2003 Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou Bordeaux RP--96 WS--97

Wine Spectator: 97 Points
Score: 97 Release Price: $125 Current Auction Price: $129 Country: France Region: Bordeaux Issue: Mar 31, 2006 Top 100: 2006, Rank: 28 Intense aromas of blackberry, currant and cherry. Full-bodied, with masses of big, velvety tannins and a finish that lasts for minutes. A blockbuster. A classic big, juicy claret. Best after 2012. 17,500 cases made. –JS

Robert Parker: 96 Points
Wine Advocate # 164 Apr 2006 Robert Parker 96 Drink: 2010 - 2025 $116-$238 (100) One of the most compelling Ducru Beaucaillou’s made in the last quarter century is the 2003 (which is also the first vintage to be packaged in an impressive heavy glass bottle with a special long cork). A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot, it is a powerful, tannic, blockbuster effort revealing a liqueur of mineral-like component intermixed with creme de cassis, raspberry, and flower characteristics, and an atypically high 13.5% alcohol. Having firmed up considerably since bottling, it exhibits tremendous definition, weight, and concentration. It is a wine for patient connoisseurs. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2025 . A brilliant tour de force!