Did you know City Cellars is home to a few hidden treasures, namely some wines with a few years behind them? In this blog series, we feature a special vintage wine that we have in store, with information about the wine, the vintage, the producer and the cost.
1998 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
St Julien, Bordeaux, France
Producer
St Julien is the smallest of the four famous appellations of the Haut Médoc, known for highly extracted, finely structured, Cabernet-based reds. It is nestled between Pauillac to the north and Margaux to the south. In the last several vintages, wineries from this appellation have been out-performing their traditional rankings making many of the wines from this region some of the best values in red wine today.
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou has been a family property in the Médoc since 1720 and is one of the region’s most iconic sites. Over these past 300 years, six families have nurtured a bond with the estate, and it’s currently run by the third generation of the Borie family. Château Ducru-Beaucaillou owes its name to its soil’s "beautiful pebbles", also known as Gunzian gravel. These Gunzian gravels make for soils that are poor in plant nutrients, but it is this scarcity that guarantees the qualitative excellence of the wines.
The site is one of the oldest Bordeaux wine producing estates, and is known for making some of the most age-worthy wines in the Left Bank.
Vintage characteristics
1998 was a difficult vintage for Bordeaux’s Left Bank, with a hot summer and a lot of September rainfall that affected the ripening of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. But 1998 Bordeaux wine at its best displays a lot of elegance, charm, opulence and concentration. They are round, rich and, in the best cases, express a flamboyant, fleshy style, coupled with freshness and character. The more they are given the chance to age, the more complexity and weight they develop.
Winemaking
The wine is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot, and was aged in 100% new French oak barrels for 18 months.
Taste profile
13% ABV
Deep purple colour
Aromas: Black raspberries, minerals, cassis, plum, cedar, tobacco and currants.
Palate: Medium to full-bodied, flavours of succulent fruit with magnificent purity and understated elegance. Supple tannins, dense black fruit laced with game, allspice, white pepper and leather
Ducru Beaucaillou is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius.The cool cellar-like temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. Decant for up to an hour to remove sediment.
You can pair this wine with classic meat dishes like veal, game, beef, lamb, etc., or pair it with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses (tuna or salmon), mushrooms and pasta as well as aged cheese.
Aging
Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou is not a wine to drink on the young side. The wine is usually far too tannic, powerful and reserved during its youth. It is usually better after at least 15 years of bottle aging. At 23 years old, this vintage can be enjoyed now until 2025.
Price
We price this wine at $266.57.