2013 CH BRANAIRE DUCRU 4ÈME CRU ST JULIEN - 12x75cl

Tasting Notes

• 

  Goedhuis, April 2014,
  Score: 86-88

  Giving aromas of lavender and violets, this is slightly less graceful than some. There is sense of firmness and weight, which should integrate with the fruit and freshness. It has a medium length on the finish.

• 

  Neal Martin, October 2016,
  Score: 87

  The 2013 Branaire-Ducru did not particularly impress when I tasted it from barrel. Now in bottle, it feels anonymous, a little dusty on the nose and there is an aromatic hole where the fruit ought to be. Enervated? The palate is medium-bodied with more weight than the nose suggests, but it is very conservative and feels light and ephemeral towards the finish that needs more substance. This Saint Julien estate has overseen better wines than the 2013 in recent years.

• 

  Neal Martin, April 2014,
  Score: 86-88

  The Château Branaire Ducru 2013, a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc picked between 30 September and 15 October cropped at 33hl/ha. Patrick Maroteaux told me that the older vines did not suffer so much from coulure. I tasted the wines on three occasions, once at the château and twice elsewhere. It has a simple bouquet with light, slightly herbaceous black fruit laced with graphite, not dissimilar to that of Beychevelle. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins. There is just a little coarseness in this Branaire Ducru, a little angular at the moment although it has a little more persistency than Beychevelle with the graphite note lending it a Pauillac-like sensibility, though it cuts off very abruptly. This is a decent, honest Branaire Ducru made in a classic off-dry style but it desperately needs more substance.

• 

  Robert Parker, August 2014,
  Score: 90-92

  The dense ruby/purple-colored 2013 Branaire Ducru reveals a floral, blueberry and raspberry-scented nose that leans toward the bluer/redder fruit spectrum indicative of a cooler year. The tannins are sweet; the wine is medium-bodied; and the texture is impressive in this pure, long effort. It should drink well for 10-12 years. Drink: 2014 - 2026

• 

  Decanter, April 2014,
  Score: 90

  Fine deep colour and fine vineyard expression, good depth, balance and class for the future. Drink: 2018-2028

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  Matthew Jukes, April 2014,
  Score: 16.5

  Quite silky and smooth and the fruit seems more focussed and also more expressive than many. The oak sits in the background and the fruit is layered and classy. It could do with more control because it drifts away a little on the finish.

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  Jancis Robinson, April 2014,
  Score: 17.5

  Liquorice, aniseed – very savoury and dark. Fruit is quite suppressed – this is very traditional and very successful. Bundles of tannin on the finish. Aristocratic and self-assured. (RH)

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  Tim Atkin, May 2014,
  Score: 93

  A rare example of a wine that was markedly better in 2013 than 2012, this blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc is perfumed, concentrated and finely balanced with granular tannins and a flourish of acidity. 2018-25

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Producer

Château Branaire Ducru

Across the road from Beychevelle lies Château Branaire Ducru. Until 1988, the entire production was sold in France through the Nicolas chain of wine shops. A change in ownership fortunately also changed that policy and Branaire Ducru now takes its rightful place on the international marketplace. Like most Médoc wines, the core of the blend is Cabernet Sauvignon and intensive work in the vineyard ensures optimum ripeness. Château Branaire Ducru aims for a balance of elegance and complexity - a trend which has been apparent since 1989, the vintage after its current owner, Patrick Maroteaux, purchased the château.