"96 Points - Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com
The 2018 Branaire-Ducru is every bit as captivating as it was en primeur. Ripe, silky tannins give the 2018 a striking air of sensuality that only grows as the wine sits in the glass. Succulent red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, mint, spice and gravel inflections all open more over time. Even with all of its natural radiance, Branaire remains a model of grace. It is unquestionably one of the under the radar wines of the year. Drinking Window 2026 - 2048. March 2021
93 Points - Neal Martin, Vinous.com
The 2018 Branaire-Ducru was picked from September 19 until October 10 at 53hl/ha and is currently being aged in 60% new oak. It has retained the sophisticated bouquet that I found last year, featuring beautifully defined blackberry and cedar and hints of iris flower and rose petals. The palate is well defined with good density and backbone, something that you could argue was missing from Branaire-Ducru in the 1990s and early 2000s. It gently fans out on the finish but never wants to create too much of a commotion – that’s not its style. This indicates a property that is finding a new lease on life. Excellent. Drinking Window 2023 - 2045. January 2021"
Records of the Branaire-Ducru estate go back to the 17th century and the château was classified a fourth top growth in 1855. Château Branaire-Ducru currently has fifty hectares of vines, mostly old Cabernet Sauvignon, located in the commune of Saint-Julien. The wine is outstandingly elegant, with a highly individual flavour typical of the finest that its prestigious appellation can offer. Since 1991, the wine has been made in a state-of-the-art vatroom using gravity flow. This enables the grapes to be handled with the utmost care in order to bring out the pure taste that expresses the quality of the vineyard. The wine is château-bottled after traditional ageing in oak barrels. Branaire-Ducru has a second wine, Duluc de Branaire-Ducru, which is primarily made from young vines. ©ugcb
Antonio Galloni
This year, there is a bit more Merlot in the blend, because the Merlots were very good,” Proprietor Francois Xavier Maroteau explained. “We let one parcel ripen very late, into the window in which we pick our Cabernet Sauvignon, and that parcel ultimately went into the Grand Vin.” Yields were a very healthy 50 hectoliters per hectare. “Alcohol came in at 14.3%, while the pH of 3.6 is lower than 2010,” added Technical Director Jean-Dominque Videau.
