2012 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

Robert M. Parker (Wine Advocate): 90-92 Punkte
The color is a healthy deep ruby/purple and the wine smells beautiful, exhibiting lots of floral, creme de cassis, licorice and graphite notes. Medium-bodied but slightly deficient in the mid-palate at present, it picks up speed and finishes with serious authority and power. This 2012 should be outstanding, but it is difficult to favorably compare the 2012 to the prodigious wines produced at Ducru in 2009 and 2010. The 2012 will require 4-6 years of cellaring and should drink well for 15-20 years. The charismatic Bruno Borie has produced a 2012 Ducru Beaucaillou made from 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot (about 50% of the total production). The harvest began right after the deluge that occurred the weekend of October 7, 8 and 9. A lot of dry tannins were present the day I tasted this wine, but I think they will soften and become manageable as the wine continues its upbringing in barrel for another 12-14 months.
Genussreife: 2017-2037

Weinwisser (René Gabriel): 18/20 Punkte
91 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 9 % Merlot. 30 hl/ha. Etwa 108'000 Flaschen. Tiefes Purpur, satt in der Mitte, Granatschimmer am Rand. Als erstes ist Zedernholz im Spiel, dann graue Pfefferkörner, reife Pflaumen, zarte Röstnoten, nobel und immer mehr Schichten frei gebend. Genialer Gaumenauftritt, die Tannine sind aussen bereits etwas angerundet und geben diesem überraschenden Ducru bereits jetzt ersten Charme, im Innern viel Rasse und somit auch entsprechend lange im Finish. Ein typischer Ducru im eleganten, sehr klassischen Stil. 
Genussreife: 2019 – 2045

Wine Spectator (James Molesworth): 93 Punkte
Offers an almost lavish feel, with layers of warmed fig, blackberry paste and raspberry coulis lined with ganache, anise and fruitcake flavors. A rock-solid graphite note lines the finish, showing just the slightest twinge of the vintage's austerity. A very admirable effort. Best from 2018 through 2027. –JM
Genussreife: 2018-2027

Decanter (Steven Spurrier): 18,25/20 Punkte
Superb colour, vibrant and velvety, perfectly expressed 91% Cabernet fruit, a beautifully "feminine" St-Julien with finely-grained tannins for the future.
Genussreife: 2017 - 2035