Chateau Branaire Ducru 2018
SKU
BDSJ201810 UCAU
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Jeb Dunnuck: 94/100 "A beautiful Saint-Julien."
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James Suckling: 97/100 "Very attractive aromas of currants, tile and sandalwood with black and red currants."
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Gorgeous, elegant wine you will love to have in the cellar.
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1 or more bottles$134.40
Editors notes
A beautiful Saint-Julien, the 2018 Château Branaire-Ducru reveals a deep purple color as well as ample, earthy cassis and blackberry fruits intermixed with sous bois, earth, lead pencil, and cedar. With that classic Saint-Julien pure fruit, sumptuous aromas and flavors, sweet yet present tannins, and a solid spine of acidity, it's going to need 5-7 years to hit maturity yet should keep for 20-25 years or more. I don't think it's going to match the blockbuster 2009 (it's more in the pretty, elegant style of the 2016), but it's a gorgeous, elegant wine you will love to have in the cellar.
- Jeb Dunnuck
Details
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Wine Type
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Vintage
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Variety
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Brand
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Location
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Cellaring
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Closure
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Alcohol Percentage
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Bottle Size
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Oak Type
Tasting Profile
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Light (Light)Full (Full)
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Low Tannin (Low Tannin)Tannic (Tannic)
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Sweet (Sweet)Dry (Dry)
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Low Acidity (Low Acidity)High Acidity (High Acidity)
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Aroma
- Blueberry
- Boysenberry
- Herbal
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Palate
- Blue Fruits
- Cassis
- Graphite
Food Pairings
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Pork -
Red Meat
Critic Scores & reviews
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James Suckling
97"Very attractive aromas of currants, tile and sandalwood with black and red currants. It’s full-bodied with a tight, dense center-palate that remains closed in and tight. Yet there is underlying seriousness and length to this. Perhaps the greatest Branaire-Ducru ever made. Try after 2026."
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
94"The deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Branaire-Ducru begins just a tad reduced with broody tar, rubber and fried herbs scents giving way to a fragrant core of warm cassis, blackberry pie and blueberry coulis with touches of smoked meats and tobacco. Full-bodied, firm and rugged in the mouth with brawny, muscular fruit and a sturdy frame of grainy tannins, it finishes long and savory."
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Jeb Dunnuck
94"A beautiful Saint-Julien, the 2018 Château Branaire-Ducru reveals a deep purple color as well as ample, earthy cassis and blackberry fruits intermixed with sous bois, earth, lead pencil, and cedar. With that classic Saint-Julien pure fruit, sumptuous aromas and flavors, sweet yet present tannins, and a solid spine of acidity, it's going to need 5-7 years to hit maturity yet should keep for 20-25 years or more. I don't think it's going to match the blockbuster 2009 (it's more in the pretty, elegant style of the 2016), but it's a gorgeous, elegant wine you will love to have in the cellar."
Other vintages
Love this wine? Here's a list of other vintages we have in stock if you'd like to try them as well.
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- Variety Cabernet Blend
- Vintage 2018
- Brand Château Branaire-Ducru
- Cellaring 15 Plus Years
- Wine Type Red
- Alcohol Percentage 14.0% Alcohol
Chateau Branaire Ducru 2018 1.5L-
James Suckling97 points
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Robert Parker's94 points
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Jeb Dunnuck94 points
$275.80 -
- Variety Cabernet Blend
- Vintage 2021
- Brand Château Branaire-Ducru
- Cellaring 15 Plus Years
- Wine Type Red
- Alcohol Percentage 14.5% Alcohol
Chateau Branaire Ducru 2021-
James Suckling95 points
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Jeb Dunnuck92 points
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Antonio Galloni95 points
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Neil Martin93 points
$99.00
Current auction
All current auctions for this wine & any different vintages.
Locations
France
Wine is being produced throughout France and has been done for over 2,500 years with certain Châteaux dating their history back to Roman times, around 6th Century BC. Ranking second in the world in per-capita consumption and first in total production quantity. More so than the overall quantity of wine is the quantity of truly great wines coming out of France makes the nation the envy of wine-making nations worldwide.
Two concepts pivotal to the higher end French wines, in particular, are the idea of 'terroir' and the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system. Terroir refers to the way the geography, geology and climate find their way into the glass, telling a story of the origin of the wine. The AOC was set up in 1935 and has the primary goal of protecting the authenticity of the wines and the livelihoods of the producers. Appellation rules strictly define which varieties of grapes and winemaking practices are approved for classification in each of France's several hundred geographically defined appellations, which can cover entire regions, individual villages or in some cases, like in Burgundy even specific vineyards.
Classic wine regions in France include Champagne (home of Champagne), Burgundy (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot), Alsace (Aromatic varietals), Loire Valley (Chenin Blanc, Crémant) and the Rhône Valley (Syrah, Grenache Mourvedre)
The Bordeaux classification of 1855 is still in use, as is the Sauternes and Barsac Classification of the same year. Wines from certain regions can be bought En Primeur, which is when the wine is sold prior to it being bottled.
Bordeaux
Bordeaux has a rich history of winemaking, dating back to the Roman times. Today, it is known as one of the most significant wine regions in the world, with a reputation for producing complex, full-bodied red wines. The region is home to a diverse range of terroirs, each with its own unique microclimate, soil composition, and grape varieties.
The left bank of Bordeaux is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, which thrives in the region's gravelly soils. These wines tend to be bold, tannic, and complex, with notes of blackcurrant, cedar, and tobacco. On the right bank, Merlot is king, producing wines that are softer and fruitier, with notes of plum, cherry, and chocolate.
Aside from the red blends, Bordeaux is also renowned for its sweet wines, particularly from the Sauternes and Barsac appellations. These wines are made using a unique process that involves botrytis, or "noble rot," which concentrates the sugars in the grapes, resulting in a lusciously sweet and complex wine.
Bordeaux's classification system has evolved over time, with some estates moving up or down the ranks depending on the quality of their wines. Today, the system includes five growths, with Premier Cru being the highest and Deuxièmes Crus being the second-highest. There is also a separate classification for the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac, with Chateau d’Yquem holding the highest rank.
Overall, Bordeaux is a region that continues to captivate wine enthusiasts around the world with its rich history, diverse terroirs, and exceptional wines.
Saint-Julien
Saint-Julien is an appellation for distinctive red wines of the Haut-Médoc district of Bordeaux in the South West of France. The Appellation laws for Saint-Julien were created in 1936 and state that its wines must be made from grapes grown within the villages of Saint-Julien Beychevelle, or other specific parts of the areas of Cussac and Saint-Laurent. Some of the most renowned grapes approved for growth here are Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. Located between the more famous appellations of Pauillac and Margaux, this wine region is a respectable source of refined, aromatic wines which also carry tannic and masculine notes.
Producing over 450,000 cases of wine each year, Saint-Julien is divided into two vital areas, which include the riverside estates around the village of St. Julien and Southern estates around the village of Beychevelle. Home to over 26 vineyards spanning an area of 910 hectares, this area is the smallest of the major Bordeaux appellations in Médoc, but has the highest ratio of classified terroir of any Bordeaux region. The soil type of this region is made up of extremely fine gravel for the vineyards bordering the river and for those vineyards more inland, the gravel is mixed with clay, that produce grapes with a wide spectrum of explosive flavour.
About the brand Chateau Branaire-Ducru
Located on the Saint-Julien-Beychevelle plateau, Château Branaire-Ducru comprises of fifty hectares of exceptional terroir. Unique in their mineral makeup, the soils of the estate make up the cornerstone of their wines’ exceptional quality. Classified as one of Medoc’s Grand Crus since 1855, the Chateau’s prestige is based upon their unwavering quality of fruit, steadfast attention to detail in the vineyard and winery and the outstanding wines they’ve produced for decades. The majority of plantings are devoted to Cabernet Sauvignon, with this varietal making up 70% of the estate, followed by Merlot (22%), Cabernet Franc (4%) and Petit Verdot (4%). The vines average 35 years of age and are all harvested by hand. Château Branaire produces two wines, the Grand Vin and a second wine. The grand vin Château Branaire (often referred to as Château Branaire Ducru) averages about 15,000 cases per year. Branaire uses a novel (for the area) gravity-flow style winery to minimize damage to the grapes as they are processed. The wines go through primary fermentation for about three weeks in temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats. About 1/3 of the production undergoes malolactic fermentation in new oak barrels. Once fermentation is complete the wines are transferred into oak barrels (50% new oak) for 18–24 months of aging. The estate also produces about 7,000 cases of the second wine, Duluc de Branaire-Ducru.
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