Rich and silky in texture, there`s some lovely cinnamon and black pepper spice here, with lovely grip from the very fine tannins and good drive too. It`s extremely precise, with every piece in its place, a considered and drawn out style featuring notes of menthol and bitter dark chocolate. It`s really bedding in for the long haul. It shows that even the second wines can be powerful and concentrated in 2016. 94 points

In the centre of the appellation. 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, 35% Merlot. 70% new oak. Black hearted. Intense ripe cassis and damson fruit. A slight sourness to the black fruit but the tannins are smooth and compact. There`s richness to the fruit and impressive density just a little bitter and some alcoholic heat on the finish. More power than elegance and not very digestible. 16+ points

This is not a second wine as such, because it comes from a dedicated part of the vineyard, located on the south bank of La Mouline. The 2018 La Croix de Beaucaillou is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, to be aged 12 months in 60% new barriques. It has a pH of 3.75, 15% alcohol and an IPT (total polyphenol index) of 96. Deep garnet-purple colored, it is a little closed and broody to begin, offering subtle notions of fertile loam, tobacco, truffles and cast iron pan with a core of crème de cassis, blackberry compote and boysenberries with hints of underbrush and bay leaves. Full, rich and seductive in the mouth, it has firm, rounded tannins and just enough freshness to lift the dense fruit to a long finish. 91-93 points

The 2018 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou is an outrageously beautiful, vivid wine. Gravel, crushed rocks, menthol, lavender, espresso, licorice and dark spice all infuse a racy, sumptuous Saint-Julien loaded with personality and class. In 2018 La Croix is especially fine. Ample, voluptuous and racy to the core, the 2018 is stunning in its beaut y. I can`t wait to taste it from bottle. The 2018 is 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. Tasted two times. 91-94 points

This wine, from Bruno Borie, comes from between the vineyards of Ducru-Beaucaillou and Lalande-Borie, and it was created in 2005. The yield was just 35 hl/ha. The assemblage is 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, with 3% Petit Verdot. The alcohol is a little higher here than either of those two wines, coming in at 15%, with a pH of 3.75. It starts off with a beautiful nose, perfumed with black cherries and black violets, with nuances of black bean and black olive. The palate is correspondingly luscious and yet taut and sinewy, and it comes absolutely loaded with black cherry and currant, with a floral note, soft and plush, yet sinewy and substantial. The finish is a flourish of complexity, all black bean and black olive, spiced with fine and tightly grained tannins, very fresh and vigorous, with bright acidity. This is a wine of excellent quality. The élevage will be for twelve months in barrel, using 60% new French oak. 95-97 points