Branaire Ducru 2015 (750ML)

95 AG / 94 WS / 93 JS / 93 DE / 92 WA

#33 Wine Spectator Top 100 2018

The 2015 Branaire Ducru is a gorgeous, totally sexy wine. Rose petal, lavender, mint, sweet red berry and gently spiced notes give the wine much of its gracious, lilting personality. Precise and nuanced to the core, the 2015 Branaire is all class. It's easy to overlook Brainaire in the context of Saint-Julien, where most of the other important wines are much more powerful. Branaire always speaks with a hushed, discreet voice. Readers who appreciate finesse will find much to admire here. The 2015 is a wine of pure and total sensual pleasure. In 2015, the blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc, aged for 18 months in French oak, 60% new. Don't miss it. Tasted two times. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

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 Molesworth, Wine Spectator

More open than many 2015 St.-Juliens at this stage in spite of the firm, dry tannin structure behind the bright cassis. The tannins need some integration, but with some patience (from 2021 or 2022), this will become a rather fine wine. - James Suckling

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. - Decanter

The 2015 Branaire-Ducru has a refined and elegant bouquet with more red than black fruit: wild strawberry, damson and a touch of pencil lead as it shifts up the gears with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, quite structured and firm with spicy black fruit laced with cedar. There is a touch of compactness toward the final third, completing what constitutes a very refined and satisfying Branaire-Ducru. Anticipated maturity: 2021 - 2045. - Neal Martin