Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, 2ème Cru Classé, St. Julien 1982

Bottle Size: 75cl

Region: France: Bordeaux Left Bank

Colour: Red

Style: Still

Grape Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot

Critic Score: Full ruby-red. Slightly musty aromas of currant and cigar box. Fat and full, but with an intrusive dry edge suppressing the wine fruit and verve and repeating on the finish. I've had a couple of better bottles of this wine, but it apparent that the cellar pollution problems that plagued this chateau between 1985 and the early '90s were already an issue as early as '82. (A second sample showed a more perfumed nose of cherry, cedar and earth but also a distinctly dusty character. This sample showed a bit more mid-palate sweetness, but here, too, the fruit was somewhat dried by the wine dusty character, and the finish was likewise dry-edged; I scored this sample 89.) Tasted July 2002. 87 points. Stephen Tanzer, Vinous.com