2015 Château Branaire-Ducru St. Julien

Winemaker Notes: #33 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2018

An attractive bouquet of red and black fruit, lovely and fresh, clear-cut and complex. Dense and round on the palate, it is powerful yet elegant.

Blend: 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc

CRITICAL ACCLAIM


Wine Enthusiast - "This family-owned estate has produced a structured and dark wine with great concentration balanced by acidity and pure, creamy fruit. It is a wine with a good future. The aftertaste leaves juicy acidity and firm tannins. Drink from 2025."


Wine Spectator - "This pumps lush fig, boysenberry and blackberry confiture notes along, pushed by a rather polished but ample structure. Lots of anise and violet details cascade in on the finish, giving this extra aromatic dimension. Best from 2020 through 2038."


James Suckling - "Quite ripe with aromas of currants, violets, rich dark plums, dark chocolate, graphite and toasty cedary oak. Really complex. The palate has impressive polish and depth. Very supple and smooth tannins, carrying long, bright flavors of plums and dark cherries. Superb. Best from 2022."


Decanter - "Stepping up in terms of grip and acidity, this really does pull you along through the palate, while bristling tannins hold things together. This majors on control and well-drawn cassis and bilberry fruits. It needs to soften, but should really go the distance. A fine and classic St-Julien. Drinking Window 2025 - 2040"


Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - "Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Branaire-Ducru has an earthy nose over a core of red and black currants with hints of tapenade, pencil shavings and sage. The medium-bodied palate is firm and chewy, with just enough fruit and a lively finish."