Ducru-Beaucaillou St-Julien 2009

100 points Robert Parker: "The 2009 Ducru Beaucaillou will eclipse the brilliant wines produced in 2005, 2003 and 2000. It will be interesting to see how the 2009 fares against the 2010 after twenty years of aging, but my money is on the 2009. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot that achieved 13.5% natural alcohol, this inky purple, unctuous wine possesses classic aromas of graphite, creme de cassis, blueberries, violets, licorice and Christmas fruitcake. Full-bodied and intense with Ducru’s inimitable elegance and purity, it should firm up in the bottle after 7-10 years of cellaring and last for 40-50 years. Magnificent! (Feb 2012)"

100 points Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2009 Ducru-Beaucaillou is pure perfection and a much more sexy, opulent wine compared to the 2010. Crème de cassis, licorice, spice-box, lead pencil shavings and dried flower notes all – literally – soar from the glass of this incredible wine. Full-bodied, layered, expansive and deep, with sweet, sweet tannin and no hard edges, it’s already impossible to resist, yet is going to keep for four to five decades. I think the 2010 will be a longer-lived wine, but I’m not sure it will ever deliver the opulence or hedonistic pleasure of the 2009. Either way, that’s a fun comparison I look forward to having over the coming decades! Drink: 2020-2060. (11/30/17)"

98 points Decanter: "Powerful and tightly knit, this will need another three or four years to really get going. Its beautifully plush black fruits are already showing their hand however, and the dark chocolate and liquorice root touches are in full song. It has chewy tannins of great quality on the mid-palate that blindfold you a little as you travel through the wine, with a lick of gourmet grilled cedar giving an exuberant finish. (Drink between 2022-2040. (Feb 2019)"

97 points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 2009 Ducru-Beaucaillou has a tightly wound and almost Pauillac-like bouquet, veins of graphite strafing the black fruit, tightly wound but it is tremendously focused and vibrant. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin that disguise the density and grip of this Saint-Julien. Powerful to the point of being stentorian, yet utterly compelling, it will need another three or four years in bottle. Extremely impressive - a Ducru-Beaucaillou showing what it can do. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting. Drink: 2025-2055. (Mar 2019)"

97 points Peter Moser (Falstaff) (2/13/20).

96 points Wine Spectator: "Features plenty of flash and sizzle, with gorgeous, inviting mocha, espresso and chocolate notes up front, backed by a dense core of plum sauce, cassis, blackberry puree and blueberry reduction accents. Long, showing terrific polish, with a lovely lingering loam note and a buried singed apple wood edge that keeps everything driving through the finish. Best from 2016 through 2035. (3/31/13)"

96 points James Suckling: "The purity of fruit is wonderful in this, with plums, currants and hints of fresh mushrooms. Hints of cloves too. Full-bodied, with chewy, creamy tannins and a bright fresh finish. Super energy and intensity. 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. Better in 2018. (2/27/12)"

19.5/20 points La Revue du Vin de France: "The wine is impressive, endowed with magnificent body and a refinement in the tannins that make for one of the suavest wines of the vintage and a reference point for the house itself. (Jan 2012)"