2025 Chateau Branaire Ducru
2025 Branaire-Ducru promises to be a particularly memorable wine: fresh, refined and beautifully poised, with impressive fruit intensity, fine-grained tannins and excellent length. This is not a blockbuster Saint-Julien, but rather a wine of balance, finesse and precision that should begin to drink well within five years of arrival while rewarding further cellaring.
Producer Profile
Château Branaire-Ducru
Château Branaire-Ducru is a Quatrièmes Cru Classé in Saint-Julien. Branaire was once part of the Beychevelle estate but in 1680 it was sold to Jean-Baptiste Braneyre. Subsequently, a Branaire daughter married Pierre de Luc, and for a time the name became Branaire-Duluc. The Ducru part of the name was added in the 1870s when Gustave Ducru became owner. The current Château was built in 1842.
Banker Patrick Maroteaux bought the estate in 1998 and it is now run by his grandson, François Xavier Maroteaux. The 60-hectare vineyard is planted to 70% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. The terroir is deep gravel with clay soils. The peak elevation reaches up to 14 meters. The vineyard can be divided into 15 different blocks with 70 different parcels of vines. On average, the vines are close to 35 years of age, but the estate has parcels as old as 90 years.
| RED | 2025 | Château Branaire Ducru | 75cl | £186 per case of 6 | Château Branaire Ducru 2025 / / 75cl £186 per case of 6 |
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Tasting Notes"Intense, knitted down with grilled cumin and cloves, sappy dark fruits, appellation typicity, an enjoyable enjoyable Brainaire. Yield 33 hl/ha. 60% new oak, François Xavier Maroteaux owner. 2034-2044. 93 points" janeanson.com------"The 2025 Branaire-Ducru was cropped at 33 hl/ha, which is not too low in the context of the growing season, but the smallest since 1991. Picking was from September 4 with the early Merlots and finished September 22. The Merlot on clay soils was deemed high quality and therefore comprises a slightly higher percentage of the blend. It is aged in 60% new and 40% one-year-old barrels. This has a flattering bouquet with black plum and strawberry fruit, and a noticeable though agreeable powdered chocolate/mocha note at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with silky smooth tannins, a fine bead of acidity, and hints of mocha and mint merging with black fruit. The finish is quite linear and understated, keeping within the style of the château. Very classy, this will give a lot of pleasure without too much cellaring. 13.2% alcohol. Drinking Window 2030 - 2055. 93-95 points" Neal Martin, Vinous.com------"The 2025 Branaire-Ducru is a compelling wine in the making, revealing an open, refined bouquet of cassis, mulberries, spices, flowers and pencil lead, with its new oak largely remaining in the background. Medium- to full-bodied, it’s sapid and perfumed, built around a seamless, layered core of fruit framed by finely grained, velvety tannins and concluding with a long, fresh and precise finish. Matured in 65% new oak, this blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 6% Cabernet Franc captures the estate’s signature style—polished, balanced and texturally refined—while clearly reflecting the brightness and freshness of the vintage. 94-96 points" Yohan Castaing, RobertParker.com------"The 2025 Branaire-Ducru is a powerful wine with a darker fruit profile than most years. Dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, cloves and licorice open first. Floral overtones and brisk acids reappear to perk up the close. A clean, vibrant finish rounds things out in style. This is such a gorgeous and expressive wine. The 2025 is quite simply a fabulous Branaire. Tasted two times. 2035-2065. 94-96 points" Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com------"Voluptuous dark fruit, cedar and a touch of tar on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied with an expressive yet concentrated profile, a precise structure and fine-grained, high quality tannins. Chiseled and balanced. 96-97 points" jamessuckling.com |
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