Château Ducru-Beaucaillou: The Ducru Era
Bertrand Ducru set about developing the estate and improving his apparently unworthy château. During his tenure the quality continued to improve and prices gradually climbed. He married, and he and his wife Marie had two offspring. The first was a son, Jean-Baptiste Gustave Ducru (died 1879); he married Rita Bouquier (died 1871), a wealthy widow, whose first husband had been Jean Baptiste Duluc. Then came a daughter, Marie-Louise Amélie Ducru, who went by the name of Zélie. She was wedded to Antoine Ravez, a magistrat and premier avocat général of the royal court of Bordeaux, and the son of Auguste Ravez (1770 – 1849), an avocat and député de la Gironde, clearly an accomplished politician and statesman.
Upon the death of Bertrand Ducru in 1829, the two children Jean-Baptiste and Zélie inherited the estate, and they ran it jointly for just over thirty years. During this time Jean-Baptiste renovated the vineyards, and was responsible for the construction of the central part of the château as it stands today. He was not responsibly for the distinctive wings and towers, however, as these were added by a subsequent proprietor.
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