Château Branaire Ducru, 4ème Cru Classé, St Julien, 2024
Branaire Ducru has been on great form in recent years, but the 2024 vintage is a slight disappointment. The wine opens with an attractive bouquet of violets and sweet raspberry, leading to a clear fruited attack of cherry, but on the palate it is a touch meagre and sinewy, finishing with notes of cedar and grainy tannins.
critic reviews
Deep garnet-purple in color. Gives up bold notes of red currants and black raspberries, followed by hints of red roses, bay leaves, and underbrush with a hint of wet slate. The light to medium-bodied palate is silky and refreshing with vibrant red berry layers and a long peppery finish.
The 2024 Branaire Ducru was cropped at a respectable 41.5 hl/ha between September 20 and October 9. It has a delightful bouquet with pure blackberry, blueberry and light violet scents percolating through with time. There's just a touch of iodine in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, pretty black fruit laced with cassis and touches of white pepper. There is an elegant framework on the finish so that this Saint-Julien slips down the throat with ease, as I am sure it will once in bottle. Whilst this does not reach the heights of the 2022, this is destined to be a very delicious Branaire Ducru.
Lovely bright plum colour, slim blue and black fruits, coffee bean and cedar oak notes, carefully constructed with balance, a little short on the finish compared to the excellent recent vintages at Branaire. 55% new oak. 41.5 hl/ha, this is the first vintage with the new cellars, François-Xavier Maroteaux owner and new president of the Union de Grands Crus de Bordeaux.
The 2024 Branaire-Ducru offers up a pretty and precise bouquet of cassis, violets and pencil shavings. Medium-bodied, supple and suave, with polished tannins and tangy acids, it's a fine-boned, delicate wine from Branaire that was harvested between 20 September and 9 October. It's a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that attained 12.8% alcohol, and it's being raised in a touch less new oak than usual.