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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 31 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by hiybwz on 5/6/2024: Purple-ruby. Young tannins. High acid. Blueberry, cassis. Very aromatic, floral. Graphite. Hint of cloves. (570 views) | | | Tasted by Everything Ahead on 4/3/2024 & rated 93 points: Beautiful nose on this of dark fruits, charcoal, lead pencil, minerals and hints of incense and some high-toned floral notes as well. This was decanted several hours and followed over 2 nights, and really sang after just an hour or two of air time. This bottle was better than the previous and with 10+ years of aging I can definitely see this going up a couple of points. Everything in balance (if a little oaky at the moment, but that will be absorbed into the fruit in time). Medium-to full bodied. Classy wine. One to stock up on and age a while. Rating: 93+ (1758 views) | | | Tasted by Chupeaka on 3/27/2024 & rated 93 points: Still really young. Will really improve with age.
On the nose, lots of blackberry, blackcurrant, and plums. Some violets, graphite, and licorice. Quite tight and austere still but there is plenty of fruit and spice, a slight truffle-like note on the finnish. Creamy oak is present and will be integrated with age. Fresh and complex. Balanced and elegant, no drying tannins despite the youthful austerity of this wine.
Would be fun to do a side by side with Lagrange. Lagrange is more serious, unctuous, spice driven. Branaire is ethereal, airy, with an emphasis on fruit yet still has substance. (1823 views) | | | Tasted by realstevebeam on 3/11/2024 & rated 93 points: Decanted two hours. Consumed over three days.
Plum. Stewed Blueberry. Graphite. No. 2 Pencil. Warm metal fence. Dark Chocolate. Red Cherry. It's textbook and it's lovely. Obviously young, but I was curious. Feels like it's dialed to age quite nicely. Much better on days two and three. Glad to have more; Won't touch the rest for a while. (2247 views) | | | Tasted by CondorKhan on 2/10/2024 & rated 91 points: Infanticide for science.
Blueberry and plums on the nose, slightly hot. On the palate, blueberry, blackberry, pencil lead. Medium body. Not what I'd consider super oaky. The notes are there but I feel like I have to dig deep to get at them, even on day 2. It's certainly has a great future but I think it's very tight and young right now. I'm sure my score will improve in 10 years. (2596 views) | | | Tasted by Everything Ahead on 2/5/2024 & rated 92 points: Very tannic and closed on day one, but on day two blossomed with a plethora of dark fruits (blueberry/blackberry), toasted new oak notes, and that lead pencil note I love in BDX. This will be a really nice wine in 10-20 years, when I think it will go up by several points. If drinking now, do a long decant, but really this is one best left forgotten for 10+ years (I cracked one open to assess the vintage.) I find the 2019 Branaire a notch better than the 2020 in terms of midpalate density, but they are close in quality. A producer and vintage to seek out if you can get it for under $50. (2773 views) | | | Tasted by WindFlyer on 1/27/2024 & rated 93 points: dark purplish ruby and good body. generous yet elegant and floral nose with violets, herbs and cedar wafting thru the cassis and blackberry aromas. with agreeable density in the mouth, good acidity and very polished though grippy tannins, it is starting to show its cards. sweet and saline accents and some tobacco and spice notes interplay beautifully in the fruit layers. moderately long.
remarkably open already (for a 2020), this should be in its window in just a couple of years with a potentially long life.
13.5% AbV; 58% CS/ 32% ME/ 7% PV/ 3% CF (2392 views) | | | Tasted by Madera16 on 1/14/2024: UGC - good complex texture, rich nose. (2799 views) | | | Tasted by Mark1npt on 1/1/2024 & rated 93 points: Everything Dera says below...I cannot improve on that review. Much thanks to HMC for bringing it tonight. About 7 oz. left in a sealed glass bottle to try tomorrow......I should say that I normally love BD at 15 years of age but this modern one is quite nice and rich for a St. Julien. Heavily Merlot driven at this point, even though supposedly there's only around 25-30% Merlot in this blend. (3440 views) | | | Tasted by dera on 12/31/2023 & rated 93 points: Very dark ruby, nose has cassis and dark earthy coffee tones, tobacco, cedarwood.
Medium bodied, red fruits, vanilla/chocolate from oak that softens with air, silky and somewhat opulent style.
Finishes medium+ length and complex with pleasant smooth tannins. (2207 views) | | | Tasted by JRoman23 on 12/16/2023 & rated 92 points: Am just trying to get into Bordeaux and this was a nice find at Costco. Very approachable and balanced right now. Age will def help this one. (2282 views) | | | Tasted by Nutty08 on 9/4/2023 & rated 93 points: From 375ml. This was really nice and accessible. Sauve and polished, with rather seamless integration of tannins that are mouth coating but rather velvety. Nice mix of blue leaning fruit with some fresh red notes. Nose shows some elegant fruit and flint notes. While enjoyable now this shows lots of promise. Oak notes still need to integrate. (3722 views) | | | Tasted by PlanetX on 6/10/2023: Union Grands Crus Bordeaux (UGC) 2020 Tasting (Hangar 14, Bordeaux): Very tight core of fruit which needs to expand. Time will tell. Perhaps the pour was from a just opened bottle given the tightness. Not fair to score based on this sample. (3895 views) | | | Tasted by Whitman on 5/17/2023 & rated 93 points: Quite intense deep nose with cassis, plum and lovely perfumed. Medium to full bodied palate with dense sweet fruit and also some dryness to balance. Becomes even more intense in the long finish. Elegant for bdx and you feel its still hiding something, but its easy to drink and enjoy today. (3875 views) | | | Tasted by chatters on 4/25/2023: En Primeur campaign for the 2022 vintage Day Four (Bordeaux): Popped and poured…Very closed…a little plum, rubber, smells dense. With a fairly vigorous shake starts to show a little black currant, a little pyrazine, touch of almost baked notes and concentrated savoury and saline dark fruits, lend an almost meaty quality. medium plus intensity acidity, dark hued fruits; plums; blackcurrant, polished oak, talc textured and persistent tannins, a little sweet spice and non-intrusive alcohol warmth on the finish. Hmm. (4122 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 3/21/2023 & rated 95 points: Quite perfumed, the complex nose offers cigar box, tobacco, spearmint, wet earth, mocha, spice, black currants and dark cherry aromas to get things going. Medium/full-bodied with a silky, fresh, refined character to its layers of ripe, sweet, mildly-spiced, red pit fruits on the palate, the finish is complex, as well as refined and currently discreet. Clearly, this is one of the top vintages from Branaire Ducru that fans of the estate should definitely have in their cellar. Drink from 2026-2055. (4037 views) | | | Tasted by Zweder on 3/6/2023 & rated 94 points: UGCB tasting Bordeaux 2020 Walkaround tasting so in general just short notes (Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam.): Beautiful and elegant bouquet with beautiful red and dark berries as well as well dosed oak. Same on the palate, juicy acidity and good tannin with a pleasant bite. 93 – 94 (3807 views) | | | Tasted by englishman's claret on 1/29/2023 & rated 93 points: The 2020 Branaire-Ducru really is a pretty wine with a nice attack; cassis and tobacco leaf and accented by a slightly floral, potpourri-like note. Velvety tannin; svelte, nice acid. Finishes quite nicely. (4087 views) | | | Tasted by vvWine.ch on 1/9/2023 & rated 94 points: (58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 13.5% Alkohol) Anfangs still, braucht etwas Zeit, zeigt dann eine delikate, dunkle Cassisfrucht, dazu Schwarzkirschen und Brombeere, deutliche Mineralik. Im Auftakt hochelegant, still, distanziert und mit einer erhabenen Struktur, perfekt reife Frucht, feinste Tannine. Langer Abgang mit dunkelfruchtiger Rückaromatik. Kann reifen. 2028-2045+ (Verkostet am 8. November 2022 in Zürich) www.vvwine.ch (2429 views) | | | Tasted by chatters on 4/26/2022: En-Primeur campaign for the 2021 vintage; 4/25/2022-4/29/2022 (Bordeaux): Ripe, thick, dense black fruits with a red currant underpin, polished oak lends caramel, toast, clean. Medium plus intensity acidity and medium plus intensity tight, chewy tannins that are persistent and grainy join medium plus intensity (a theme is emerging) fruit and oak flavours. Fruit is a black hued melange. Long. Big. Okay but time required. (4599 views) | | | Tasted by vvWine.ch on 5/22/2021 & rated 93 points: 92-94 vvPunkte (58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 13.5% Alkohol) Expressiv, reiffruchtig, viel Cassis, Brombeergelee, Kirsche, Kräuter, dahinter steinige Noten. Der Gaumen wirkt fleischig, satte Frucht, reifes, fein gewobenes, markantes Tannin, knackig und saftig, hochreif, aber dennoch balanciert. Im Abgang von sehr guter Länge. Muss seine Harmonie noch finden, doch die Anlagen sind sehr gut. 2028-2045 (April/Mai 2021) (7675 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 5/20/2021 & rated 94 points: Cedar, tobacco, red and black currants, mocha, spice and smoke come through loud and clear in the nose. Soft, silky and supple, the fresh red fruits are already quite expressive creating a refined, medium/full-bodied, silky, wine with purity, character and precision. This will drink well with 7--8 years of aging and will age and develop quite nicely. 93-95 (4138 views) | | | Tasted by Peter Z. on 5/14/2021 & rated 94 points: primeur sample (3229 views) | | | Tasted by Shrewsram on 5/6/2021 & rated 93 points: Near opaque
Fragrant, floral nose and raspberry jam, and crushed rocks. Cool.
Fresh attack, juicy and lifted and bright, juicy with fragrant red fruit. Juicy, with a stony mineral finish. (3317 views) | | | Tasted by englishman's claret on 4/28/2021: 2020 First Look: Branaire offers a fresh, fine-boned, undeniably appealing 2020 with fresh chestnut and pencil on the nose transitioning to a supple, red berry palate with a clean finish. 91-93 (4503 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Julia Harding, MW
JancisRobinson.com (1/25/2024)
(Ch Branaire-Ducru St-Julien Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Julia Harding, MW
JancisRobinson.com (10/11/2023)
(Ch Branaire-Ducru St-Julien Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com (3/30/2023)
(Château Branaire-Ducru St.-Julien , France) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, 2020 Bordeaux from Bottle (3/29/2023)
(Chateau Branaire-Ducru) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Bordeaux 2020: Saving the Best for Last (Feb 2023) (2/1/2023)
(Branaire-Ducru Branaire-Ducru Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Neal Martin
Vinous, Thrice Is Nice: Bordeaux 2020 in Bottle (Feb 2023) (2/1/2023)
(Branaire-Ducru Branaire Ducru Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Georgina Hindle
Decanter, Bordeaux 2020 in bottle (1/2/2023)
(Château Branaire-Ducru, Cabernet Sauvignon, St-Julien, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com (12/28/2022)
(Château Branaire-Ducru St.-Julien , France) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, December 2022 (12/1/2022)
(Château Branaire-Ducru St Julien Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Julia Harding, MW
JancisRobinson.com (11/9/2022)
(Ch Branaire-Ducru St-Julien Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (10/20/2021)
(Ch Branaire-Ducru St-Julien Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, October 2021 (10/1/2021)
(Château Branaire-Ducru St Julien Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2020 Bordeaux En Primeur: Almost Back to Normal (Jun 2021) (6/1/2021)
(Branaire-Ducru Branaire-Ducru Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Bordeaux 2020: En Primeur – Part 1 (5/23/2021)
(Chateau Branaire-Ducru) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Jane Anson
Decanter, Bordeaux En Primeur 2020 St-Julien (5/1/2021)
(Château Branaire-Ducru, St-Julien, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Neal Martin
Vinous, Vingt-Vingt Vins: Bordeaux 2020 (May 2021) (5/1/2021)
(Branaire-Ducru Branaire Ducru Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Hemming, MW
JancisRobinson.com (4/30/2021)
(Ch Branaire-Ducru St-Julien Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com (4/15/2021)
(Château Branaire-Ducru St.-Julien , France) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (4/13/2021)
(Ch Branaire-Ducru St-Julien Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, April 2021 (4/1/2021)
(Château Branaire-Ducru St Julien Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Georgina Hindle
Decanter, Château Branaire-Ducru: producer profile
(Château Branaire-Ducru, Cabernet Sauvignon, St-Julien, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Neal Martin
Vinous, 2+2=5: Bordeaux 2021 In Bottle (Feb 2024)
(Branaire-Ducru Branaire Ducru Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JancisRobinson.com and JamesSuckling.com and JebDunnuck.com and Vinous and Decanter and Winedoctor. (manage subscription channels) |
| Château Branaire-Ducru Producer website
Addt'l Info
A visit to the estate of Château Branaire-Ducru St Julien Bordeaux -
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/08/a-visit-to-chateau-branaire-ducru.html2020 Château Branaire-DucruThe Wine Society: Another very promising vintage from François-Xavier Maroteau, who is taking the château’s wines to a new level. Made from 58% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, 7% petit verdot and 3% cabernet franc, the wine has good depth of flavour and bags of scented blackcurrant fruit on the palate. Proper Saint-Julien. Drink from 2030 to 2044. 13.5%Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanMédoc Vins du Médoc (Conseil des Vins du Médoc) - Read More about the Medoc
VdB
The eight precisely defined appellations of the whole of the Médoc (from Blanquefort Brook to the north of the Bordeaux built-up area, almost to the Pointe de Grave) may claim the Médoc appellation. But there is also a specific territory in the north of the peninsula which produces exclusively wines with this appellation. In the great majority, the Médocs come from the north of the peninsula. The great individuality of this region is that the number of vines has increased more recently here than elsewhere, apart from a few isolated spots where vines have grown for many years. Today, the size of the small estate has brought about the development of a powerful co-operative movement. Four co-operatives out of five belong to the group called Unimédoc which ensures aging, bottling and marketing a large proportion of their wines.St. Julien VdB
Read more detailed information on St. Julien and its wines The seventeenth century pioneers Traces are to be found of a Saint-Julien de Rintrac, perhaps Saint-Julien's earliest name, as from the thirteenth century. But we have to wait until the seventeenth century pioneers, urban and rural aristocrats, discover the exceptional merits of these terroirs.
Traces of this system still exist today in the structure of estates within the appellation: by the side of the two villages of Beychevelle and Saint-Julien, the large estates are heavily preponderant, representing more than four fifths of the total surface of vineyards.
The terrain is practically identical over all the commune. Only the proximity of the estuary, sometimes close, sometimes further away, can cause slight variations in climate. In fact, Saint-Julien-Beychevelle's layer of gravel takes the form of a huge rectangle over 3 miles long and 2 miles wide. And the alluvial deposits are particularly well fragmented into ridges of Garonne gravel of the early Quaternary. Accordingly, the vines are safeguarded from stagnant water.
The wines from the Saint-Julien appellation may be recognized by their unparalleled bouquet, particularly harmonious and mild. They have a fine deep colour and combine the finesse of their aromas and a solid constitution. They have body, are very rich in flavour and have a delicious and delicate bouquet.
Production conditions (Decree dated November 14, 1936)
In order to have the right to the Saint-Julien appellation of controlled origin, red wines must:
- come from the commune of Saint-Julien and from precisely defined parcels in the communes of Cussac, and Saint-Laurent, "excluding the parcels situated on recent alluvium and sand on impermeable subsoils",
- satisfy precise production conditions: grape-varieties (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet-Franc, Carmenère, Merlot Noir, Petit Verdot, Cot or Malbec), minimum of sugar (178 grammes - 6.27 oz. - per litre of must) degree (an acquired 10°5) base yield (45 hectolitres per hectare). |
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