Tasting Notes
Vinous – 86
The 1988 Ducru-Beaucaillou, a late picked vintage (30 September to 12 October) feels a little staid on the nose. Black fruit, touches of lavender, but there seems to be little energy or tension. The palate is better with black cherries and briary, but there is a greenness that is more jarring here than on the bottle I tasted at the estate three years earlier, suggesting that bottles should be consumed in the near future. Tasted at the Ducru Beaucaillou vertical at the chateau.
Anticipated maturity: 2021-2025
Robert Parker – 89
Proprietor Bruno Borie referred to this as "the Indian Summer vintage." Medium to deep brick in color with a hint of brown, the 1988 Ducru-Beaucaillou gives up pronounced notes of leather, Chinese five spice, sandalwood and cigar box with a core of dried figs and cranberries plus hints of fruitcake and smoked meats. Medium-bodied and mature, the palate still possesses a fair bit of chew with lingering notions of exotic spices and black tea, finishing with a fragrant dried herbs lift. Readers should note that this vintage fell within a notoriously patchy period at Ducru, where the cellar is likely to have fallen victim to TCA or a TCA-like taint, and it appears some bottles were impacted from 1986 to 1994. By 1995, the chateau had a completely new vat room/cellar and the problem ceased. Therefore, there could be some bottle variation to be had with this vintage. This bottle, however, was pristine, tasted at the chateau.
Anticipated maturity: 2020-2025