Château Branaire Ducru, 4ème Cru Classé, St Julien, 2021

Name: Château Branaire Ducru, 4ème Cru Classé, St Julien
Brand: Château Branaire Ducru
Price: 243.53 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2009 2012 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024

justerini & brooks tasting note

The pick of the St Julien UGC. Branaire Ducru is on a roll. Refined and classy, the 2021 displays a suave core of bright raspberry coulis and griotte fruit, vibrant, good mid-weight flavours, stylish and nicely textured. A more modern take for Branaire, this has plenty of guts and is framed by some ripe, well-judged tannins. Excellent effort. 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 6.5% Cabernet Franc and 5.5% Petit Verdot.

critic reviews

90/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

The 2021 Branaire-Ducru is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a lot of coaxing to reveal notes of fresh blackberries, blackcurrants, and pencil shavings, plus hints of bay leaves and crushed rocks. The medium-bodied palate has a sturdy frame with grainy tannins and compelling tension, finishing on a savory note.

DRINKING WINDOW 2026 - 2035

date of review 04/2024

92/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

Bright, a little slim though the mid palate, but carefully expressed and finessed with appellation character, very much savoury Cabernet rose petals and cassis bud, with pencil lead and crayon character on the finish. 32hl/ yield, 50% new oak. Tasted twice.

DRINKING WINDOW 2026 - 2040

date of review 04/2024

92/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2021 Branaire Ducru, one of the smallest crops in recent years (32.5hL/ha) was bottled in early June. It has a clean and precise bouquet: blackberry, cedar, light pencil box scents and just a faint touch of undergrowth. It's certainly classic in style, yet displays more precision than you would have found in a Branaire a decade ago. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. Again, black fruit comes to the fore—graphite-infused black fruit, with a little more salinity than I recall from barrel. There’s a pleasing strictness here; the 2021 is linear, without the frills of the 2019 or 2020. Yet for those seeking traditional claret, this will fit the bill perfectly. Drink it over the next 20-25 years.

DRINKING WINDOW 2026 - 2048

date of review 02/2024

94/100William Kelley,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2021 Branaire-Ducru has realized all the potential it showed en primeur. Wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries, plums, menthol, violets and baking chocolate, it's medium to full-bodied, supple and suave, with a velvety attack that segues into a deep, fleshy palate. This is especially impressive in the context of the vintage.

DRINKING WINDOW 2025 - 2041

date of review 02/2024