The selection process for Château Ducru-Beaucaillou has become draconian on Bruno Borie’s watch, which has taken the wine to new heights while making it more scarce. In 2016, just 90,000 bottles of the Grand Vin were produced, compared with an average of 180,000 bottles before 2003.
This strict selection process has paid off: the 2016 vintage received the same score (96–98 points out of 100) as Château Lafite Rothschild from The Wine Advocate, the 2015 vintage scored well against both Château Lafite and fellow First Growth Château Latour in the same publication, receiving 97 points (compared to 96+ and 98 respectively), and in 2009, Ducru-Beaucaillou was deemed flawless, receiving a perfect 100 point score.