Winemaker and Vineyard: The wines of La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou come from the vineyard of Château Ducru-Beaucaillou. This exceptional Médoc cru is spread between the river to the East and the centre and West of the AOC Saint-Julien area. The estate owes its name to its "beautiful pebbles", which, due to their quartz predominance, give lean soils. It is precisely this "agrological" poverty, as Professor René Pijassou wrote, that gives them great value for wine production. To the East, the plots occupy Médoc ridges just above the estuary, while those in the epicentre benefit from a microclimate engendered by the small stream of La Mouline, which crosses the appellation in the middle, from west to east, to flow into the Gironde.

Tasting: "The grand vin is the result of an increasingly strict selection process, with approximately 50% of the production going into the final wine and the balance used in the Croix de Beaucaillou. The 2009 may be the finest example of this cuvee I have yet tasted. Up-front, precocious and generous, it possesses a dense purple color, a big, broad, unctuous texture and abundant notes of creme de cassis and black cherry fruit intertwined with hints of wood smoke, vanillin and earth. This nearly viscous-styled wine can be drunk in 2-3 years or cellared for 15+. Bruno Borie has done a remarkable job at Ducru Beaucaillou." robertparker.com (23.12.2011)

Service: Serve at room temperature (16-18°C) to accompany duck breast with a porcini mushroom sauce.