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Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
21 notes Sort by: Vintage - Name - Rating
2018
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) (St. Julien)
Like a cushion cut ruby with its facets reflecting violet around the rim, the wine opens with a perfume of flowers and black raspberries and mocha, spice and tobacco leaf appear effortlessly. On the palate the wine is bright, fresh, silky and even creamy. The fruit shows a strong floral spirit that gracefully marries into the crème de cassis. The wine remains balanced and fresh with no touch of heat in the high-degree of ripeness. This will be among the best vintages of Branaire ever produced. The wine is a blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc, reaching 14.3% ABV with a pH of 3.6. The Grand Vin was produced from 60% of the harvest and the picking took place from September 19 to October 10. 93-95 Pts 10,258 Views Tasted Apr 19, 2019 |
2001
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) (St. Julien)
Charming, elegant, classic, full mature, medium bodied claret, with balance, soft textures, refined tannins and more red than black fruit. This is drinking great today. No hurry to drink it, but no reason to wait either. 4,563 Views Tasted Mar 21, 2017Mushroom, 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! 8,345 Views Tasted Jun 23, 2010 |
2000
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) (St. Julien)
Fully mature, medium-bodied, energetic, floral, and fresh, the red fruits express a spicy nuance that meshes perfectly its currant, wet earth, cedar, and cigar box, elegant character. Drink from 2022-2035. 4,503 Views Tasted Nov 1, 2022Clearly, this has entered its prime-time drinking window. Medium-bodied, elegant, soft, and refined, with a nice shot of red currants, black cherry, forest floor, cigar box, cedar, and mocha, the graceful finish feels just great. 3,908 Views Tasted Nov 28, 2021Elegance, freshness, ripe fruits and soft, silky tannins bring this right where it needs to be at 16 years of age. With its classic Left Bank Bordeaux personality, the wine is filled with cedar, tobacco, blackberry and cassis, ending with a nice refined quality to the dark red fruits. This wine will easily remain at this level for another 10 or perhaps 20 more years. 5,638 Views Tasted Mar 4, 2016Truffle, 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. 10,182 Views Tasted May 1, 2012The 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. 5,928 Views Tasted Jun 14, 2008 |
1999
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) (St. Julien)
Fully mature, medium-bodied, soft, bright and with a lean to the cool, red cherry side of the style range. There is ample cedar and tobacco leaf to add complexities. 3,260 Views Tasted Aug 17, 2020 |
1998
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) (St. Julien)
Medium-bodied, fresh, bright and floral, the wine carries its core of sweet, clean and slightly crisp, soft red berries with ease. The cedar, tobacco, sweet and tart red fruits with their hint of mocha really hit the spot. The wine is fully ready to go. 5,809 Views Tasted Oct 4, 2019 |
1996
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) (St. Julien)
Tobacco, cigar box, cassis, mocha and cedar wood scents lead to a mature, soft, round wine with a fresh, sweet cassis and earthy finish. 4,603 Views Tasted May 17, 2014Ruby 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. 6,661 Views Tasted Jun 23, 2010 |
1995
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) (St. Julien)
Avoiding the hardness displayed by many wines from 1995, this is drinking great at 21 years of age. Slightly more interesting on the cedar, tobacco and spicy, dark, red fruit filled nose, than the medium/full bodied, eleganty styled, soft, fresh, cassis finish. 4,480 Views Tasted Apr 16, 2016 |
1990
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) (St. Julien)
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. 3,188 Views Tasted Jun 14, 2008 |
1989
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) (St. Julien)
A beautiful bottle at full maturity, the wine is soft, medium bodied, elegant and fresh. The ripe, red fruit notes are front and center. The lively finish is soft, polished, refined and complete, with its earthy, tobacco leaf and cocoa touches. There is nothing to be gained by holding this any longer. 4,681 Views Tasted May 31, 2018Slightly past fully mature, the wine is medium bodied, with more interesting things going on in the nose, than on the palate, as the fruit is starting to fade, and the finish is short. Drink up if you have any bottles you've been waiting on. 6,167 Views Tasted Mar 21, 2017Light in style, tobacco and strawberry notes lead to a light wine which seems to be dropping its fruit. Drink up. 4,334 Views Tasted May 1, 2012Is 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 6,601 Views Tasted Jun 19, 2009 |
1989
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) Cuvée Evelyne (St. Julien)
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 1,835 Views Tasted Jun 19, 2009 |
1985
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) (St. Julien)
Fully mature, there is an elegant charm going on here. Loads of tobacco, cedar wood, cassis and wet earth in the nose. Soft, silky elegant tannins and fresh, sweet, red fruits in the finish. This is not a wine to hold as it is giving all its pleasures today. 4,188 Views Tasted Apr 16, 2016 |
1982
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) (St. Julien)
My last bottle of this gem. Medium-bodied, elegant and showing its secondary cedar, tobacco leaf, cherry, spice, cranberry and cigar box character with ease. Classic and classy, this is about elegance over power. Popped and poured, this is at or slightly past its peak. If you are holding any, you should enjoy it over the next couple of years before it fades away. 4,306 Views Tasted Mar 29, 2020Medium bodied, elegant, charming and fully mature, if not slightly past its best days, there is still a lot to like going on here with its fresh, soft, silky charms. I would not hold this any longer as it requires drinking sooner than later. 5,026 Views Tasted Jan 14, 2016Fully 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. 5,086 Views Tasted Sep 18, 2012 |
1975
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) (St. Julien)
Fully developed, medium bodied with loads of cedar, forest floor, tobacco, cigar wrapper and spicy red fruits. Fully mature, but not as rustic as you would think, given the vintage, this was still holding on to its charm. 3,600 Views Tasted Jul 8, 2017 |
1970
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) (St. Julien)
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 4,931 Views Tasted Aug 31, 2010 |
1966
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) (St. Julien)
Starting to slowly decline, the wine offers more secondary notes than red fruit. Medium bodied, with a finish that is just a bit too bright and sharp, if you are sitting on any bottles, you should pop a cork sooner than later. 4,287 Views Tasted May 31, 2018At 5 years of age, this smoky, tobacco, cedar, wet forest and cherry filled wine is still delivering the goods. Medium bodied, and on the finesse side of the style range, this bottle was a flawless example that was not moved from the property since it was bottled. 3,568 Views Tasted Jul 12, 2016This 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! 4,938 Views Tasted Jun 14, 2008 |
1962
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) (St. Julien)
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. 4,210 Views Tasted Nov 8, 2011 |
1961
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) (St. Julien)
Tobacco and cedar, paired with ripe, sweet, red fruits and cigar box, held up nicely. Medium bodied, vibrant, and just a hint of classic rusticity on the palate, this is fully mature. 3,244 Views Tasted Jan 28, 2018Brick 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! 2,955 Views Tasted Feb 20, 2007 |
1959
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) (St. Julien)
Provenance is everything. This bottle rocked! From the moment the wine hit the glass, notes of flowers, spices, wet earth, Cuban cigars, mint leaf, and red currants were all over the place. But, the sun-kissed palate sealed the deal with its elegance, regal bearing, and refined charm. The currant and spice filled finish just kept on coming. This great aged Bordeaux at its best. Drink from 2024-2035. 1,423 Views Tasted Oct 13, 2024Tasted 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. 5,222 Views Tasted Jun 30, 2010 |
1949
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) (St. Julien)
From a magnum, the bottle was a slow starter. With an hour in the glass, the silky, polished textures matched the elegance of the fruit, tannins and polished, ripe, spicy red berries and tobacco charm. 2,700 Views Tasted Oct 5, 2014With 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! 3,257 Views Tasted May 1, 2012This 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. 3,213 Views Tasted Jun 30, 2007 |
1934
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) (St. Julien)
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. 5,382 Views Tasted Nov 1, 2009 |
1928
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) (St. Julien)
This was stunning! Blind, I am sure I would have guessed it was from the 50's or probably 1961. There was volume, density, length and vivacity. The fruit was all dark berries. The nose offered everything from rootbeer, to forest floor, cedar wood, smoke, ash, dark red berries, truffle and cigar box. Every sip was better than expected. The wine remained at a high level for at least an hour in the glass. This was from the chateau, so your experience might not mirror this, but this bottle was a stunner! 6,907 Views Tasted Apr 3, 2018 |