2017 Château Branaire-Ducru
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Tasted blind. Deep ruby-purple colour. Pure blackcurrant fruit with an edge of vanilla and cinnamon. Silky, plump fruit on the palate, there is a sense of easy ripeness here. Soft and fleshy, this is a moreish example that still has enough tannin to prop up the fruit and add needed bite. Should offer good drinking pleasure for a decade or more. (TP)
Critic scores
Wine Spectator
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
The 2017 Branaire-Ducru is all class and finesse. Bright and focused, the 2017 speaks with a clear, well-articulated voice. I especially like the energy here. Soft and understated in the classic Branaire style, the 2017 offers notes of red and purplish fruit intermingled with expressive floral and spice notes. The 2017 is such a pretty Saint-Julien. Tasted two times.
Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Branaire-Ducru gives up plum preserves, baked blackcurrants, kirsch and boysenberries with hints of earth, tobacco, herbs and pencil lead. Medium-bodied, the palate is fresh and clean with herbal sparks and a slight chew to the texture, finishing savory.
About the producer
This Fourth Growth estate, just a stone’s throw from the wide expanse of the Gironde estuary, has been revitalised under the stewardship of former banker and businessman Patrick Maroteaux, who purchased the property in 1988.