2023 Chateau Branaire Ducru - 4eme Cru Classe St. Julien

Decanter.com – 95 pts – GH: *Really fragrant on the nose; graphite and liquorice, dark blackcurrant and bramble fruit elements with highly-charged floral aromatics. Smells rich and ripe but clean also. Precise and finessed, this has a lovely energy straight away, great movement and motion from start to finish. Juicy and supple, crunchy, really lovely acidity, not too sharp or too tart with fine tannins that give such a lovely frame. Not dense at all - this is streamlined but is given some weight by the ripe fruit and some texture by the soft stoniness. Pretty and stylish and still packing some power - has a tiny air of opulence about it probably because they’ve used all four grapes with Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc adding complexity. It has a bit more warmth, and a touch of sweetness, than some others which are more straight. I like this a lot, still with freshness and cool undertones. Hints of cedar and spiced mint on the finish with some graphite and wet stone too. 18 months ageing, 60% new oak. 13% press wine. First vintage in the new, gravity-fed cellar. 53% grand vin production. 3.63pH. 51hl/ha yield. 3.5% Petit Verdot completes the blend.* - 04/2024

Falstaff Magazin – 93 pts – PM: *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.* - 05/2024

Vinum Magazin – 95/100 pts: *Rauchig, dunkelfruchtig, mineralisch, komplex, ein Wein zum Eintauchen; geschliffene Tannine umgarnen die Frucht, viel Präzision, hervorragende Länge. Schon wieder ein grosser Branaire.*

WeinWisser – 18/20 pts – GL, TW: *Feingliedriges, zartes rotbeeriges Bouquet, Schattenmorellensaft, Heidekraut, erkalteter Hagebuttentee und Estragon. Am komplexen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, balancierter Rasse und mittlerem Körper. Im gebündelten Finale verschlankt sich der puristische St. Julien, sehr geradlinig und straff vinifiziert, zarte rotbeerige Konturen und Graphit.* – 04/2024

JancisRobinson.com – 16,5/20pts – JL: *61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5.5% Cabernet Franc and 3.5% Petit Verdot. Cask sample. Dark fruit with a touch of oak. Juicy and layered with some zest and lift. Clean, dry finish. Medium-bodied. Everything in place.* - 04/2024

Vinous.com – (91-93) pts – AG: *The 2023 Branaire-Ducru offers up pretty notes of crushed red/purplish berry fruit, lavender, spice and mint. At this stage, the 2023 comes across as a bit light, even within the context of this property, where the wines are always laid back relative to neighboring estates. Perhaps the 2023 will flesh out over time. We will see. Tasted two times.* - 04/2024

Vinous.com – (92-94) pts – NM: *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.* - 04/2024

Thewinecellarinsider.com – (93-95) pts – JL: *Showing a depth in the color, aromatically, the wine exudes blackberries, plums, charcoal, tobacco, black currants, cinnamon, and flowers in the perfume. Palate-wise, the wine is perfectly balanced between its silky textures and vibrant acidities. The finish is soft, polished, refined, and flavorful, leaving you with hints of turmeric, chocolate, and sweet, black currants. This is clearly a top vintage of Branaire Ducru! The length of the harvest, with the extra hang time, gave the team the chance to pick when they wanted to. This is a wine that is going to age quite well, yet it will be delicious to drink with just a few years of aging. The wine blends 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5.5% Cabernet Franc, and 3.5% Petit Verdot. 13.1% ABV, 3.63 pH. The harvest took place September 12 - October 4. Yields were large at 53 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2028-2060.* - 05/2024