2004 Ducru-Beaucaillou

Bruno Borie emphasized that La Croix de Beaucaillou is Ducru's second wine and that Lalande-Borie is from another property entirely: 25 hectares of vines to the west of Ducru, near Talbot and Lagrange. Ducru comes mostly from gravelly soil around the chateau, "an estuary microclimate," while La Croix de Beaucaillou, which normally includes a higher percentage of merlot than Ducru, comes from another 35 hectares of vines across the road toward Langoa- and Leoville-Barton, where the soil is similar but the climate different. Since taking over here in 2003, Borie has updated and modernized this wine through a host of small improvements in the vines and in the winery, perhaps the most important of which has been more precise harvesting and stricter selection. The work in the vineyard was especially critical in 2006, with all possible steps taken to ensure ripe, clean grapes at the time of harvest. As Borie put it, "the sorting table is the last step before you hang yourself." The aristocratic 2006 has an IPT of 80 and alcohol of 13.2%.

Whereas most chateau proprietors of the Northern Medoc indicated a preference for their cabernet sauvignon, and many of the best 2005s from this region feature a lower-than-usual percentage of merlot, Bruno Borie expressed the opinion that "the merlot was great" and made the decision to keep nearly all of it, as he felt it brought charm, power and elegance. In fact, he explained, "in 2005 our cabernet fruit showed the softness and smoothness of merlot, while our merlot had the structure of cabernet." The 2005 Ducru blend includes an unusually high 33% merlot content and, not surprisingly, an elevated alcohol level of 13.5%. (One of my fellow tasters noted that Ducru was the only chateau he visited where the grand vin was higher in alcohol than the estate's second wine; at virtually every other property, by all reports, it was the superripe lots that were declassified.) The young wine was atypically glossy and fleshy for a young Ducru, and many early tasters whose paradigm for Ducru runs toward a more discreet, austere wine seemed not to know quite what to do about this sweeter, more modern-style vintage. Incidentally, thanks in part to the high percentage of merlot, the IPT in 2005 is 71, significantly less than the 80 registered in 2003. But the 2005 is very rich in anthocyanins, or coloring material, notes Borie.

Bruno Borie, in charge of this property since the 2003 growing season, has introduced a number of small improvements here ("I've worked on every detail"), with all changes designed to achieve greater precision, including work in the vines, harvesting strategy and selection for the grand vin Based on the 2003 and 2004 vintages, there seems little doubt that Borie is seeking to produce a more modern, fruit-driven style of wine. Borie carried out a drastic green harvest in 2004, leaving just four to six clusters per vine and ultimately making 49 hectoliters per hectare. When he harvested in early October, he told me, the pips "had a ripe hazelnut character." The young 2004, according to Borie, "is classic in the sense that it's not exotic." Incidentally, Borie kicked much of the merlot out of the final blend, because he didn't think it had enough length and elegance.