2019 La Croix Ducru Beaucaillou, St. Julien

The second wine of this great château is the 2019 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou, which fits into the lineup beautifully and sits nicely between the Le Petit Ducru and the Grand Vin. Deep purple-hued, with full-bodied aromas and flavors of pure cassis, crushed stone, graphite, lead pencil, and smoked tobacco, it has building yet fine tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. It shows the more regal, classy, elegant, yet still concentrated style of this vintage perfectly. Give bottles a healthy decant if drinking any time soon, and it will have upwards of two decades of prime drinking. Best After 2022Blend: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot