1986 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, Saint-Julien
A benchmark from one of Bordeaux’s greatest decades, this Second Growth Saint-Julien displays the hallmark elegance of Ducru-Beaucaillou — cedar, blackcurrant, and dried herbs layered over a firm but refined tannic structure. Now at full maturity, it offers a complex bouquet of leather, tobacco, and earthy minerality with a long, graceful finish. The 1986 vintage was defined by a late-season salvation — a warm, dry autumn that rescued a difficult summer and produced wines of remarkable concentration and age-worthiness. Nearly four decades on, this is classic Médoc at its most composed: structured yet silky, serious yet seductive. A collector’s classic in its peak drinking window.
