Château Ducru Beaucaillou Saint Julien 1986

A monster in its infancy. Almost black in color, with intense cassis, herb and mint aromas and superrich, dense cassis and licorice flavors. May last forever.--Ducru-Beaucaillou vertical.

This wine remains backward, tannic, and in need of another 5 or more years of bottle age. The 1986 Ducru possesses a dark ruby color with purple nuances. Initially the bouquet is restrained, but with coaxing it reveals scents of lead pencil, sweet cranberry and black currant fruit nicely intertwined with aromas of steel, minerals, and earth. Rich and medium to full-bodied, but excruciatingly tannic, this is an intensely concentrated Ducru-Beaucaillou with formidable aging potential. Readers should note that 1986 is the first vintage where some bottles were marred by off-aromas of damp cardboard. The last three times I tasted the wine the bottles were totally pure, with no evidence of this disturbing irregularity. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2030.