Château Ducru-Beaucaillou's 1996 was one of the stars of the excellent 1996 Bordeaux vintage. It is drinking well now, though you will be rewarded for further patience in the cellar.

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is right at the top of the ladder in Saint-Julien, and it is known as a 'Super Second' – a second growth producing wines equal or superior to the illustrious first growths. Ducru-Beaucaillou is named after the beautiful stones (beaux cailloux) found in its unique wine-growing soils, and the château is managed by the affable and welcoming Bruno-Eugene Borie, whose family has owned Ducru-Beaucaillou for 60 years. 

“Exquisite rich fruit is presented in a medium-bodied, undeniably elegant yet gloriously intense, pure format. The wine, which coats the palate with glycerin and intense fruit, displays a floral quality that suggests both blueberries and blackberries in its flavor profile.There is copious tannin, but it is largely overwhelmed by the wine's glycerin, fruit, and overall presence in the mouth.” eRobertParker.com (April 1999)