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 following his untimely death the mother-and-sons trio of Brigitte, Frédéric and Julien Ducos were left in charge. All the wines of Laulan-Ducos I have tasted originate from this time, when the driving force behind the château and the wine appears to have been Frédéric Ducos.
Frédéric and I were in reasonably regular contact, and I sensed his frustration as he tried to secure a distributor for his wine, which at that time was not represented in the British marketplace. Hence all the samples I think; Frédéric was looking the get his wine noticed. This is easy if you have a grand château, a grander name and even grander vineyards, like Pichon-Lalande or Cheval Blanc, but not so easy for these little, family-owned and family-run estates in peripheral appellations such as Bourg, Blaye or, as in the case of Laulan-Ducos, the Médoc. The damp and clay-rich vineyards that extend northwards from St Estèphe, taking in villages such as St-Christoly-Médoc, Ordonnac and Jau-Dignac-Loirac, have always been something of a difficult sell.
