2019 Château Branaire-Ducru, St Julien, Bordeaux

Tasted blind. Deep, luscious crimson. Rich, tea-leaf nose and lots of vigour. Marked acidity, but lots of fruit and tannin too. But not incredibly tightly knit.Drink 2028 - 2042jancis_robinson_mw MW, JancisRobinson.com (January 2023)

The 2019 Branaire Ducru has a fresh and vibrant bouquet, very well defined with beautifully integrated oak, quite precise graphite-infused black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a ferrous opening, gritty in texture, quite edgy and sharp with an almost citrus fresh, tensile finish. Very fine. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.Drink 2025 - 2045Neil Martin, Vinous.com.com (January 2023)

The 2019 Branaire-Ducru is a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 4% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it flies out of the glass with notes of crushed blackcurrants, black cherries, and stewed plums, plus wafts of rose oil, cinnamon toast, and fragrant earth. The medium-bodied palate is juicy and plush, with lively acidity and a spicy finish.Drink 2026 - 2045Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent (May 2023)

One of the more discreet St Juliens, undergoing a great resurgence right now, and this stands out for its quality and value. Tobacco leaf, baked earth, crushed rocks, crayon and mint leaf set against blueberry and cassis fruits. Balanced, with the finesse of the appellation. Ideally this is put away for another four years or so, but it has the delicacy that makes it just about approachable if you can't wait. I drank it with friends a few months ago, and nobody was complaining. 43hl/h yield.Drink 2026 - 2040jane_anson_mw, janeanson_com (December 2023)

The 2019 Branaire-Ducru is rich, layered and sumptuous. Black cherry, licorice, spice, leather tobacco and tar build effortlessly in the glass. The 2019 impresses with its density and pure power, which makes it perhaps atypical for Branaire by its historic standards, but it may be the direction the château seems to be headed in. The aromatics are a bit closed right now, but time in bottle should help take care of that.Drink 2029 - 2049antonio_galloni, Vinous.com.com (January 2022)

The 2019 Branaire-Ducru unwinds in the glass with aromas of raspberries, blackcurrants, sweet soil tones and hints of cigar wrapper, rose petals and cedar. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's youthfully tightly wound, with terrific concentration, tangy acids, powdery tannins and a long, saline finish. While this is a little reserved out of the gates, its energy and classical proportions will richly reward bottle age.Branaire-Ducru occupies 60 hectares of deep gravel soils, in 80 or so different parcels, on the plateau of Beychevelle. Cabernet Sauvignon dominates, but plantings of Petit Verdot on good soils are also a particularity of Branaire. When the Maroteaux family purchased the estate in 1988, a new winery followed a few years later; and now, another is under construction, which will almost double the number of fermentation vats, permitting more precise parcel-by-parcel vinification. Winemaking is very classical, and maturation is in around 60% new oak, with three or four traditional rackings. There are no smoke or mirrors at this address, just extremely good, age-worthy Saint-Julien that's always elegant and impeccably balanced. The 2019 vintage has turned out especially well and is worth a special effort to seek out.Drink 2029 - 2065William Kelley, Wine Advocate (April 2022)

Very clear fruit character of blackcurrants, orange peel and spices. Some walnut, too. It’s full-bodied with integrated, polished tannins and shows finesse and focus. Love the focused fruit at the end of this. Strength with finesse. Give it four to five years of bottle age. Try after 2024.james_suckling, jamessuckling_com (February 2022)

Tempting nose, full of aromatic black fruits, perfume, liquorice and salty stones. Juicy, ripe, and controlled, I love the upfront nature of this, bright, lively energy, you can feel the concentration in the chalky, dry just-spiced edges on the tongue, giving a piquance, but the acidity, soft sweetness and roundness is there. Such a beautiful expression, refined and finessed, charming and precise. The detail and nuance is there covered slightly by the ripe cherry and strawberry fruit but there is such joy to this. Charming and classic in the best way.Drink 2026 - 2050Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com (October 2023)