CHÂTEAU DUCRU-BEAUCAILLOU × ATELIER ALAIN ELLOUZ

CHÂTEAU DUCRU-BEAUCAILLOU
×
ATELIER ALAIN ELLOUZ

LE « BEAU CAILLOU »
ALABASTER STONE

My love, it’s hard to compass what it took-- Years, centuries, millenniums and more--
To roll those rocks down through the river plains: A million quaternary gravel shards,
Quartz pebbles, sandstone hard and silex black, Flints and a thousand jewels of our soil,
It’s hard to grasp how many stones were due
To make one glass of Ducru-Beaucaillou.
From the plowed fields of Rouergue and Limousin, From the banked shores of rivers Tarn and Dronne, They made their pilgrimage with the Garonne Down to the vineshoots blest of Saint-Julien. Believe me, love, this is the stuff of dreams
This epic journey of granitic streams.
And this progression, wonderfully slow,
Now night is come affects us through and through.
Behold what sparkles in this brimming glass. What it presents you is a dazzling string
Of perfect diamonds, blazing Lydian gems From the unsounded depths of Pyrene ages. It’s hard to grasp how many stones were due To make one glass of Ducru-Beaucaillou.
But I need not drink deeper than I ought
To dream to string a necklace at your throat.


DENIS LALANNE, 2004.

Origins

Alabaster. Translucent, moon-white beauty. Original purity.
Tenderness epitomised in stone. Sculpted by man since ancient Egyptian times, the first sumptuous vases held a certain fascination for French artist and sculp- tor Auguste Rodin who collected them with frenzy. Then, there is the precious flask of anointing oil that Mary of Bethany broke to honour Jesus of Nazareth. Not least, of course, the famed ‘Alabaster Coast’ – albeit chalk – yet a veritable Eden to inspire impressionists including Monet, Courbet, Renoir, Pissarro and Bonnard. Magnificent paintings capturing the essence of 19th century joie de vivre, featuring pastoral scenes of drinking from extremely precious flasks, amid elegant, joyful and fine company. The latest chapter in this long narrative, alabaster now assumes its rightful place in contemporary architecture and in the exclusive world of luxury interior design.
French artist Alain Ellouz can lay claim to having changed the destiny of alabaster, once considered too brittle and porous. A born innovator, he has succeeded in making it even more resistant than granite. Like a wine reveals a great terroir, this veritable master craftsman has revealed the stone in dazzling display, through fascinating lighting installations and furniture, with the emphasis on sleek mi- nimalism transcended by light. For according to Ellouz, alabaster without light is like a world without music. His pieces are now recognised the world over, acclaimed by the most revered design luminaries.
The ascent of alabaster can be likened to that of the local Gunz gravel deposited on the slopes of Saint-Julien during the quaternary period, from which Denis Lalanne drew inspiration for his poetic verse. This other ‘beau caillou’, meaning ‘beautiful stone’, and from which the château derives its name, reveals the true expres- sion of the vine unlike any other soil, capable of reflecting the sunlight under the plant’s canopy and preventing evaporation, and retaining the heat of the day and slowly releasing it back during the night. Here in this magnificent stone, assisted by man’s intervention until the grapes reach optimum ripeness, Cabernet Sauvignon, the Medoc’s majestic grape variety, is seen to thrives.
In the beginning, there was the material.

A natural
material, hand-selected
​​​​​​​and glorified
by Man
for centuries.


A self-taught, multidisciplinary entrepreneur, Alain Ellouz founded Atelier Alain Ellouz in Paris in 2005, and has since launched showrooms in London and New York. Through the Alain Ellouz Foundation, his aim is to instate alabaster at the cutting edge of the international design scene.
Bruno-Eugène Borie is the proprietor-grower of Château Ducru-Beaucaillou. This alabaster stone, which was designed and created by Amélie Faurens and Xavier Jacono at Studio D-AD-A, has brought together these two dynamic, creative luminaries and perceptive story- tellers, who have both been instrumental in promoting French savoir-faire around the globe.

Symbiosis

                           ALAIN ELLOUZ

                                 Master stone craftsman,
                       lighting designer and scenographer

                                                                                       BRUNO-EUGÈNE BORIE

                                                                Proprietor-grower of château Ducru-Beaucaillou,                                                                 collector of art and contemporary design

Beyond
an exclusive
casing

A unique casing for a unique wine. A colossal jewel. A tribute to the origins and the founding element; a precious, time-defying sarcophagus, reflective of both a wine and a vintage – château Ducru-Beaucaillou 1982 – forever engraved in the passage of time. The depth of its light imbues an air of fantasy.
The vibrational delicacy of the alabaster resonates amid the serene, calming atmosphere of the cellars. The outer casing opens to reveal a generous double magnum. An ode to pleasure shared. The ‘alabaster stone’ series offers a new aesthetic interpretation. An allegory to the primary force of the earth, this ‘beau- tiful stone’ tells a unique tale of passion and patience, expressed through this precious material.
Each piece is unique, displaying endless nuances and subtleties drawn from the mineral and plant elements of the soils, transcended by light. The hallmark of Atelier Alain Ellouz, the alabaster stone provides a dramatic contrast between material mass and minimalist design. The artisan craftsmanship is a persistent revelation of the unstinting selection of materials, artistic precision and quality of execution. To the touch, highly polished silky finish evokes the cashmere texture of a Grand Vin. A dazzling design statement, the stone is also the epitome of innovation, an extraordinary blend of two creative collaborations, two incredible exemplars of skilled mastery, in the great tradition of French artisan craftsmanship. In essence, a sensual material manifestation of all that Château Ducru-Beaucaillou strives for: uncompromising powerful, pure elegance and perfect harmony.


The alabaster stone has been conceived as a sculpture,
and explores the design limits of organic form and functionality. A protective casing for the wine, and ultimately a statement piece transcended by light to reveal all its purity

Studio D—AD—A

Perfect harmony
of form,
richness
and suppleness,
great intensity and depth,
a myriad of nuances,
infinite dimensions,
smooth and polished
texture,
irresistibely silky.
​​​​​​​Utterly captivating.


“For this exclusive limited edition, Château Ducru-Beaucaillou has released
an exceptional vintage from its private collection: the 1982 vintage, in double magnum.”

BRUNO BORIE

“Each piece is unique.
As the light transcends the material, it exposes the traces left by the passage of time.”

ALAIN ELLOUZ

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
×
Atelier Alain Ellouz

CHÂTEAU DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU 1982

GRAND CRU CLASSÉ EN 1855

BLEND 70% CABERNET SAUVIGNON, 30% MERLOT NOIR
APPELLATION SAINT-JULIEN

CELLAR MASTER TASTING NOTES June 2022

Beautiful ruby color with a rich amber rim.
Stunningly deep and complex bouquet leading with dried rose petals and a wisp of cedary herbs, followed by a core of sweet fruit liqueurs and a hint of liquorice. With aeration, Havanna cigar smoke,
wild mushrooms and oiled leather notes unfurl.
Medium to full bodied with impressive concentration of sweet fruits, seamless integration of cashmere-textured tannins,
and vibrant freshness bringing focus to the flavours.
The finish is highly perfumed and nuanced with epic persistence.

ALABASTER STONE CASE

SIZE (CM) 460X290X239

MATERIAL   ALABASTER

CORDLESS LIGHTING SYSTEM WITH BATTERY DIMMER-PACK, USB RECHARGEABLE

DESIGNED AND MADE IN FRANCE

primeur ducru 2020
2020 The great Conjonction

2020 THE GREAT Conjonction

a perfect convergence of the three key factors that define a vintage and its wines : 


  • Favourable summer weather.

hat was hot and dry with just the right amount of rain, falling mostly at night, guaranteeing freshness.

  • Ideal conditions in September.

with clear days and cool nights and a heatwave in mid-September that concentrated the fruit and enabled full phenolic ripeness, giving very fine tannins.

  • Motivated, skilled, and united technical teams.

who were relentless in their efforts to combat the challenges of the spring, and with the addition of the Quality/R&D department at the end of 2019, brought a new level of competency and excellence to the vineyards and the cellars.

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL COINCIDENCE:

Coincidentally, at winter solstice, December 21,2020, on the very day of this monumental astrological event, the final blend for Ducru-Beaucaillou was decided with our consultant Oenologist Eric BOISSENOT and our team.

2020 is part of a glorious triptych, with 2018 and 2019. A series of three such vintages is a rare phenomenon in Bordeaux, and indeed occurred as we celebrated three centuries of Ducru-Beaucaillou. In fact, the last time we experienced a tryptic was with the 1988, 1989, 1990 vintages.

Finally, the warm and dry conditions of 2020 were very generous to the style of Ducru Beaucaillou, with a perfect convergence of fruit concentration giving great breadth, tannins endowing perfectly mastered power, and acidity providing exquisite freshness and balance.

2020 Ducru-Beaucaillou is the vintage of our 300 year anniversary. Since 1720, six families have nurtured an indelible bond with Ducru-Beaucaillou. They are forever captives of this prestigious estate, be they named Desjean, Bergeron, Ducru, Johnston, Desbarat de Burke, or Borie. These families were never short of praise for it. Over the decades, this devotion has managed to overcome all that is accidental or fleeting, as if passion perfected Nature’s Opus.

SPRING

2020 was a year of good timing that proved to be ideal for ripening Cabernet Sauvignon. A mild winter (+2.4° C above the 30-year average) resulted in early budbreak, with the first buds emerging March 19-25. This led to early flowering in May, fortuitously between two rainy periods, and subsequently flowering and fruit set were fast, homogenous and 2 weeks early - ideal for thick-skinned Cabernet Sauvignon! However, the rest of spring kept our teams in action with frost, hail and cryptogamic attacks (specifically mildew). These events reduced yields but fortunately the potential for quality was preserved.

SUMMER

Summer was hot and dry, with just the right amount of rain falling late season. At Ducru, we recorded 28 days above 30°C and 6 days above 35°C. In terms of precipitation, there were 55 days with less than 10 mm of rain (June 19 - August 11). The rain fell at the ideal time, starting August 15, and was welcomed after a period of drought, enabling full ripeness. The fact that the rain fell at night kept temperatures cool, which was key to the freshness and to full flavour development in the final wines.

RIPENING

September saw another dry spell with no rain (August 30 - September 18). Cool nights and clear days were perfect for the final ripening phase and the first controls at the beginning of September were already very promising. A heatwave in mid-September (highest average temperature in 30 years) further concentrated the fruit and fully ripened the skins. The berries were small with rich skins, leaching beautiful colour and elegant, fine tannins, the pulps were rich with highly perfumed aromatics, and the pips were perfectly ripe with the tell-tale hazelnut taste. At harvest the berries were very concentrated and small (Merlots: 1.1-1.3g/berry and Cabernet Sauvignon: 0.9-1.1g/berry).

HARVEST

Harvest was ideally warm, dry, and early. In fact, it was one of the only vintages in the history of the property where the harvest did not extend into October. No fewer than 150 harvesters worked over 3 weeks to and collect the fruit for all four wines. Harvest started with the Merlots on September 11 and finished with theCabernetSauvignonsonSeptember30th;theCabernetsSauvignon grapes where picked average of 125 days after flowering to ensure perfect phenolic maturity, Merlots at an average of 113 to keep freshness. Yields were small with 25-30hl/ha in Saint Julien and 20-25hl/ha in Haut Medoc.

PRIVILEGE OF TERROIR

The 2020 season was not without its climatic challenges. Fortunately, due to our well-aerated slopes that rise from the Gironde, we averted the spring frosts of March 30. Our slopes of Günz gravel soils permitted adequate drainage during the heavy rains in late April, and the subsoil reserves provided needed water during the period of drought in July and August. Finally, proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and to the Gironde estuary moderated the temperatures with cool nights during the heat of summer.

FINE & RARE

After a rather difficult spring, the volume potential of 2020 was small. Then the hot, dry growing season yielded small berries with great concentration, further reducing production volumes. However, the resulting wines have great depth of flavours with a core structure of vibrant acidity and perfectly ripe, finely polished tannins, all of the elements required for an exceptional Grand Vin. In short, 2020 gave us wines that are distinguished, elegant, aristocratic and indeed rare!

COVID 19

The Covid-19 brought its own challenges to the vintage, as the lockdown was imposed just as the growing season was getting underway. Starting March 20, our cellars were closed and were accessed only by the cellar master for quality controls. Fortunately, our vineyard management teams were able to continue their work, while new sanitary protocols and management procedures were quickly implemented. We are grateful for the swift reaction and full cooperation from the Ducru teams.


A new era for Ducru Beaucaillou


The highly experienced and effective management team, headed by Emmanuel Bonneau since 2016, clearly marks a new era for Ducru Beaucaillou, resulting in wines that affirm the refined style of Ducru Beaucaillou, yet with even greater purity, precision, breadth and depth.

At the end of 2019, the team was expanded with the creation of a new Quality / R&D department lead by two brilliant agronomy/oenology engineers, Cécile Dupuis and Anaïs Faucon, both alumni of top schools. This competent technical team works collaboratively, and totally aligned, to continually push the boundaries of quality and obtain the best expression, the sublime essence, of our blessed terroirs.

This 2020 is part of a triptych of excellence with 2018 & 2019 that clearly illustrates the new era for Ducru Beaucaillou. The warm climatic conditions during its 300th year suit Ducru very well, allowing it to assert with more depth than ever its aristocratic elegance. The style of 2020 is reminiscent of the academic 2010 but with higher concentration of flavours and greater density of anthocyanins and tannins, underlined with Ducru’s trademark freshness, giving an exquisite, succulent texture.

Tracey Dobbin MW
April 8th, 2021

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 2020

primeur ducru 2020
Primeurs 2020 (Pro) - EN

Three Centuries of Inspiration


Château Ducru-Beaucaillou reveals a commemorative label designed exclusively for the 2020 vintage, its tercentenary vintage.
In celebration of its tercentenary, Château Ducru-Beaucaillou has reinvented its historic label. At once elegant and sophisticated, decisively modern and audaciously disruptive, the new design nonetheless maintains continuity with the estate’s history and centuries-old values, striking a magnificent balance between the classic and the contemporary in an expression of joy and liberty.

Capturing the brilliance, perspectives, and energy of the 2020 vintage, the design is the result of a holistic approach to the aesthetics of the bottle and the wine within. A true aficionado of contemporary art, Bruno-Eugène Borie explains his affinities:

“It was our conviction that the creation of this ephemeral label designed expressly for Château Ducru-Beaucaillou’s three hundredth vintage had to be seen as an event in and of itself. It was necessarily inspired by a kind of poetic rebirth of Ducru-Beaucaillou’s legendary label, which had remained unchanged since its creation by the Johnstons in 1870. This new design recalls major art movements and techniques of the twentieth century: abstract art, collage, destruc- tured forms, and new realism.”

The playful yet deliberate design is reminiscent of lacerated works of art, and the triple collage of the Victorian tower from the château’s southern façade incarnates the estate’s three centuries of existence and the three generations of the Borie family to helm Château Ducru-Beaucaillou. Like a series of triptychs or ripple effects, they lend resonance to the dazzling illuminations of those inspired beings who have from one era to the next sublimated this most exceptional wine as they sought out myriad expressions of the spirit and celebrations of the ineffable.

Pure and modern, the tricentenary logotype appears in enameled orange characters on the bottle’s shoulder, just above the label. The upper part of the neck is sealed with wax embossed with the estate’s seal in its signature orange hue, a color that evokes Orient, Asia and the Palladian art forms that the Johnstons held dear. It is a design in which the present and the past come together in the pursuit of excellence, a feast for the eyes that is a fitting prelude to the delights of the precious nectar within.


Download the 2020 presentation kit


La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou (PRO)

LA CROIX
DUCRU-BEAUCAILLOU

The wines of La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou come from the vineyard of Château Ducru-Beaucaillou. This exceptional Médoc terroir is situated between the Gironde River to the east, the centre and the west of the Saint-Julien appellation. The estate owes its name to its “beautiful pebbles” ("beaux cailloux", in French) which, because of their high quartz content, make for soils that are poor in plant nutrients. 

It is precisely this “agrological” paucity, as the late Bordeaux professor and geographer, René Pijassou, described it, that makes them so well-suited to the production of fine wine. In the east, the plots are planted along the rolling Médoc ridges, just above the estuary, while those at the epicentre benefit from a microclimate nurtured by the little La Mouline stream that meanders through the middle of the appellation from west to east before disappearing into the Gironde.

See more

La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou is an original expression of the terroirs of Ducru-Beaucaillou, a blend that is one of a kind. Ducru-Beaucaillou’s elitist approach is fully at work here. As is a passion, that of a team dedicated to excellence. 

A high-flying wine that perfectly expresses its terroir of exception. This wine blends a high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (around 60% each year), completed with Merlot Noir (35% to 37%) as well as a subtly spicy touch of Petit Verdot (3% to 5%). It is carefully aged for 12 months in barrels of which two-thirds are new each vintage. 

Powerful, silky, very aromatic, La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou beguiles with its bouquet, its balance, its remarkable finesse and its lengthy finish. A great cuvée that stimulates, then captivates the senses; it is the perfect introduction to the Borie signature.

Powerful, silky,
very aromatic.

DOWNLOAD THE 2020 FILES

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