2022 Château Branaire-Ducru En Primeur
Released this afternoon at £474 per dozen, 2022 Château Branaire-Ducru could well be the best value wine of the vintage, with a slew of scores as high as 97 points. We loved its elegant notes of violets and minerality and intense salinity on the finish.
The critics' notes rate this wine as outstanding. A new winery seems to have enabled Branaire-Ducru to reach new levels of precision and definition of flavour, propelling this estate to the next level. If you only buy one cru classé en primeur this year, this is one to go for, so please enquire as soon as possible for an allocation.
Offered en primeur, on allocation. Landing spring 2025.
Magnums available with £15 ex-VAT bottling surcharge, please enquire for other formats.
All previous offers of 2022 Bordeaux can be found here.
To order, e-mail us at sales@richardkihl.ltd.uk
Producer Profile
Château Branaire-Ducru, Cru Classé St.-Julien
Château Branaire-Ducru is a Quatrièmes Cru Classé in Saint-Julien. Branaire was once part of the Beychevelle estate but in 1680 it was sold to Jean-Baptiste Braneyre. Subsequently, a Branaire daughter married Pierre de Luc, and for a time the name became Branaire-Duluc. The Ducru part of the name was added in the 1870s when Gustave Ducru became owner. The current Château was built in 1842.
Banker Patrick Maroteaux bought the estate in 1998 and it is now run by his grandson, François Xavier Maroteaux. The 60-hectare vineyard is planted to 70% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. The terroir is deep gravel with clay soils. The peak elevation reaches up to 14 meters. The vineyard can be divided into 15 different blocks with 70 different parcels of vines. On average, the vines are close to 35 years of age, but the estate has parcels as old as 90 years.
| RED | 2022 | 1 case | Château Branaire Ducru | 75cl | £474 per case of 12 | Château Branaire Ducru 2022 / 1 case / 75cl £474 per case of 12 |
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Tasting Notes"The 2022 Branaire-Ducru is a powerhouse, almost unnaturally so for this Saint-Julien, which is usually a more understated wine. A blast of dark plum fruit makes a pretty strong first impression. Licorice, cloves, spice, menthol and chocolate fill out the layers. Readers should expect a concentrated, virile Saint-Julien with compelling aromatic presence. In this warm, low-yielding vintage, Branaire is quite the brooding powerhouse. It will be interesting to see if more finesse develops in time. Impressive. Tasted two times. 94-96 points" Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com------"An absolute gem of a Saint-Julien, the 2022 Château Branaire-Ducru clocks in as 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Pure cassis, black raspberries, spicy wood, and dried flower notes all define the aromatics, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a silky, elegant, beautifully balanced mouthfeel, and terrific tannins. In addition, it has a sense of freshness and purity that keeps you coming back to the glass. It's clearly the finest wine I've tasted from this château, which going forward merits serious attention. 95-97 points" Jebdunnuck.com------"A brilliant wine that's the finest young vintage I've tasted at this Saint-Julien estate, the 2022 Branaire-Ducru wafts from the glass with aromas of violets, blackberries, sweet cassis, licorice and pencil shavings, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and multidimensional palate that's succulent, sapid and perfumed, framed by supple tannins and concluding with a long, mouthwatering finish. It's a blend of 60.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31.5% Merlot, 5.5% Cabernet Franc and 2.5% Petit Verdot that checks in at a healthy pH of 3.65. Why is it so good this year? In addition to the quality of the vintage, the new gravity-flow winery means fruit can be handled more gently, and picked more precisely, sub-block by sub-block, as the team now have fully 63 vats at their disposal, almost double their capacity through 2020. Given the Maroteaux family's sensible approach to pricing, this is likely to number among the must-purchase wines of the 2022 vintage, and it comes warmly recommended. 95-97 points" William Kelley, RobertParker.com------"The 2022 Branaire Ducru was harvested from 12-24 September at 34.5hL/ha, the blend representative of their vineyard plantings. This feels refined and focused on the nose with plush red berry fruit, dried rose petals and orange rind scents Classic Branaire. The palate is fresh on the entry with pliant tannins. It's very well structured to the degree that it conveys a sense of symmetry. Lightly spiced toward the finish with notes of graphite lingering on the aftertaste, this represents an excellent Branaire Ducru that will age over many years and will surely appeal to those seeking more classical Saint-Julien. Tasted three times and was more impressive each time. Branaire-Ducru continues its upward trajectory under proprietor François-Xavier Marateaux. 14.3% alcohol. Drinking Window 2030-2065. 95-97 points" Neal Martin, Vinous.com------"The fine and intense tannins are very impressive because they fold beautifully into the wine, with blackcurrants, black cherries, hints of chocolate and hazelnuts. It's full-bodied with tight and focused fruit and a long and classy finish. Fantastic definition to this. Fresh. 60.5% cabernet sauvignon, 31.5% merlot, 5.5% cabernet franc, and 2.5% petit verdot. 96-97 points" jamessuckling.com |
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