2009 Ch. Branaire Ducru, St. Julien

A gorgeous nose of violets and raspberries announces the 2009 Branaire-Ducru. It is fresh and focused yet powerful and concentrated at the same time with fine, ripe, silky tannins making the wine extremely approachable even at this early stage. The sublime quality of the fruit, as ever, is key here, and has a resulted in an intense yet wonderfully elegant wine.

Deep purple red, fragrant and precisely expressed Cabernet cassis, lovely depth of natural ripeness, a finely textured wine, already elegant and will age well.
(Steven Spurrier - Decanter - Apr 2010)

Dark crimson with a pale rim. Very light nose with a rather unwelcome note of coconut. Sweet start and very fondu. Just a little simple but lusciously so. I am perhaps looking a gift horse in the mouth here – though the tannins on the finish are pretty rustic. If this were sold at an attractive price it would please many. Some real succulence.
(Jancis Robinson MW - jancisrobinson.com - Apr 2010)

Haut couture becomes a wine! This dense purple wine has the tell-tale notes of flowers and pencil shavings, and its broad aromatics are intense and totally captivating. Powerful, rich, and full, but less tannic than the 2005 and more opulent, this is a dazzling Branaire to drink between 2017-2035.
(Robert Parker - Wine Advocate - February 2012)

Aromas of blueberry, dried citrus fruit and currant. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a long, long finish. Structured and tannic, but sweet fruit behind.
(James Suckling - Wine Spectator - Apr 2010)