Château Branaire-Ducru: All vintages
Below you will find all vintages of this wine currently listed for sale. Read more about the château below.
Please note, recent vintages may still be lying at the château.
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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 | 1990 | 1 case | Château Branaire Ducru | 75cl | £920 per case of 12 | Château Branaire Ducru 1990 / 1 case / 75cl £920 per case of 12 |
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| RED | 1995 | 2 cases | Château Branaire Ducru | 75cl | £620 per case of 12 | Château Branaire Ducru 1995 / 2 cases / 75cl £620 per case of 12 |
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| RED | 1996 | 1 case | Château Branaire Ducru | 75cl | £720 per case of 12 | Château Branaire Ducru 1996 / 1 case / 75cl £720 per case of 12 |
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| RED | 2001 | 3 bottles | Château Branaire Ducru | 75cl | £55 per bottle | Château Branaire Ducru 2001 / 3 bottles / 75cl £55 per bottle |
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| RED | 2001 | 2 cases | Château Branaire Ducru | 75cl | £795 per case of 12 | Château Branaire Ducru 2001 / 2 cases / 75cl £795 per case of 12 |
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| RED | 2003 | 1 case | Château Branaire Ducru | 75cl | £720 per case of 12 | Château Branaire Ducru 2003 / 1 case / 75cl £720 per case of 12 |
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| RED | 2010 | 2 cases | Château Branaire Ducru | 75cl | £740 per case of 12 | Château Branaire Ducru 2010 / 2 cases / 75cl £740 per case of 12 |
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| RED | 2015 | 2 cases | Château Branaire Ducru | 75cl | £480 per case of 12 | Château Branaire Ducru 2015 / 2 cases / 75cl £480 per case of 12 |
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| RED | 2016 | 2 cases | Château Branaire Ducru | 75cl | £480 per case of 12 | Château Branaire Ducru 2016 / 2 cases / 75cl £480 per case of 12 |
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| RED | 2020 | 1 case | Château Branaire Ducru | 75cl | £395 per case of 12 | Château Branaire Ducru 2020 / 1 case / 75cl £395 per case of 12 |
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| RED | 2021 | 2 cases | Château Branaire Ducru | 75cl | £340 per case of 12 | Château Branaire Ducru 2021 / 2 cases / 75cl £340 per case of 12 |
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Tasting Notes"66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 6.5% Cabernet Franc, 5.5% Petit Verdot. Cask sample. Open and aromatic on the nose with savoury and dark-fruit notes. Supple and fleshy on the palate. Lacks a bit of density but there’s a structure well in place. Competent rather than stirring. Drink 2026 – 2036. 16 points" jancisrobinson.com (JL)------"Well balanced, showcasing the possibliities of the vintage, a little austere in its rose stem and cassis bud character, but it opens up to show finessed blackberry fruit, precisely cut tannins, and has plenty of potential to age. 32hl/ yield, up to 20 month ageing depending on tasting. Tasted twice. 92 points" janeanson.com------"The 2021 Branaire Ducru was picked from September 24, albeit slowly, until October 14, at 32hL/ha. It has quite an intense, dare I say precocious bouquet of bold brambly red fruit that eventually settles in the glass and turns darker. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit and a touch of black pepper and tobacco. Quite a marine-influenced Saint-Julien, it fans out gradually toward the finish and exerts a gentle grip. Though not quite reaching the heights of recent vintages, it represents a true articulation of the growing season and of Branaire-Ducru itself. 91-93 points" Neal Martin, Vinous.com------"Having tasted the 2021 Branaire-Ducru six times over the course of a month and a half, I feel confident in saying that it is a beautiful wine that numbers among the vintage's real successes. Offering up aromas of raspberry coulis and red cherries mingled with notions of rose petals, cigar box and spices, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and seamless, with a layered core of fruit, lively acids and beautifully powdery tannins. Why is it quite so good? It isn't because a lot of wine was declassified, as around 60% of the estate's production went into the grand vin this year—a touch more than average. Rather, the key factors seem to be waiting to pick despite an alarming weather forecast; the blend itself, which emphasizes ripe Cabernet and the estate's later-ripening Merlot on clay-limestone soils; and the fact that a partially completed new winery means that Branaire already had fully 63 fermentation vats at its disposal to pick and vinify parcel by parcel. The exact composition is 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. 93-94+ points" William Kelley, RobertParker.com------"The 2021 Branaire-Ducru is sleek, elegant and nuanced. There is more Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in the blend than in the 2018-2020 period, when the Merlots were especially successful. As a result, the aromatics are absolutely alluring, but the wine is much less forthcoming on the palate. At 12.9% alcohol, the 2021 is a classically austere Branaire at looks like it will need quite a bit of time to blossom. It is undoubtedly a very pretty wine, even if not fully expressive at this stage. Dark cherry, plum, chocolate, leather and rose petal linger. Tasted three times. 93-95 points" Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com------"A very pretty wine, showing blackberry and blackcurrant aromas with crushed stone. Medium to full body with layers of fine-grained tannins. Bright and refined. Lots of dark fruit at the end. Solid weight. 94-95 points" jamessuckling.com |
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| 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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| RED | 2023 | Château Branaire Ducru | 75cl | £193 per case of 6 | Château Branaire Ducru 2023 / / 75cl £193 per case of 6 |
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Tasting Notes"The 2023 Branaire Ducru was picked from September 12, on the same day as last year, albeit with a longer harvest, as they finished on October 4. Yields were 53hL/ha, and the blend is almost the same as the 2022. This is the second vintage made in the new winery. My sample came from a new-oak barrel, but the final blend will include 60%. Lucid purple in color, it has a charming, very pure bouquet, perhaps less opulent than some of its Saint-Julien peers, yet precise. Delicate floral scents permeate the predominant red fruit, never bursting from the glass but unfurling with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly edgy tannins that impart tension, veering slightly more to black fruit on the mid-palate. This is certainly one of the most elegant Branaire-Ducru vintages to date, but it has more weight on the finish (something that has been addressed in recent years.) Understated and sapid, it should be open for business a little earlier than others, but it will age well over 20 to 25 years. 92-94 points" Neal Martin, Vinous.com-------"The 2023 Branaire-Ducru has turned out beautifully, wafting from the glass with classy aromas of dark berries, plums, pencil shavings and licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied, cool and layered palate that's seamless, complete and enveloping, with terrific depth and vibrancy of fruit, refined tannins and a long, suave finish. At 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5.5% Cabernet Franc and 3.5% Petit Verdot, it's almost the same blend as the 2022, though at 13.1% alcohol and a pH of 3.63, it's more classically proportioned. Harvest began on September 12 and dragged on through October 4, parcel by parcel, with the vintage's healthy yields meaning the team could use their new winery, equipped with 63 smaller tanks, to keep all those components separate. 93-94 points." William Kelley. Wine Advocate------"Bright fruits, slate tannins, peony florals, black tea, tobacco and tons of St Julien finesse. Cabernet dominant in aroamtics and fruit character, a delicious Branaire. 53hl/ha yields. 94 points." Jane Anson, Apr------"This has so much lead pencil, stone and blackcurrant character, as well as blackberry. It’s medium-bodied with a solid core of fruit and a polished finish. Very classy and structured. 95-96 points." James Suckling, Apr '24 |
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