Floral and pretty with currants, cherries, and some violets and stones. Medium-bodied with a creamy texture. Attractive tannins and stony undertones. A large percentage of merlot with the cabernet, making it fresh and firm. Sophisticated.

Entirely new wine this year from Ducru Beaucaillou plots in Haut-Medoc (in Cussac Fort Médoc, just over the border). This has a juicy balance, and round supple tannins, approachable but with ageing potential if you want to wait four or five years before opening. High levels of Petit Verdot help add spice and deepen the feel of the wine. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.

Coming from the Haut- Médoc and bottled in May, the 2019 Madame De Beaucaillou reveals a deep ruby/purple as well as a great nose of red and black cherries, leafy herbs, damp earth, and flowers. Medium-bodied, mouth-filling, and balanced, it has the vintage's purity and focuses front and center yet still brings plenty of fruit, texture, and pleasure. Drink this beauty over the coming 4-6 years. Best After 2022.

This is a ripe, juicy wine, full of succulent berry flavors. It has spice and delicious black fruits along with a core of tannins that will sustain it. Drink from 2024.

The 2019 Madame de Beaucaillou is the first vintage where 100% of the Haut-Médoc went into the blend. It has a light, well-defined nose of black currant and light briary scents. The palate is medium-bodied with a firm, quite masculine and peppery entry, moderate depth and an austere finish that will need a little time. Given how fleshy it was in barrel, I am surprised how grippy this has become, but I suspect it will fill out with bottle age.