1986 Ducru Beaucaillou
By Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou
1986 Ducru Beaucaillou from Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou, St-Julien, Bordeaux
In the prestigious roll-call of St-Julien estates, the 1986 Ducru Beaucaillou from Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou represents a testament to the exceptional nature of Bordeaux's 1986 vintage. That year's near-ideal conditions brought forth a wine of both grandeur and grace, casting a resolute shadow over preceding vintages with its distinct character.
Signature Elegance with Unyielding Structure
The vintage's climatic conditions—characterised by a relatively dry summer and an impeccably-timed warm September—fashioned grapes that achieved perfect ripeness. Such providence allowed this Cabernet Sauvignon-heavy blend to articulate the profound complexity for which St-Julien is renowned. On the nose, the 1986 Ducru Beaucaillou presents an arresting bouquet of blackcurrant and cedarwood intertwined with subtle tobacco nuances. In the mouth, it unfolds with an assured blend of richness and poise, exhibiting a well-delineated tannic backbone essential for lengthy cellaring.
A Vintage Speaking to Influential Investors
As fine wine investors seek out singular expressions with maturation potential, this 1986 offering tranquilly reassures with aplomb. Beyond its evident aromatic allure and precise palate profile, this particular vintage from Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou stands as a beacon for collectability—a wine not only to savour but to own as part of an expanding or established investment portfolio.
The pertinence of such a wine within the market is further illustrated by its enduring appeal; mere dispatches of this excellent vintage remain, heightening its exclusivity and desirability amidst a sea of fine wines. The 1986 Ducru Beaucaillou remains resolutely one to watch, to acquire and to treasure.
An Oenophilic Odyssey Awaiting Discovery
To encounter the 1986 Ducru Beaucaillou is to engage in an oenophilic odyssey that transcends mere tasting. Each sip promises insights into the vintage's juxtaposition of might and elegance—a signature dance that emboldens the wine’s long-standing reputation. In essence, for enthusiasts and investors alike, securing this elixir presents not only an opportunity for sensory delight but also a wise addition to any considered collection of fine vintages.
Current market price
$3,680.00
12x75cl
Highest score
94
POP score
157.86
Scores and tasting notes
Medium brick in color with a touch of brown, the 1986 Ducru-Beaucaillou reveals growing notes of dried mulberries, kirsch and raisin cake with nuances of celery salt, dried bay leaves, truffles and charcuterie plus hints of old leather sofa and fallen leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has quite a powerful structure with firm, chewy tannins and bold freshness supporting the muscular, dried berries flavors, finishing long with a dried mint kick. 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.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate, 13 August 2020
The 1986 Ducru can be variable due to the infection in the cellar at the time. This was a good bottle that is ageing well. The nose displays fine intensity with dark plum, blackberry, graphite and just that touch of oyster shell with well-integrated oak. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, missing the delineation of a top-flight Ducru but jam-packed with ripe black fruits towards the long finish. It just misses the precision of today's wines, but is still a delicious Saint Julien. Tasted November 2011.
Neal Martin - Wine Journal Mar 2012
At 16 years of age, this wine continues to taste more like a 5 to7-year-old Bordeaux. The color is a handsome dark ruby with just a bit of pink at the edge. The wine exhibits sweet red and black currant fruit intermixed with wet stones, spice, and flowers. Medium-bodied and still moderately tannic, but very concentrated, this firmly structured, slightly austere wine has tremendous upside to it. By the way, this was the first vintage where I began to notice on some bottles the wet cement/damp cardboard aromas that were far more increasingly evident in the subsequent vintages, 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1990. Interestingly, the last five times I have tasted the 1986 Ducru-Beaucaillou, they were totally pristine bottles. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2030. Last tasted, 5/02.
Robert Parker Jr - Bordeaux Book, 4th Edition Jan 2003