Château Branaire-Ducru Saint-Julien AOP, 4ème Cru Classé

Château Branaire-Ducru ist seit 1855 als 4ème Cru klassifiziert und genießt bis heute den Ruf eines mit handwerklicher Exzellenz geführten Weingutes. Der Grand Vin des Hauses wird von Cabernet Sauvignon und Merlot beherrscht, Cabernet Franc und Petit Verdot akzentuieren die klassische Saint-Julien-Cuvée. Er reift bis zu 24 Monate in zur Hälfte neuen Barriques, die ihm eine markante Würze verleihen. PRESSE 95-96 Punkte James Suckling 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. 93-94 Punkte Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (William Kelley) 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 Punkte Falstaff (Peter Moser) Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Floral, rotbeeriger Touch, frische Kirschen, ein Hauch von Cassis und Limettenzesten ist unterlegt. Mittlere Komplexität, rotbeerig und frisch, zarte Tannine, dezente Fruchtsüße, ein lebendiger Speisenbegleiter, verfügt über Entwicklungspotenzial. 92-94 Punkte Vinous (Neal Martin) 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.