Chateau Branaire Ducru St. Julien Bordeaux Wine
Chateau Branaire Ducru
Chateau Branaire Ducru St. Julien, Bordeaux wine producer, Fourth Growth, profile, with wine tasting notes, wine ratings, a history of the property, information on wine making and terroir, along with wine tasting reviews. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles
Chateau Branaire Ducru has a long history that goes all the way back to 1680. In those early days, Branaire Ducru was a part of the massive Beycehvelle estate. When the owner of Beychevelle passed away, he left behind a huge Bordeaux vineyard that was seriously in debt. To pay the bills, the vineyard was broken up and sold to pay their debts. Several new estates were created in St. Julien including Chateau Branaire Ducru.
The first owner who founded Branaire Ducru was Jean-Baptiste Braneyre. As was the traditional custom of the day in Bordeaux, the owner gave the estate his name, which is where the first part of the properties name came from. Braneyre was later altered to Branaire. Braneyre bought the land of what we know as Branaire Ducru because of the terroir. He understood that Caberent Sauvignon grew best on the deep gravel soils found in the Medoc.
Now, we have the birth of Branaire Ducru. Or, at least the Branaire part. The formal middle name was gained through marriage. Marie Braneyre married Pierre de Luc which as you can guess, gave us the Branaire Duluc. It took almost 200 years for the Ducru portion of the wines name to make its way to the label. In 1875, with no direct descendants, Gustave Ducru, a more distant relative took over the Medoc property and added his name to the label, which gave us Chateau Branaire Ducru.
Patrick Maroteaux, the current owner bought Branaire Ducru in 1988 from the Tapie family who owned Chateau Branaire Ducru since 1919.
Since his purchase,Patrick Maroteaux has focused much of his efforts on performing extensive work in the vineyards and in the cellars of Branaire Ducru. In fact, Maroteaux was one of the first producers in the Left Bank to being filling his tanks entirely by gravity. He did this starting in 1991. At the time, this was done with the help of the young Philippe Dhalluin. Dhalluin left Branaire Ducru in 2004 and took over the same position as the director for wine making at Chateau Mouton Rothschild in Pauillac. All these improvements at Branaire Ducru paid off for Maroteaux. Starting with the 2000 vintage, Branaire Ducru has become one of the top St. Julien wines. It’s also one of the better values for high quality Bordeaux in the marketplace today.
The 60 hectare vineyard of Branaire Ducru rests on deep quaternary gravel soil with clay. The vineyard is planted to 70% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. On average, the vines are close to 35 years of age. They are planted to a density that ranges from 6,700 and 10,000 vines per hectare.
At Branaire Ducru, fermentation takes place in temperature controlled, stainless steel tanks. The vats vary in size, based on the size of each vineyard parcel. Each vats is filled using a gravity based system. Alcoholic fermentation takes place between 26 to 28° Celsius. The average length of maceration lasts about 21 days. Malolactic fermentation takes place in tank.
The wine of Chateau Branaire Ducru is aged in new, French oak ranging from 60% to 65% for between 16-20 months, depending on the quality and style of the vintage. On average, the production is slightly more than 25,000 cases of St. Julien wine. There is a second wine, Duluc de Branaire Ducru.
Wine Tasting Notes
Displaying 24 vintages | 166784 Views Sorted by vintage
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2012 Château Branaire-Ducru
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From an assemblage of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. The wine reached 13.3% alcohol with a pH of 3.66. The wine will be aged in 60% new French oak. Ruby in color, the wine offers flowers, jammy raspberries, vanilla and earth. Medium bodied, fresh and dominated by sweet raspberries and cherry, this is an elegant Branaire Ducru to enjoy while waiting for the 2009 and 2010 to mature. 90-92 Pts
91 points - Tasted Apr 23, 2013
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2011 Château Branaire-Ducru
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From an assemblage of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot, the wine reached 13.08% alcohol. Yields were about 10% lower in 2011 than what the estate produced in 2010. With mocha, black cherry, truffle, smoke and earthy aromas, this medium-bodied, soft-textured Branaire Ducru is dominated by cherries and finishes with a fresh, sweet chocolate and black raspberry finish. 91-93 Pts
91 points - Tasted Apr 13, 2012
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2010 Château Branaire-Ducru
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Starting to shut down and tighten up, with coaxing, the wine offers fresh blackberries, earth, mocha and stone aromas. The tannins and polished, ripe and round. Medium/full bodied, Branaire Ducru is never about power, it's about finesse and elegance. This could be the best vintage for Branaire Ducru yet. At least that is what the owner Patrick Maroteaux suggests. It will be fun tasting this against the 2009 in the years to come.
94 points - Tasted May 7, 2013
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Floral, coffee, tobacco, mocha and blackberry notes lead to a powerful vintage for Branaire, with a beautiful sense of purity to the fruit, freshness and the structure to age and develop well. Patrick Maroteaux feels this blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23.5% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 2.5% Cabernet Franc is the best vintage yet for his chateaux, he could be right.
94 points - Tasted Feb 8, 2013
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Flowers, bitter chocolate, smoke, blackberry and wet earth aromas open to a concentrated, tannic, fresh, sweet, ripe, concentrated, fresh, mocha and black cherry, supple textured finish.
95 points - Tasted May 1, 2012
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Sporting a deep ruby color, the smoke, boysenberry, blackberry, truffle, mocha scents form an enticing perfume. Polished, elegant, fresh and filled with deep, ripe, pure fruits. The wine is expansive and mouth filling, finishing with a long, boysenberry, cocoa and black cherry finish. This wine has improved since last tasted in April. This is the best vintage of Chateau Branaire Ducru that Patrick Maroteaux has made at the property. 94-95 Pts
95 points - Tasted Jul 10, 2011
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Branaire Ducru From an assemblage of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23.5% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 2.5% Cabernet Franc, (Similar to the 2009) the wine sports a deep ruby tint. Jammy black raspberry, spice and hints of toasty oak start off the perfume. In the mouth, fresh cassis, mocha, olives and spice combine with strong, ripe tannins, ending in a blackberry filled finish. The wine reached 13.8% alcohol, which is higher than they recorded in 2009. Due to the high level of acidity, there is no sensation of heat. According to the owner, Patrick Maroteaux, one of the keys to the success in 2010 is due to their new method of handling the press wine. This includes ageing the press wine in one year old barrels and utilizing more selection in the press wine. 40% of the press wine was allocated to the Grand Vin. The remainder was included in the second wine. 93-94 Pts
94 points - Tasted Apr 20, 2011
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2009 Château Branaire-Ducru
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Forest floor, earth, sweet ripe blackberry, plum, earth, cedar and tobacco scents get your attention with little effort. Soft, ripe, silky tannins, purity of fruit and concentration are the hallmarks of this wine.
95 points - Tasted May 1, 2012
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Blackberry, blueberry, licorice, caramel, smoke, spice and mocha. With soft, round, fleshy textures and ripe, silky tannins, the feels great on your palate. The best Branaire Ducru yet. But it might be surpassed by the 2010. We’ll have to wait and see. Regardless, it’s going to be fun to compare the two vintages over the next few decades. Branaire Ducru remains the best buy in St. Julien for its combination of price and quality.
94 points - Tasted Feb 6, 2012
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2009 Branaire Ducru is dark, with scents of boysenberry, dark chocolate, spice, cassis, and mocha. This elegant wine feels round in the mouth, finishing with flavors of licorice, black and blue fruit, and spice. This is a polished style of St. Julien. This outstanding wine is probably not going to reach the same level as the sublime 2005. Nonetheless, the 2009 Branaire Ducru is one of the better values for serious wine in 2009. 93-95 Pts
94 points - Tasted Aug 26, 2010
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2008 Château Branaire-Ducru
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Cassis, cocoa powder, chocolate, earth and cinnamon make up the intriguing perfume. Elegant, supple and already approachable, the wine ends with a strong, sweet cassis and spice filled finish.
93 points - Tasted Jan 28, 2011
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08 Château Branaire Ducru consists of 68% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot, 5% cabernet franc, and 2% petit verdot. Deep ruby with hints of purple at the rim, the wine features a delicate perfume of boysenberry, tobacco, mocha, and earth. Elegantly styled with ripe tannins, and softly textured, the wine finishes with polished, blackberry flavors. 91-94 Pts
92 points - Tasted Aug 31, 2009
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2006 Château Branaire-Ducru
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Spice, mocha, coffee, anise, caramel and cassis aromatcs were easy to locate. This tanninc, full bodied wine ends with a long, chocolate, blackberry filled finish.
92 points - Tasted Jun 23, 2010
7079 Views
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2005 Château Branaire-Ducru
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Absolutely charming and surprisingly open with its tobacco, cassis, coffee bean, licorice, blackberry, earth and cocoa scents nose. Silky and polished on the palate, there is a lot of room for improvement as it's still a very young wine.
94 points - Tasted Nov 17, 2012
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Tobacco, earth, cigar box, black cherry aromas lead to a wine that is on a more rapid path of development than anticipated. While not mature, this polished, rich style of Branaire Ducru is already starting to be fun to drink. I’m holding mine, but to quote the owner, Patrick Maroteaux, "It’s still young, but it would not be criminal to have it at a dinner now.”
94 points - Tasted May 1, 2012
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Deep ruby in color, this wine opened with tobacco, smoke, earth, fresh berries, soil and forest scents. Concentrated with ample fresh fruit, coupled with a solid structure, this has the potential to bome one of the longest lived vintages of Branaire Ducru. The round textured wine ends with fresh berries, cassis and spice. I'm waiting another 5 years before opening my case.
94 points - Tasted Jun 24, 2010
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You can smell, taste and feel the perfectly ripe fruit this wine is made from. Add a kiss of blackberry and cassis, sweet oak and mocha and you're off to the races. This full bodied wine offers a juicy mouth full of Cabernet. Elegant tannins, concentration and depth of flavor keeps everything in balance. This is without a doubt the best Branaire Ducru ever made. Give it 12 years in the cellar, if you can keep your hands off it.
95 points - Tasted Jun 14, 2009
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Plush, stylish, balanced and charming. Packed with elegant, ripe, black fruit, mocha and spice. I like this better than their 2003.
94 points - Tasted Jan 20, 2008
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2004 Château Branaire-Ducru
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Earth, spice, cassis, truffles and tobacco define the wines aromatics. This elegant wine is already open and will offer pleasure for another decade or more.
90 points - Tasted Jun 23, 2010
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This is already showing some lightening at the edges. Scents of jammy dark berries, spice and chocolate tints come forth with only a bit of swirling. The style has more firmness than 03 or 05. The finish shows a hint of under ripeness from the vintage. This is a Branaire to enjoy today and over the next decade.
90 points - Tasted Jun 14, 2008
3647 Views
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2003 Château Branaire-Ducru
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As this continues to approach its 10th birthday, it just keeps getting better and better. With 20 minutes of decanting, truffles, cocoa, black raspberry, earth and spice too no effort to find. Soft, lush textures and a fresh, lush, plummy, spice and mocha finish were just what the doctor ordered. If you are sitting on a case, do not wait, pop a bottle. If you want to age it, it's only going to improve from here.
94 points - Tasted Sep 19, 2012
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Another great performance from this wine. Inch by inch, or should I say, sip by sip, it keeps adding subtle nuances and more silk to the texture along with licorice, cassis, earth and fresh blackberry. While not mature, with 30 minutes to an hour of air, this is a lot of fun to drink.
94 points - Tasted Jul 5, 2012
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Truffle, earth, black cherry jam, licorice, mocha and chocolate scents lead to a plush, polished, sexy, forward wine that is a lot of fun to drink today and over the next 15 or more years.
94 points - Tasted May 1, 2012
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Truffle, jammy cassis, strawberry pie, cedar, tobacco, smoke and spice fill out the perfume. Full bodied, round and opulent in texture, this sultry St. Julien ends with a cassis, licorice and coffee flavored finish. 2-3 more years of sleep, will add a lot to this wine.
94 points - Tasted Jun 23, 2010
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This wine sports a very deep ruby color. Dark black fruit flavors mark the perfumes core. The plush, round mouth feel, complicated with ripe blackberry and spicy red fruit accents in this finish turn this wine into a tasty treat for the senses.
93 points - Tasted Jun 14, 2009
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Sweet entry with a spicy, black fruit nose that finishes with clean, chocolate covered cherry and cassis flavors. This feels very fresh and clean. The finish lasts almost forty seconds.
93 points - Tasted Jun 30, 2008
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2002 Château Branaire-Ducru
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Developing nicely, but there is a touch of green along with the blackberry, cassis, black cherry, earth and tobacco notes. At 10 years of age, this medium/full bodied wine with a slight hint of austerity in its normally elegant personality is starting to drink well.
90 points - Tasted Aug 27, 2012
1862 Views
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2001 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
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Mushroom, cassis, mocha, tobacco and smoke make up the aromatics. This elegant, round, open style of Branaire that finishes with black cherry flavors is a pleasure to drink. And the best part is, not only does the wine show well today, it's available for a song!
90 points - Tasted Jun 23, 2010
6435 Views
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2000 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
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Truffle, tobacco, smoke, cigar box and cassis are found in the nose. Polished, round and filled with juicy, red and black fruits, with ripe tannins, give this another few years and enjoy it for at least 15-20 more years.
93 points - Tasted May 1, 2012
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The easy to find aromatics offer chocolate covered, black fruit and spice. Similar in weight to the 03, but different in style, this finesse filled St. Julien needs a few more years until its ready for prime time drinking.
93 points - Tasted Jun 14, 2008
1565 Views
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1996 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
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Ruby colored with hints of bricking, this tobacco laden wine also offers coffee, smoke, cassis, dark berries and spice scents. Soft, elegant, approachable and round, this mature Branaire Ducru ends with soft textured dark berries and mocha flavors.
92 points - Tasted Jun 23, 2010
4364 Views
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1990 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
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This is fully mature. With a light berry and spice nose, this medium bodied wine does not compete with the level of quality being produced at the property today. As a matter of style, this traditionally made wine is slightly austere and lacks the freshness, as well as the ripeness and deoth offered in current vintages from 2000 on. Drink up.
88 points - Tasted Jun 14, 2008
2091 Views
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1989 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) Cuvée Evelyne
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This unique cuvee was named after the owner’s wife and was made from 100% Merlot. This experimental wine produced only one barrel giving 25 cases . This was the second vintage for the owner, Patrick Maroteaux, who began picking the Merlot on August 31. The wine was made using 100% new oak, while the regular wine saw 60% new oak. The wine showed coffee, black fruit, mocha, and plum aromatics. The wine finished with a velvety, blackberry and chocolate sensation. Not as complete or complex as the fully blended wine, it was a pleasure to taste
87 points - Tasted Jun 19, 2009
651 Views
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1989 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
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Light in style, tobacco and strawberry notes lead to a light wine which seems to be dropping its fruit. Drink up.
86 points - Tasted May 1, 2012
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Is light in color. Tobacco, cassis, spice, and coffee aromatics are a pleasure to sniff. Light and elegant in style. The silky mouth feel ends with a blackberry filled finish. This wine is fully mature and gives no reason for owners to wait any longer. Branaire Ducru is another property that is producing markedly better wines today than previously
90 points - Tasted Jun 19, 2009
4554 Views
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1982 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
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Fully mature and just starting to fade a bit. Still, there is a lot of charm in this medium bodied wine its ripe dark cherry, tobacco, spice and earthy personality. Elegant and refined in character, there is no reason to hold this wine any longer.
90 points - Tasted Sep 18, 2012
2273 Views
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1970 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
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A flawless example from the cellars of Branaire, this bottle of 1970 Branaire Ducru opened with tobacco, truffle, cassis, cedar, coffee and spice filled aromatics. Medium to full bodied, soft in texture, the wine ends with cassis, spice, strawberry and cherry flavors to round out the finish. 90 Pts
89 points - Tasted Aug 31, 2010
2062 Views
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1966 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
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This wine displays a rusty, coffee color appearance, making it seem older than it is. The perfume, with its leather, earth, tobacco and truffle nose, paisr perfectly with the silken patina of age found in the mouth. Tasting younger that its 42 years of age would lead you to believe, it was a pleasant surprise proving that after 20 years, there are no great wines, but there is great bottles to be found!
90 points - Tasted Jun 14, 2008
1292 Views
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1962 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
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With a tea color, tobacco, earth and hints of spicy red berries were found in the perfume. Showing the patina of age, the wine was tired. Rustic and tart, this Bordeaux wine is in decline and requires drinking now.
75 points - Tasted Nov 8, 2011
1427 Views
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1961 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
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Brick colored with hints of ruby, this fully mature wine had scents of cassis, Cuban tobacco, ash, cedar, earth and forest floor aromas. Light in style, this round, traditionally styled wine has good concentration and round textures. It finishes with cassis and spice flavors. This is the oldest bottle of Branaire Ducru I have tasted yet. While I won't be around to experience the current vintages being made at the same level of maturity, others will. If the 61, produced with no selection or new oak was this good at close to 50 years old, I'm sure the current vintages will be even better when they reach the same age!
90 points - Tasted Feb 20, 2007
1859 Views
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1959 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
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Tasted from a bottle that was never moved from the chateau. With a ruby tea color, the wine opens with charming perfume of truffle, tobacco, smoke, coffee, minerals and cinnamon. Soft textured, with the satiny patina of aged Cabernet, this elegant, round wine ends with chocolate covered cherries and spice.
92 points - Tasted Jun 30, 2010
1455 Views
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1949 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
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With scents of cigar smoke, cherry, tobacco, ash, 5 spice, cherry pipe tobacco, mineral and earth, the palate enjoys sweet, soft, polished, fully mature Cabernet Sauvignon. Medium bodied, gentle textures and pure cherry/kirsch flavors are found in the finish. From a bottle that never left Bordeaux, this was a rare treat!
91 points - Tasted May 1, 2012
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This wore a rusty, coffee colored robe. The perfume had a very nice nose, but the palate was short. This was not a complex wine. However, it tasted much younger than its 58 years would have led you to believe. It was a rare treat to taste that I was honored to have been able to try.
83 points - Tasted Jun 30, 2007
901 Views
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1934 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
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This was stored in the Chateau for its entire life. Provenance does not get any better. The wine was much lighter in color than the 34 Lafite from the same lunch. The lighter color also expressed much brighter fruit. Spicy, red and black fruits and tobacco notes were easy to find. But this bottle had lost much of its fruit and charm and was showing marked levels of acidity. Sharing the wine my father and Patrick Maroteaux, the Chateau owner was worth its weight in gold. The moment will never be forgotten.
83 points - Tasted Nov 1, 2009
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