The 2022 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou has a wonderful, beautifully defined bouquet with pure blackberry, briar and cedar scents becoming ever more floral as it opens in the glass. It's concentrated but very well controlled. The palate is medium-bodied, tensile and poised with saturated tannins, a keen line of acidity and a sophisticated, persistent finish. This is a seriously fine Deuxième Vin that should require three or four years in bottle.

The 2022 La Croix de Beaucaillou opens in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cigar wrapper and fresh mint, framed by creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy, with a deep core of fruit framed by chunky tannins, it's a blend of 66% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot.