Château Ducasse Graves 2018

Albert Perromat continues to raise the bar with his family’s delicious red 2018 Château Ducasse Graves (90 Points – Wine Enthusiast), a traditional blend of 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cabernet Franc that exhibits a deep purplish robe and an enticing aroma of freshly picked black fruits, supple earth tones, and unsmoked tobacco. The 2018 Château Ducasse Graves is superbly textured, too. In the mouth, a generous mixture of blackberry, currant, and dark plum flavors play counterpoint to the wine’s ripe, structured tannins to the delight of the thirsty palate. Dry, yet rich with the savory aspects for which red Graves is renowned, the 2018 Château Ducasse offers boldness of flavor as well as balance. Richer and more structured than in previous vintages, the 2018 Château Ducasse is quite enjoyable now but will continue to improve in bottle for several more years. For optimal enjoyment, we suggest decanting the this wine at least 30 minutes prior to serving at cool room temperature (58°-62° F). Anticipated maturity: 2022-2028. Enjoy!

The 2018 Château Ducasse Graves is a rich, flavorful red Bordeaux, which makes it a very welcome dinner companion. It graciously accompanies a variety of dishes, from the simple to the sublime. One of our favorite pairings with young Graves is veal. Tender cutlets of milk fed veal stuffed with cheeses and herbs provide wonderful accompaniments to Château Ducasse’s quintessential red Graves. However, a juicy rare steak also makes a fine companion to the structured, boldly flavored 2018 Château Ducasse. Almond Encrusted Pork Tenderloin, served with a dried cranberry and apple conserve and savory wild rice, offers another tasty accompaniment. Cornish game hens and fine cuts of beef served with roasted root vegetables offer equally rewarding companionship with this quintessential Graves. And red Graves in the company of a platter of soft cheeses makes for a simple but equally satisfying combination, without having to spend hours in the kitchen. Bon appétit!

Château Ducasse is an estate-bottled red Graves from Château Beauregard-Ducasse. The affable, highly talented Albert Perromat, the 7th generation to make wine at Château Beauregard-Ducasse, is now in charge of his family’s estate, and he continues to push the envelope on quality. Albert’s family has been in possession of this venerable château since 1850 and Château Beauregard-Ducasse remains very much a family affair with Jacques and Marie-Laure, Albert’s parents, still actively involved in the daily operation of the property located in the tiny Graves village of Mazères. Mazères lies in the southern and most rural section of the Graves region on a bed of gravel (from which the name Graves is derived). The Perromats’ 27-acre estate occupies the highest ground in Graves, which serves to protect the surrounding vineyards from the late spring frosts that have recently decimated lower lying vineyards in Bordeaux, including those in the Médoc. Year in and year out, Château Beauregard-Ducasse produces exceptional red and white Graves.

Although the majority of the estate’s production is white Graves made from Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, the two red Graves of Château Beauregard-Ducasse, named Château Ducasse (this month’s feature) and Château Beauregard Ducasse Cuvee Albert Duran, are exceptional offerings, consisting primarily of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot added in some vintages. The Perromats also fashion two special white Graves: Château Ducasse Graves Blanc, a traditional white Graves meant to be consumed in the first five years of vintage, and Cuvée Albertine Peyri, a barrel fermented white Graves meant for long aging.

Graves is the oldest and most historic of all the Bordeaux communes. Before Latour, Lafite, Margaux, and the rest of the well-known names of the Médoc even existed or had even seen a cultivated vine, there was Graves. In fact, Graves has been the home of cultivated vines since as early as the 1st century AD, due at least in part to the Romans’ inability to grow other crops in the graveled soil from which the name Graves is derived. The stone and gravel deposits are vestiges of the last Ice Age, a bane to most farmers but a boon to grape growers, whose vines struggle deep into the thin porous soil to draw life and subtle complex flavors from the nutrients below. Graves is a rarity: its exceptional red and white wines enjoy equal renown.