Chateau
Ducru Beaucaillou
Many Bordeaux properties take their name from previous owners. That is only part of the story with Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou because this Saint Julien estate found part of their name from their unique terroir.
Ducru Beaucaillou has special soils that are literally covered with large stones. In fact, the word Beaucaillou is translated into beautiful stones.
Ducru Beaucaillou is one of the oldest estates in the Medoc. History dates what we know of as Ducru Beaucaillou all the back to the start of the 13th century.
Bertrand Ducru purchased the estate in 1795. He added his name to the winery which quickly earned fame under the name of Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou.
Ducru Beaucaillou hired the well-known Parisian architect, Paul Abadie, to create the chateau. Paul Abadie took the current design they were already using adding a second story to the chateau which became the now-famous-looking facade we enjoy today. They also upgraded the vineyards and built a new, barrel-aging cellar. Following more than seven decades at the helm of Ducru Beaucaillou, they sold the property to Lucie Caroline Dassier in 1866, she was the wife of the famous negociant Nathaniel Johnston.
Nathaniel Johnston knew what was needed at Ducru Beaucaillou. Johnston replanted the vineyards and modernized the cellars with the aid of Ernest David, the manager of the Left Bank estate. The 1929 depression forced the Johnston family to sell Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou to the Desbarats family.
The Desbarats family, who were successful wine merchants sold the estate to Francis Borie in 1941.
The Borie family by this time had extensive roots in the Bordeaux region. Today, the Borie family also own Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste in Pauillac as well as other vineyards in the region. In 1978, Francois Xavier Borie began working at the estate full time, eventually taking over from his father after his passing in 1998.
The 75-hectare vineyard of Ducru Beaucaillou is planted with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. This shows a change in the vineyard since the mid-1990s with an increase in the amount of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot due to the removal of the previously planted Petit Verdot vines.
The heart and soul of the Ducru Beaucaillou vineyard are their vines planted adjacent to the chateau. Even though that portion of their vineyard is large, at close to 50 hectares of vines, with its easy access to the Gironde and deep gravel slopes, this is some of the best terroirs in all of Bordeaux.
Additionally, they have another 20 hectares of vines located further inland, and to the north, close to Chateau Talbot.
Starting with the 2018 vintage, Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou began its conversion to 100% organic farming methods.
Ducru Beaucaillou has special soils that are literally covered with large stones. In fact, the word Beaucaillou is translated into beautiful stones.
Ducru Beaucaillou is one of the oldest estates in the Medoc. History dates what we know of as Ducru Beaucaillou all the back to the start of the 13th century.
Bertrand Ducru purchased the estate in 1795. He added his name to the winery which quickly earned fame under the name of Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou.
Ducru Beaucaillou hired the well-known Parisian architect, Paul Abadie, to create the chateau. Paul Abadie took the current design they were already using adding a second story to the chateau which became the now-famous-looking facade we enjoy today. They also upgraded the vineyards and built a new, barrel-aging cellar. Following more than seven decades at the helm of Ducru Beaucaillou, they sold the property to Lucie Caroline Dassier in 1866, she was the wife of the famous negociant Nathaniel Johnston.
Nathaniel Johnston knew what was needed at Ducru Beaucaillou. Johnston replanted the vineyards and modernized the cellars with the aid of Ernest David, the manager of the Left Bank estate. The 1929 depression forced the Johnston family to sell Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou to the Desbarats family.
The Desbarats family, who were successful wine merchants sold the estate to Francis Borie in 1941.
The Borie family by this time had extensive roots in the Bordeaux region. Today, the Borie family also own Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste in Pauillac as well as other vineyards in the region. In 1978, Francois Xavier Borie began working at the estate full time, eventually taking over from his father after his passing in 1998.
The 75-hectare vineyard of Ducru Beaucaillou is planted with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. This shows a change in the vineyard since the mid-1990s with an increase in the amount of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot due to the removal of the previously planted Petit Verdot vines.
The heart and soul of the Ducru Beaucaillou vineyard are their vines planted adjacent to the chateau. Even though that portion of their vineyard is large, at close to 50 hectares of vines, with its easy access to the Gironde and deep gravel slopes, this is some of the best terroirs in all of Bordeaux.
Additionally, they have another 20 hectares of vines located further inland, and to the north, close to Chateau Talbot.
Starting with the 2018 vintage, Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou began its conversion to 100% organic farming methods.
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