Château Branaire Ducru, 4ème Cru Classé, St Julien, 2020
Lovely, controlled aromas of crème de mûre, spices and gentle cedar. This has a lot more precision and detail than regular Branaires. There’s a florality to the fruit that is most appealing, it’s intense, powerful and refined. Glorious tannins envelope the core of bramble fruit providing a refined, long finish, packed with notes of black cherry, dark chocolate, graphite and mocha. This is an excellent Branaire, possibly the best we’ve ever tasted. So detailed, silky and pure. 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45 Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot.
critic reviews
The 2020 Branaire Ducru has an open, more forward bouquet than its peers—just a touch of mint infusing the red berry fruit, later developing hints of India ink and pressed violet. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, sappy tannins. This doesn't quite possess the panache and complexity of its peers. It's old school in style with a firm backbone. Despite a little austerity toward the finish, this is a Saint-Julien that brims with charm and classicism. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
The 2020 Branaire-Ducru is deep garnet-purple in color. Pure scents of blackcurrant jelly, crushed black plums, and Bing cherries spring from the glass, leading to nuances of bay leaves, graphite, black olives, and cedar. The medium-bodied palate is taut and muscular, delivering crunchy black and red fruit layers with a fine-grained texture and bags of freshness, finishing on a lingering mineral note.
The 2020 Branaire-Ducru will require more patience than the supple, sensual 2019, but it is another strong effort for this overperforming estate. Wafting from the glass with aromas of creme de cassis, plums, pencil shavings, petals, burning embers and discreet hints of new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a concentrated core of vibrant fruit and fine but youthfully firm tannins that assert themselves on the gently chewy finish.