1990 Ducru Beaucaillou
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Tasting notes
The 1990 Ducru-Beaucaillou was matured in two-thirds new oak for 12 months. Ever a controversial vintage because of the problems in storage that tainted some of the production (not all), this bottle had a clean nose but one that felt a little one-dimensional, with simple red berry fruit and earthy notes, becoming increasingly herbal with time. The palate has a bitterness on the entry that I find jarring, and it attenuates dramatically towards a sour, short finish. Odd. Tasted at the Ducru Beaucaillou vertical at the château.
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
More reviews and scores
Harvest took place this year from 23rd September to 8th October. The wine was aged for around 12 months in two-thirds new oak. Medium brick-brown in color, the 1990 Ducru-Beaucaillou is quite evolved, offering notions of incense, tree bark, tilled soil and tobacco with nuances of preserved plums, kirsch, tapenade and leather. Medium to full-bodied, the palate still possesses a good amount of earth-laced savory fruit with a bit of chew to the texture and a stewed tea finish. Readers should note that this vintage fell within a notoriously patchy period at Ducru, where the cellar is likely to have fallen victim to TCA or a TCA-like taint, and it appears some bottles were impacted from 1986 to 1994. By 1995, the chateau had a completely new vat room/cellar and the problem ceased. Therefore, there could be some bottle variation to be had with this vintage. This bottle, however, was pristine, tasted at the chateau.
A pleasant red but slightly papery, with mineral, berry and cardboard aromas. Medium-bodied, with silky tannins and a medium, papery finish.--1990 Bordeaux retrospective. Drink now. 17,000 cases made. -James Suckling, Wine Spectator 2000
About the producer
Second Growth estate Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou in Saint-Julien is one of the Super Seconds, an elite group of properties producing wines that regularly compete with the finest in the Médoc.