La Croix Ducru Beaucaillou 2016

Powerful, silky, very aromatic, La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou beguiles with its bouquet, its balance, its remarkable finesse and its lengthy finish. A great cuvée that stimulates, then captivates the senses; it is the perfect introduction to the Borie signature. The blend consists of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot.

96 Points - Wine Enthusiast    This powerful wine also shows excellent elegance and is richly spicy with swathes of black fruit and dark tannins. Juicy fruits shine through the structure to give a wine a promising future. Drink this powerful wine from 2024.

94 Points - James Suckling    Pristine, attractive fruit with perfume and freshness. Dark-berry and plum notes and cassis and brambleberries define the character of both nose and palate. The tannins are saturated in ripe dark berries and plums and deliver a superbly fresh, shimmering, dark-fruited finish. Wow-factor was strong here in 2016. Try this from 2024.

94 Points - Decanter    Rich and silky in texture, there's some lovely cinnamon and black pepper spice here, with beautiful grip from the excellent tannins and good drive. With every piece in its place, it's exact, a considered and drawn-out style featuring notes of menthol and bitter dark chocolate. It's bedding in for the long haul, showing that even the second wines can be powerful and concentrated in 2016.

93 Points - Jeb Dunnuck    While the top wine gets all the attention, the second wine, 2016 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou, is well worth seeking out and unquestionably shows some of the class and purity of the grand vin. A more forward, fleshy wine with oodles of black raspberries, cassis, and floral hints, it's a total charmer with its fine, supple tannins and great finish. A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, aged 12 months in 60% new barrels, drink it any time over the coming 15-20 years.    

92 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate    Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 La Croix de Beaucaillou gives up aromas of cassis, earth, black plums, black cherries and mulberries with wafts of menthol, cigars and crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is lively and earthy with firm, grainy tannins, finishing long and mineral-laced.

91 Points - Wine Spectator    Solid, with engaging cassis, cherry and blueberry fruit flavours, backed by a mouthwatering bramble note and flash of roasted apple wood. Best from 2021 through 2030.