2019 forever vigneron

2019 FOREVER VIGNERON TOP quality, reduced quantity While regretting the slight drop in volume compared with 2018, above all we welcomed the rare quality of the musts in 2019. This vintage will fascinate us for a long time: deep, structured, balanced and marked with a rare distinction. It has so much to tell us…   weather Aradiant wine-growing summer after a spring of twists and turns. Excess rainfall in April, fine weather in May, a sharp return to cool temperatures in early June; heatwaves at the end of June and July (and therefore with no risk of sunburn at this stage of the cycle), almost no rain over the whole of the summer and until the end of harvest, very moderate temperatures in August and September (again avoiding the risk of burning exposed berries). PRIVILeGE of the TERROIR The Ducru-Beaucaillou plateau saw an extraordinary flowering between 31 May and 2 June thanks to very fine weather and very high temperatures (32°C recorded at 7 p.m. on 1 June). The vine blossom perfumed the property with its pleasant and intoxicating scent of honeysuckle: sweet, tangy, suave.  The vine blossom perfumed the property with its pleasant and intoxicating scent of honeysuckle: sweet, tangy, suave. On the satellite terroirs at the centre and to the west of the appellation, the less hurried plots experienced a longer and more sensitive flowering (between 3 and 13 June), the consequence of a sudden “chilly” wave that set in just after the hot weather (on 5 June in particular: heavy and continuous rain throughout the day, only 13°C at 1 p.m.). This treacherous cold spell finally passed without causing too much suffering. From mid-June, the sun poured its beneficial warmth on our vines every day. Manicured care (green and pink harvests, careful leaf removal) corrected some of nature’s imperfections. Throughout the summer, our vines did not waver. They know their strengths: the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gironde estuary, which protect them from excessive summer heat, and these fine Günz gravels with their retention capacity that moderates water stress. ripening At the beginning of September, an equally demanding vigil began, monitoring the ripeness of the different grape varieties and each plot. The grapes are tasted continuously at this stage, methodically, vine by vine, then analysed in the laboratory to determine the timing of the harvest, sector by sector. Micromanagement within a single plot in order to gain precision. harvest he very good weather in August and September, combined with mild temperatures, allowed the grapes to flourish calmly. At the end of September, when the Merlot offered itself complacently to our secateurs, the Cabernet Sauvignon was still not ready… The light rains on Sunday 22, Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 September restarted the ripening process. At the turn of the month, the Cabernet Sauvignon finally underwent its transformation to excellence. The very good weather in August and September, combined with mild temperatures, allowed the grapes to flourish calmly. The observation is that here, and no doubt better than Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon can cope with these warmer climatic conditions by maintaining a long vegetative cycle: 120 days or more from flowering to full ripening of the grapes. With the IBMP (*) fully broken down, restrained alcohol degrees, acidity in phase, thick skins with extraordinary anthocyanin potential, perfectly ripe seeds, there was no doubt that the potential for excellence was there! Very careful hand picking was complemented by strict inspection of the bunches at the end of the rows and then optical sorting of the berries on arrival in the vat room. The material had to be flawless. VINIFICATION We obtained superb juices. This vintage, we experimented with a battery of new-generation (“smart”) conical tanks of small size (60/80 hectolitres), allowing us to work very accurately and ultimately to express as closely as possible the identity of each plot in the wine. This precision is found in the blends, which have now reached a remarkable level of precision (less than 0.3%). Each year, decision-support tools are added, both in monitoring the health of the vineyard and in the winemaking and ageing. No stone is left unturned in the pursuit of excellence… to reveal the essence of the terroirs of Ducru-Beaucaillou. A tribute to science and technical progress Such sophistication bears witness to the scientific ingenuity at work in viticulture and oenology in the world in general and in Bordeaux in particular. This search for the absolute is based on the talents of our researchers and academics, our agronomists and oenologists but also on an economy that is demanding in both human and financial resources. We must pay tribute to it and fight to preserve it. We mustn’t let this product of high culture escape us! ULTIMATELY : GRACE An absolutely magical cuvée with a typical Médoc aesthetic. A cuvée that approaches the sublime. Remarkable for its contained power, elegance, charm. A deep presence with an athletic figure. No heaviness, no excess. Like a ballerina whose hands could catch the sky. With a skip and a leap… she rises so high that she cannot fall. Full of grace. Ducru Beaucaillou discover

2020 The great conjonction

2020 the great conjonction A perfect convergence of the three key factors that define a vintage ans its wines: Favourable summer weather. hat was hot and dry with just the right amount of rain, falling mostly at night, guaranteeing freshness. Ideal conditions in September. with clear days and cool nights and a heatwave in mid-September that concentrated the fruit and enabled full phenolic ripeness, giving very fine tannins. Motivated, skilled, and united technical teams. who were relentless in their efforts to combat the challenges of the spring, and with the addition of the Quality/R&D department at the end of 2019, brought a new level of competency and excellence to the vineyards and the cellars. Another beautiful coincidence: Coincidentally, at winter solstice, December 21,2020, on the very day of this monumental astrological event, the final blend for Ducru-Beaucaillou was decided with our consultant Oenologist Eric BOISSENOT and our team. 2020 is part of a glorious triptych, with 2018 and 2019. A series of three such vintages is a rare phenomenon in Bordeaux, and indeed occurred as we celebrated three centuries of Ducru-Beaucaillou. In fact, the last time we experienced a tryptic was with the 1988, 1989, 1990 vintages. Finally, the warm and dry conditions of 2020 were very generous to the style of Ducru Beaucaillou, with a perfect convergence of fruit concentration giving great breadth, tannins endowing perfectly mastered power, and acidity providing exquisite freshness and balance. 2020 Ducru-Beaucaillou is the vintage of our 300 year anniversary. Since 1720, six families have nurtured an indelible bond with Ducru-Beaucaillou. They are forever captives of this prestigious estate, be they named Desjean, Bergeron, Ducru, Johnston, Desbarat de Burke, or Borie. These families were never short of praise for it. Over the decades, this devotion has managed to overcome all that is accidental or fleeting, as if passion perfected Nature’s Opus. Spring 020 was a year of good timing that proved to be ideal for ripening Cabernet Sauvignon. A mild winter (+2.4° C above the 30-year average) resulted in early budbreak, with the first buds emerging March 19-25. This led to early flowering in May, fortuitously between two rainy periods, and subsequently flowering and fruit set were fast, homogenous and 2 weeks early – ideal for thick-skinned Cabernet Sauvignon! However, the rest of spring kept our teams in action with frost, hail and cryptogamic attacks (specifically mildew). These events reduced yields but fortunately the potential for quality was preserved. Summer Summer was hot and dry, with just the right amount of rain falling late season. At Ducru, we recorded 28 days above 30°C and 6 days above 35°C. In terms of precipitation, there were 55 days with less than 10 mm of rain (June 19 – August 11). The rain fell at the ideal time, starting August 15, and was welcomed after a period of drought, enabling full ripeness. The fact that the rain fell at night kept temperatures cool, which was key to the freshness and to full flavour development in the final wines. Ripening eptember saw another dry spell with no rain (August 30 – September 18). Cool nights and clear days were perfect for the final ripening phase and the first controls at the beginning of September were already very promising. A heatwave in mid-September (highest average temperature in 30 years) further concentrated the fruit and fully ripened the skins. The berries were small with rich skins, leaching beautiful colour and elegant, fine tannins, the pulps were rich with highly perfumed aromatics, and the pips were perfectly ripe with the tell-tale hazelnut taste. At harvest the berries were very concentrated and small (Merlots: 1.1-1.3g/berry and Cabernet Sauvignon: 0.9-1.1g/berry). Harvest arvest was ideally warm, dry, and early. In fact, it was one of the only vintages in the history of the property where the harvest did not extend into October. No fewer than 150 harvesters worked over 3 weeks to and collect the fruit for all four wines. Harvest started with the Merlots on September 11 and finished with theCabernetSauvignonsonSeptember30th;theCabernetsSauvignon grapes where picked average of 125 days after flowering to ensure perfect phenolic maturity, Merlots at an average of 113 to keep freshness. Yields were small with 25-30hl/ha in Saint Julien and 20-25hl/ha in Haut Medoc. Privilege of terroir The 2020 season was not without its climatic challenges. Fortunately, due to our well-aerated slopes that rise from the Gironde, we averted the spring frosts of March 30. Our slopes of Günz gravel soils permitted adequate drainage during the heavy rains in late April, and the subsoil reserves provided needed water during the period of drought in July and August. Finally, proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and to the Gironde estuary moderated the temperatures with cool nights during the heat of summer. Fine & rare After a rather difficult spring, the volume potential of 2020 was small. Then the hot, dry growing season yielded small berries with great concentration, further reducing production volumes. However, the resulting wines have great depth of flavours with a core structure of vibrant acidity and perfectly ripe, finely polished tannins, all of the elements required for an exceptional Grand Vin. In short, 2020 gave us wines that are distinguished, elegant, aristocratic and indeed rare! Covid 19 The Covid-19 brought its own challenges to the vintage, as the lockdown was imposed just as the growing season was getting underway. Starting March 20, our cellars were closed and were accessed only by the cellar master for quality controls. Fortunately, our vineyard management teams were able to continue their work, while new sanitary protocols and management procedures were quickly implemented. We are grateful for the swift reaction and full cooperation from the Ducru teams. A new era for Ducru Beaucaillou The highly experienced and effective management team, headed by Emmanuel Bonneau since 2016, clearly marks a new era for Ducru Beaucaillou, resulting in wines that affirm the refined style of Ducru Beaucaillou, yet with even greater purity, precision, breadth and depth. At the end of 2019, the team was expanded