Ducru Beaucaillou Le Petit Ducru de Ducru-Beaucaillou St-Julien 2019

94 points James Suckling: "Such a beautiful red with currants, blackberries and some walnut and stone undertones. It’s medium-bodied with a creamy texture and a long finish. Hints of dried citrus. Drinkable now, but better in a year or two. (02/10/22)."

92 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2019 Le Petit Ducru de Ducru-Beaucaillou is plush, creamy and open-knit, all of which give it considerable immediacy, not to mention tons of charm. Succulent dark cherry, plum, mocha and licorice lend nuance in this racy, Merlot-based blend. The Petit Ducru is a new wine meant to be the third selection from the château. Drink 2025-2039. (02/22)."

92 points Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux): "This first vintage under the new name, a slightly traumatic change (for me at least!) from Château Lalande Borie because I was a big supporter of the previous incarnation. This remains largely grapes from a 25ha plot on west side of St Julien, together with young vines from the Ducru estate (hence no longer qualifying for the château designation). Having said that, the quality is still brilliant, and it offers a clear reason to choose this wine as an approachable St Julien before heading upwards to Madame de Beaucaillou. Black fruits smothered in liquorice, dark chocolate shavings, cocoa beans, espresso, cassis. It has a clear link to Ducru, you get the shot of sexiness, the feeling that you are being invited in to the party. 30% new oak for 12 months. (10/26/21)."

90-92 points Wine Doctor: "One of two new labels in the Bruno Borie range this year, this one results from a suppression of Château Lalande-Borie. This vineyard has been extensively replanted over the years and is now very young. He has therefore decided to blend the Lalande-Borie fruit with a little from his Beaucaillou vineyards, in the latter case young vines or older vines excluded from the grand vin, to create Le Petit Ducru. It is 60% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot, with an alcohol level of 14.2%. Richer, denser and more savoury on the nose than the estate’s new Haut-Médoc cuvée, this offers up aromas of tense black cherry and blackcurrant fruits, with notes of cinnamon oak and a fragrant, perfumed, floral freshness. On the palate it displays a very appealing texture through the start and middle, with convincingly fragrant fruit, set in a medium-bodied texture, with a tense and tightly grained tannic grip. Elegant, poised, integrated, fresh with vigour and life, with a structured tannin-veined finish, this has really good potential. The structure is so fine I think you could be drinking this in just a year or two, but the tannic energy in the finish and length says it will go much longer than that in the cellar. (06/20)."

91 points Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2019 Le Petit Ducru De Ducru-Beaucaillou is also Merlot-dominated and includes 36% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. It offers classic Saint-Julien elegance and purity in its darker currant and cherry fruits as well as notes of tobacco, violets, and lead pencil. With medium-bodied richness on the palate, it has wonderful tannins, a balanced, layered mouthfeel, and outstanding length. It needs air to show at its best and is just a charming, elegant, layered 2019 to enjoy over any time over the coming decade. Drink 2022-2032. (04/11/22)."

90 points William Kelley (Wine Advocate): "Notes of blackberries, plums, pencil shavings and violets introduce the 2019 Le Petit Ducru, a medium to full-bodied, velvety and sensual wine that's lively and concentrated, its ample core of fruit largely concealing an abundance of ripe, powdery tannin. It's a Merlot-based blend that includes declassified lots of La Croix and Ducru-Beaucaillou itself. Drink 2021-2037. (04/07/22)."