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The Château Branaire-Ducru is one of the most modern Domaines from Saint-Julien, whose particularly elegant wines invite nothing but pleasure. The first owner was a Bordeaux notary, Jean-Baptiste Braneyre, who in 1680 fully perceived its potential.
The Château as we know it today was built by his descendants, the Duluc family.
In 1855, the Château Branaire was named Fourth Grand Cru Classé in the famous classification formalized for the Paris World's Fair. The name Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) was finally adopted by Gustave Ducru in 1857. It wasn't until 1988 that it came under the banner of the Maroteaux family, marking the beginning of an era of modernity with the aim of producing great wines, irreproachable in expression and complexity. Today, François-Xavier Maroteaux is the second generation to uphold this philosophy.
The Château Branaire-Ducru lies on magnificent soil of deep gravel over clay, facing the Gironde estuary. The 60-hectare vineyard is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc.
The estate also produces a Second wine, Duluc de Branaire-Ducru.
The wines of Château Branaire-Ducru are wines of emotion: fleshy, complex and sign a true expression of fruit.
Winter 2019-2020 is particularly mild, and historically rainy. Vine budburst was early, 10 days earlier than average, and regular and even, thanks to mild temperatures. Spring was also mild and arRosé very favorable to mildew, which required special attention. Flowering, from mid-May onwards, benefited from a short, hot, dry period: fruit set was optimal. From June 19, dry conditions set in, but remained cool until mid-July. Summer temperatures then warmed considerably. Good levels of water stress gradually set in.
These conditions are conducive to a good accumulation of anthocyanins and tannins in the berries, as well as to the degradation of varietal aromas. These constraints were weakened in mid-August by rainstorms. At the beginning of September, with the absence of significant rainfall, the water deficit returned to the vineyards and the high temperatures were very favorable to phenolic ripening, which was particularly successful. Harvesting began on September 14. Grapes showed excellent ripeness and balanced sugar levels. Sanitary conditions were perfect and remained so until the end of the harvest on September 30, despite some rain at the end of the month. Merlot berries are of good size, while the very small size of Cabernet Sauvignon berries is very favorable to wine concentration. Yields, at 40hl/ha on the property, are rather average.
Tasting notes :
The nose is pure and precise, revealing itself rapidly on aeration and offering a fine range of black and red fruit aromas.
On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, unfurls gently and finishes with a long-lasting aromatic freshness. The structure, slightly tight at first, quickly melts with aeration. The tasting ends with a fine, elegant finish.
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