Ducru-Beaucaillou St-Julien 2016

100 points Jeb Dunnuck: "Reminding me of the 2010 with its incredible stature and class (as opposed to the more opulently styled 2009), the 2016 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is a legendary wine from the genius of Bruno Borie, who has managed this estate brilliantly since he arrived in 2003. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot brought up all in new oak, the 2016 has a mammoth bouquet of crème de cassis, espresso, camphor, crushed violets, toasty oak, and graphite. Full-bodied, concentrated, and backward on the palate, it nevertheless has perfectly integrated acidity and building tannins, a concentrated, layered texture, off-the-charts purity of fruit, and a finish that won't quit. Give this powerful, concentrated wine a solid 7-8 years of bottle age and enjoy it over the following 50 years or more. Drink: 2026-2076. (2/28/19)"

99 points James Suckling: "Super perfumed, attractive violets with a thread of fresh blueberries, cassis, blackberries and dark plums, delivering a very enticing impression. Beautiful ripeness here. The tannins are perfectly ripe and layers meld into each other, carrying deep, graceful and plush, velvety dark fruit long into the vibrant and seductive, chocolate-laced finish. Great potential. Try from 2024. (3/2/20)"

98+ points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate): "Very deep purple-black in color, the 2016 Ducru-Beaucaillou delivers a pronounced, enticing nose of baked plums, blueberry preserves, fruitcake and boysenberry with suggestions of lilacs, mocha, hoisin and exotic spices plus a waft of cedar chest. Full-bodied, rich and opulent in the mouth, the palate has layer upon layer of black fruit preserves and spicy nuances, matched by a very firm, grainy frame, finishing with epic length and depth. Drink: 2020-2058. (Aug 2020)"

98 points and 'Cellar Selection,' Wine Enthusiast: "This wine conveys density but its richness is sublimated by the complex structure and beautiful ripe fruit. Its power comes from the structure as much as the fruit, promising a wine with an immensely long life ahead of it. Drink from 2025. Alcohol 13.5%. (May 2019)"

97+ points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 2016 Ducru Beaucaillou is blessed with one of the finest aromatics you will find within the appellation, delivering pixelated, mineral-driven black fruit laced with cedar and sous-bois and seeming so natural and effortless. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. Taut and crisp, leading into a detailed, quite persistent finish that, again, just comes across as effortless. This is a sophisticated and quite enthralling Saint-Julien. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting. Drink: 2026-2070. (Aug 2020)"

97 points Stephen Brook (Decanter): " Bruno Borie and technical director Emmanuel Bonneau crafted this exquisite wine together in 2016. The nose is ripe but still stern, with oaky blackcurrant and blackberry. Very concentrated, but also velvety and succulent, it shows admirable tension, muscle and depth. Very youthful and chewy, but not extracted – and it retains that quintessential St-Julien finesse. Drinking Window: 2025-2050. (Jun 2020)"

97 points Wine Spectator: "Offers exotic, cashmere-textured, mocha-infused blackberry, cassis and plum puree flavors, with smoldering incense and warm fruitcake notes and a swath of plush yet serious grip too boot, showing ample depth and breath. As distinctive a Bordeaux as there is these days. Best from 2025 through 2040. (3/31/19)"