Branaire Ducru - Saint-Julien 2021

Jamessuckling.com

94

par James Suckling le 08/07/2024

The plum, chocolate and orange-peel aromas and flavors are all so attractive, and the tannins are creamy and bright with a medium velvety texture and a fine finish. Nice acidity at the end. A blend of 66% cabernet sauvignon, 22% merlot, 6.5% cabernet franc and 5.5% petit verdot. Very drinkable now but will be better in two or three years.

Jeb DUNNUCK

89-92

par Jeb Dunnuck le 04/04/2024

Bright red and blue fruits, violets, and floral notes define the bouquet of the 2021 Château Branaire-Ducru, a medium-bodied, nicely balanced, elegant Saint-Julien. It has nicely integrated background oak, plenty of mid-palate depth, and the balance and length to shine for two decades. It's incredibly well done and should end up being an outstanding wine.

Vinous

92

par Neal Martin le 02/04/2024

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

Vinous

94

par Antonio Galloni le 28/02/2024

Open and explosive in its aromatics, the 2021 Branaire-Ducru is deep, layered and super-expressive, promising to evolve well for many years to come. The Cabernets are especially evident in the wine's remarkable savory character. Black cherry, lavender, graphite, and dried herbs lend considerable nuance. In 2021, Branaire-Ducru is not quite as charming as it often is at the outset, so readers should plan on being patient.

Wine Advocate

94

par William Kelley le 22/02/2024

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.

Wine Spectator

88

par James Molesworth le 22/02/2024

Restrained in style, with mulled plum and black currant fruit lined with charcoal and cast iron notes. The focused finish is on the pleasantly austere side of the spectrum. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2031. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 11,500 cases made, 1,200 cases imported.  –JM

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

92

par Jane Anson le 06/12/2023

Decanter.com

94

par Georgina Hindle le 15/11/2023

Purple and pink flowers on the nose, sweet strawberries and cherries and some milk chocolate notes. Delicate and poised on the palate, this has an air of elegance and refinement from the first sip, the sleek tannins giving support and a fine grip while the herbal Cabernet and Petit Verdot touches give spice, bright summer berry fruit and tension. This has a good core and persistence of flavour that doesn't let up, not weighty of particularly dense, but well defined and focussed. Stylish and glamorous in the best way while being understated - a difficult feat in 2021. Totally moreish and just so well constructed and delivered. A top wine! You get energy and precision here but it's the understated character I like so much, it just grows and grows quietly and then leaves you with the lingering impression of the beauty of St-Julien.

matthewjukes.com

18

par Matthew Jukes le 02/08/2022

I am so impressed with how each of the finest estates seems to have nailed both the essence of their ‘house style’ and also their location so perfectly in 2021. And so Branaire follows this theme with a lusty, densely-packed, daringly structured wine with just a little more oomph than many. It manages to carry this trick off in spite of the 13% alcohol, and while there is intensity here, there is no unwanted astringency, just tense, refreshing tannin. This is consummate winemaking from a first-class Château. 18

Jamessuckling.com

94-95

par James Suckling le 08/06/2022

A very pretty wine, showing blackberry and blackcurrant aromas with crushed stone. Medium to full body with layers of fine-grained tannins. Bright and refined. Lots of dark fruit at the end. Solid weight.

Jeb DUNNUCK

89-92

par Jeb Dunnuck le 02/06/2022

Bright red and blue fruits, violets, and floral notes define the bouquet of the 2021 Château Branaire-Ducru, a medium-bodied, nicely balanced, elegant Saint-Julien. It has nicely integrated background oak, plenty of mid-palate depth, and the balance and length to shine for two decades. It's incredibly well done and should end up being an outstanding wine.

Bettane & Desseauve

92-93

par Bettane & Desseauve le 24/05/2022

Robe bleu noir, ensemble intense, dominé par des saveurs classiques et nobles de cèdre, sur un support tannique quelque peu sévère le jour de notre dégustation. Grand avenir et excellent rapport qualité-prix probable.

The Vintage Journal

93-94

par Andrew Caillard MW le 17/05/2022

Medium-deep crimson. Very fresh inky chinotto black cherry aromas with cedar herb notes. Inky chinotto black cherry, hint elderberry fruits, fine chalky tannins and underlying vanilla toasty, malt notes. Cedar firm finish with juicy fresh acidity. 66% cabernet sauvignon, 22% merlot, 5.5% petit verdot, 6.5% cabernet franc. 16–20 months in up to 60% new French oak. 13% alc

Alexandre Ma

92-94

par Alexandre Ma le 16/05/2022

The high acidity of Branaire-Ducru 2021 impresses me a great deal. Such a lively and refreshing image is consistent with its authentic purity and elegance. Although the crispy acidity strengthens the tannins on the finish, it still maintains a balancing taste after all. To its credit, the polyphenols of Branaire-Ducru are ripe enough this year, presenting some fine and mellow textures on the palate. If it can be more complex on the finish, it would present a completely different image. Branaire-Ducru 2021?????????????,?????????????????????????????????????,?????????????????????,Branaire-Ducru???????????,????????????????????????????,????????????

The Wine Cellar Insider

92-94

par Jeff Leve le 16/05/2022

Flowers and black raspberries with black and red currants open the wine in the nose. The wine is medium-bodied, fresh, sweet, juicy and pure. Classic in style, this is going to be approchable early, so you will be able to enjoy all the ripe, elegant, cherries, plums and peppery currants without a long wait. Yet, the wine will age for 2 decades ore more easily. The wine is a blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 6.5% Cabernet Franc and 5.5% Petit Verdot, 13% ABV, 3.68 pH. The harvest took place September 24, finishing October 14. The yields were low at 32 hectoliters per hectare and from there, roughly 60% of the harvest was placed into the Grand Vin. Drink from 2024-2050. 92-94

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

92

par Jane Anson le 13/05/2022

Vinous

91-93

par Neal Martin le 12/05/2022

The 2021 Branaire Ducru was picked from September 24, albeit slowly, until October 14, at 32hL/ha. It has quite an intense, dare I say precocious bouquet of bold brambly red fruit that eventually settles in the glass and turns darker. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit and a touch of black pepper and tobacco. Quite a marine-influenced Saint-Julien, it fans out gradually toward the finish and exerts a gentle grip. Though not quite reaching the heights of recent vintages, it represents a true articulation of the growing season and of Branaire-Ducru itself.

Vinous

93-95

par Antonio Galloni le 11/05/2022

The 2021 Branaire-Ducru is sleek, elegant and nuanced. There is more Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in the blend than in the 2018-2020 period, when the Merlots were especially successful. As a result, the aromatics are absolutely alluring, but the wine is much less forthcoming on the palate. At 12.9% alcohol, the 2021 is a classically austere Branaire that looks like it will need quite a bit of time to blossom. It is undoubtedly a very pretty wine, even if not fully expressive at this stage. Dark cherry, plum, chocolate, leather and rose petal linger. Tasted three times.

vvwine

92-94

par Adrian Van Velsen le 10/05/2022

Leicht rauchige Nase, Tabak, rote und dunkle Beeren, Kräuterwürze. Im Gaumen schlank, frisch, leichter bis mittlerer Körper, gute Struktur, die Tannine sind von guter Qualität, überlagern die delikate Frucht nicht, das hat Rasse und Präzision und im Abgang eine rote Beerenfrucht und florale Rückaromen. Delikat. 2025-2042 (Verkostet im April 2022. UGCB/Dourthe)

Anthocyanes

93-95

par Yohan Castaing le 06/05/2022

Très gourmand avec de belles notes de cassis, de fruits noirs frais, de violette et de raisins frais, le bouquet de Branaire-Ducru 2021 est frais et élégant. En bouche, le boisé est élégamment présent et possède des notes d'épices et une structure plus droite que d'habitude. Très belle acidité qui vient tendre l'ensemble. Des tanins structurants en finale mais une réelle élégance d'ensemble. Voici une belle réussite dans un millésime parfois délicat pour le Médoc.

Wine Advocate

93-94

par William Kelley le 29/04/2022

Having tasted the 2021 Branaire-Ducru six times over the course of a month and a half, I feel confident in saying that it is a beautiful wine that numbers among the vintage's real successes. Offering up aromas of raspberry coulis and red cherries mingled with notions of rose petals, cigar box and spices, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and seamless, with a layered core of fruit, lively acids and beautifully powdery tannins. Why is it quite so good? It isn't because a lot of wine was declassified, as around 60% of the estate's production went into the grand vin this year—a touch more than average. Rather, the key factors seem to be waiting to pick despite an alarming weather forecast; the blend itself, which emphasizes ripe Cabernet and the estate's later-ripening Merlot on clay-limestone soils; and the fact that a partially completed new winery means that Branaire already had fully 63 fermentation vats at its disposal to pick and vinify parcel by parcel. The exact composition is 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. (93 - 94)+