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Château Laulan Ducos

The origins of Laulan Ducos can be traced back to at least 1460, when it was part of the Loirac seigneurie, Bordeaux being under feudal rule. At the opening of the 20th Century, however, it was in the ownership of Marguerite Cruon, who bequeathed it to Paul Meynieu in 1911. In 1983 it came to his grandson, Francis Ducos, but since his untimely death the mother-and-son trio of Brigitte, Frederic and Julien Ducos have been in charge. The family have control over 30 hectares in all, of which just over two thirds are, at the time of writing, planted up.

The Laulan Ducos vineyards are located in Jau-Dignac-Loirac, within a mile or two of many other popular Cru Bourgeois properties, the area of vineyards north of the Haut-Médoc communes, including La Tour de By, Patache d'Aux and La Tour St Bonnet. The vines demonstrate a typical Médoc mix, dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon which accounts for 65%, with 34% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Although the terroir of the Médoc features heavier soils with less gravelly relief than is found further south, there are still patches of gravel lightening the soils here, particularly on higher ground. One such patch of ground bears the vineyards of Laulan Ducos. Vineyard practices include a green harvest and leaf thinning, so there is a leaning towards quality here, although I note harvest is by mechanical means. But it must be difficult to do otherwise here in the Médoc, where wines can not command the high prices that are found elsewhere in Bordeaux. After all, manual labour does not come cheap.

Vinification is in stainless steel, and there is up to 25 days of maceration to extract tannin and colour. There follows a year in oak, of which one third of the barrels are new. The aim is for a classic left bank style, and the Ducos family have enjoyed some success. The wines have featured in the popular French wine bible, Le Guide Hachette des Vins, in several vintages. With the most recent vintages, Frédéric Ducos tells me he has aimed for greater extract, with more density and texture to the wine. In my opinion he has succeeded, and the results really show on tasting the 2002 and 2003. More recently the 2005 vintage displays all the class that one would expect, and there is much to commend in the 2004 vintage also. In the Cru Bourgeois spectrum these are excellent wines, with an obvious ratcheting up in quality in the last few vintages; they are worth seeking out. (10/5/05, updated 15/8/07)

Contact details:
Address: Château Laulan Ducos, 33590 Jau-Dignac-Loirac
Telephone (Tesiro office, Nanjing, China): +86 (0) 25 52486897
Internet: www.laulanducos.com
GPS: 45.403541, -0.983998

Château Laulan Ducos - Tasting Notes

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Prestige de Laulan Ducos (Médoc) 2009: A barrel sample. A gorgeous hue here, vibrant, dark at the core, with a crimson-raspberry tinge to the rim. The nose is just as delicious, all black cherry with more than a hint of charcoal and smoke, the fruit character very sweet and expressive but with an interesting curranty edge to it as well. The palate has a delicious style, full of the richness and texture that the fruit dominance on the nose suggests, with a sweet black cherry character, but the sweetness doesn't actually manifest in the substance of the wine, which is dry and savoury. There is a really nice vein of texture, ripe tannins totally covered by the fruit, and fairly soft acidity, but it is there, with more grippy elements showing in the finish which suddenly turns into a smoky, lip-smacking style. Delightful, and very indicative of the quality of the vintage. From my 2011 Laulan Ducos update. 16-17/20 (February 2011)

Prestige de Laulan Ducos (Médoc) 2008: An attractive, vibrant, cherry red hue. The nose carries a blast of crunchy fruit, just-ripe barely-red blackberry, cranberry and cherry, with lovely fresh and bright character, and a stalky peppercorn edge. A supple entry, very dominated by fresh and crunchy red fruits, tinged with violets. Nicely textured, with a good fresh character, and some good supporting acidity. Lots of life and vigour in the midpalate, showing an attractive composition here, although it has the cool and stony edge that goes with the vintage I think. Plenty of bright fruit flavour, plus some good spice towards the end leading into a short finish. From my 2011 Laulan Ducos update. 15/20 (February 2011)

Château Laulan Ducos (Médoc) 2008: This wine has a fairly pale, cherry red hue in the glass. There follows rather restrained and crunchy, sugar-coated fruit on the nose, with a sweet, violet-cherry note. A rather lean style at the start, and this characteristic continues through the midpalate, with a touch of suppleness very lightly applied to the palate. A slightly stern and dusty style of fruit, not very giving in terms of flesh, but with fresh defining acidity and low level tannins. A little rounding-up of darker fruits at the end of the palate, although still steely-crunchy, and with a short finish. Later, although it showed more substance, with notes of cherry and strawberry, there also came greener elements of vegetal fruit, celeriac especially. From my 2011 Laulan Ducos update. 13.5/20 (February 2011)

Château Laulan Ducos (Médoc) 2008: A barrel sample, tasted just a week or two after returning from the Bordeaux primeur tastings, this wine has a vibrant colour, as might be expected, with a good, rich depth of pigment. The nose is lovely, just brimming with fresh, crystalline fruit character, along with a little smoky element. The entry starts off with a well judged texture, before showing a freshness in the midpalate, characterised by a lively acid backbone and followed through by a sappy, deliciously sweet-sour fruit character. Vivacious, almost juicy in quality, and yet with an undercurrent of extract, texture and tannin, this is lovely, I hope it retains some of this appeal through the élevage. From my 2009 Laulan Ducos update. 16-16.5+/20 (June 2009)

Château Laulan Ducos (Médoc) 2007: The first of the three wines I tasted here, this is also the first chance, excluding Margaux and one or two others, to revisit this vintage since primeurs week. It has a good depth of colour, more than expected, and a good clean style on the nose; there is a dark fruit, a little fuzzy and unfocused, but there is some depth and concentration to it, more than I expected for the vintage anyway. There isn't a lot of flesh, but with its light furry tannic structure and fresh acidity it all sits together well. Within the context of the vintage this is a good effort. All the same, a lower score, but comparable to many grander names in this vintage. From my 2009 Laulan Ducos update. 14+/20 (June 2009)

Château Laulan Ducos (Médoc) 2006: This has a different style evident on the nose when compared to the 2007; a little richer, darker fruit, with little roasted elements on the edge, like subtly roasted cashew nut. The palate has more texture, more weight, in combination with a solid structure; a firm spear of tannins in the middle, big slightly sappy fruit, little notes of fig in with the cherry, and softly ripe tannins, welcoming and well composed. This seems softer than many of the grands vins tasted at two years of age at the UGC tasting. The finish is promising, with ripe very toothsome tannins coating the mouth, and bitter-edged fruit. This is a good wine. From my 2009 Laulan Ducos update. 15.5+/20 (June 2009)

Château Laulan Ducos (Médoc) 2005: A deep, glossy but dense hue, and an array of pure and spicy aromas are released from the glass, a melange of liquorice and cassis fruit backed up by smoky cherry, sweetly composed but also serious and gritty. On the palate a similar purity comes across, carried by a rich texture underpinned by a fine grip. There are just piles of ripe tannins, within a core of lipsmacking savoury quality which carries through to the finish. Fresh and balanced, this is approachable now, but will certainly give yet more pleasure in a few years time. Excellent potential. For label images and more see my Wine of the Week write-up. 17+/20 (August 2007)

Château Laulan Ducos (Médoc) 2004: The fruit goes crunch, crunch, crunch when this wine is first poured into the glass. It starts off with a crisp, blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, with a similarly fresh and light palate, but it soon fleshes out through the midpalate to give a wine full of fruit but with an appealing although moderate impact and light texture. With a little more time in the glass it hunkers down, leaving a very firm, classically styled, slightly hard claret imbued with a little twiggy wood, which is a great food wine. I think this is how this wine will ultimately perform in the future. Very nice for the vintage. 15.5+/20 (August 2007)

Château Laulan Ducos (Médoc) 2003: An exceptionally rich, deep colour. Gorgeous nose, showing ripe black cherry fruit with nuances of finely tanned leather and chocolate. Beautiful texture and weight on entry, which is rich, mouth-filling and quite opulent, but with an excellent backbone of ripe yet grippy tannins which peer through on the midpalate, and provide a lovely grip through to the finish. This has great impact on the palate, although it remains unmistakeably left-bank, and has a tannin-derived sense of balance, despite lower than usual acidity. Very good indeed. 17+/20 (April 2005)

Château Laulan Ducos (Médoc) 2002: A lovely and surprising purple edge to the colour here. But what really delights is the nose, which reeks of classic mineral, iron, blackcurrant, left-bank Cabernet Sauvignon. With time it shows a little more exotic, with black cherry aromas and liquorice coming to the fore. The last time I picked an aroma profile like this I was tasting the 1989 vintage, although 2002 doesn't have the same texture or ripeness. Very nicely structured palate, infused with red and black berry fruits, but with ripe tannins and correct acidity making for a pleasant structure. Good. 16/20 (April 2005)

Château Laulan Ducos (Médoc) 2001: Young but opened up with an hour or two in the decanter. A bright, vibrant purple hue. A lovely nose, redolent of black summer fruits, especially black cherry, with a touch of nuts and sandalwood. Medium bodied with plentiful fruit, and ripe, svelte tannins. Poised and elegant, well balanced acidity, and plenty of flavour. Lovely effort. Also warrants a year or two in the cellar, but lovely now. 15+/20 (June 2004)

Château Laulan Ducos (Médoc) 2000: Plenty of youthful colour here, fairly deep as well. The nose has plenty of ripe, almost tarry, but certainly stylish, mineral Cabernet fruit. There's also an exotic nuance of cashew nuts. Full, textured, with an early showing of fragrant and mineral fruit on the palate, although this soon disappears - this wine is closing down I think. Good firm tannins. Demands another two or three years in the cellar before drinking. 15.5+/20 (June 2004)