice and blackcurrant. Tannins are robust and grippy, giving an impressive structure that is imposing in the mouth but retains a suave and endearing quality. Such charm and potential."

Neal Martin: "The 2021 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou has a very seductive bouquet of plush black cherry and raspberry preserves and a touch of Earl Grey. This is very nuanced and poised, showing a touch of cedar in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, and again, a little stricter than previous vintages thanks to the higher Cabernet Sauvignon. Classic in style, displaying fine sapidity, a touch of piquancy toward the finish and a persistent saline aftertaste. Very fine."

Wine Advocate: "Complex aromas of dark berries, sweet spices, licorice, cigar wrapper and loamy soil introduce the 2021 La Croix de Beaucaillou, a medium to full-bodied, seamless and layered wine that exhibits promising depth, concentration and structure in this challenging vintage. It's a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot—in other words, it contains at lot more Cabernet than usual."

Wine Cellar Insider: "With a floral and plum-filled nose, the wine is soft, silky, fresh, and polished, with black cherries, mint leaf, bright, red currants, and green olives in the finish. The wine is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot. 12.5% ABV, Drink from 2024-2035."