2015 Château Branaire-Ducru, St Julien, Bordeaux
Critics reviews
The 2015 Branaire-Ducru has a deep hue, almost opaque in the glass. The nose is quite precocious, more so than the previous bottle, with scents of black cherries, cassis and blood orange—energetic and focused, crushed violet scents surface with continued aeration. The palate is quite sweet. I just have one concern about the warmth of alcohol on the back palate, though that seems to be addressed by considering aeration, allowing it to coalesce and muster more composure, especially on the finish. Give it several years in bottle.
Drink 2028 - 2050
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (November 2023)
In 2015, the blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc, aged 18 months in French oak, 60% new.
The 2015 Branaire Ducru is a gorgeous, totally sexy wine. Rose petal, lavender, mint, sweet red berries, and gently spiced notes give the wine much of its gracious, lilting personality. Precise and nuanced to the core, the 2015 Branaire is all class. It's easy to overlook Brainaire in the context of Saint-Julien, where most of the other important wines are much more powerful. Branaire always speaks with a hushed, discreet voice. Readers who appreciate finesse will find much to admire here. The 2015 is a wine of pure and total sensual pleasure. Don't miss it.
Drink 2020 - 2040
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (February 2018)
Medium to deep garnet-purple in colour, the 2015 Branaire-Ducru has an earthy nose over a core of red and black currants with hints of tapenade, pencil shavings and sage. The medium-bodied palate is firm and chewy, with just enough fruit and a lively finish.
Drink 2019 - 2031
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (February 2018)
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc.
Pale to mid-crimson. It's quite evolved and complete. Sweet start and a bit scrawny. Some green notes. It's a bit all over the place. Round and resolved on the palate.
Drink 2023 - 2032
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (May 2019)
This is very structured and tight with chewy polished tannins and blueberry, blackberry. Full and savory. Should develop beautifully.
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (April 2016)
Gorgeous nose of cinnamon, floral-edged black fruits and chocolate. Supple and juicy with crushed velvet-textured tannins. Acidity is good, given this round and mouthfulling character. I love the soft chew to the tannins underpinning the delicate yet bright strawberry, red cherry and pink floral elements. Crunchy and alive yet layered and persistent. It is not concentrated or weighty but has a lovely frame, depth, and energy.
Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com
About this WINE
Château Branaire-Ducru
Classified as a fourth growth in 1855, Ch. Branaire-Ducru makes pure and classic St Julien. The estate has recently passed from father to son: the widely respected Patrick Maroteaux – who had served at various times as president of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux and the St Julien appellation – sadly passed away in 2017. His son François-Xavier has picked up the baton and continues his father’s legacy. The Maroteaux family bought the property in 1988 and have invested considerably in the vineyard and winery since. Superstar consultant Eric Boissenot advises here, as he does with many of the Left Bank’s top estates, including the Médoc’s four first growths.
St Julien
St Julien is the smallest of the "Big Four" Médoc communes. Although, without any First Growths, St Julien is recognised to be the most consistent of the main communes, with several châteaux turning out impressive wines year after year.
St Julien itself is much more of a village than Pauillac and almost all of the notable properties lie to its south. Its most northerly château is Ch. Léoville Las Cases (whose vineyards actually adjoin those of Latour in Pauillac) but, further south, suitable vineyard land gives way to arable farming and livestock until the Margaux appellation is reached.
The soil is gravelly and finer than that of Pauillac, and without the iron content which gives Pauillac its stature. The homogeneous soils in the vineyards (which extend over a relatively small area of just over 700 hectares) give the commune a unified character.
The wines can be assessed as much by texture as flavour, and there is a sleek, wholesome character to the best. Elegance, harmony and perfect balance and weight, with hints of cassis and cedar, are what epitomise classic St Julien wines. At their very best they combine Margaux’s elegance and refinement with Pauillac’s power and substance.
Ch. Léoville Las Cases produces arguably the most sought-after St Julien, and in any reassessment of the 1855 Classification it would almost certainly warrant being elevated to First Growth status.
Recommended Châteaux: Ch. Léoville Las Cases, Ch.Léoville Barton, Ch Léoville Poyferré, Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou, Ch Langoa Barton, Ch Gruaud Larose, Ch. Branaire-Ducru, Ch. Beychevelle
Cabernet Sauvignon blend
Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.
In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.
In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and Australia.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc.
Patrick Maroteau's excellent 2015 from this Fourth Growth estate shows real purity, with great precision and ripe tannins that grip and offer an intense focus—the rich, fresh, spicy nose of damsons and blackberry fruit oozes class. There is precision here, a polish—quite simply harmonious. The wine tastes glorious, just as great wine should taste: crunchy, pure and fresh fruit, high acidity, silky ripe tannins and nice balance. This is a triumphant wine, with a typical and classic blend for this great estate and phenomenal length. It's really elegant and one of our favourites—a must-buy this year.
Berry Bros. & Rudd
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