Château Branaire-Ducru 2018

Really ripe, heady perfumed fruit on the nose, no longer just floral aromas but proper perfume, so expressive - wild and evocative, the first one to be so seductively evocative on the nose. Smooth and sleek with silky tannins, a hefty dose of spice and ripe blackcurrant, black cherry and blueberry but extremely refined so you get all the flavours but with softness and grace. This feels concentrated and powerful no doubt but it's calm also, restrained and just holding back. Bold, but beautiful. I like this a lot.

Shaped by the élevage, yet with clearly noticeable aromatic potential; compact on the attack, unusually full-bodied on the palate, spicy, lively tannins; fully consistent with the primeur impression.

The 2018 Branaire-Ducru has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and an upfront, expressive nose of baked black plums, boysenberries, and Morello cherries with an undercurrent of dried mint, spice box, and underbrush. Medium to full-bodied, the palate packs a very pleasant fruit wallop, featuring juicy black fruits and a firm, grainy frame, finishing long with lovely purity.

Pure and driven, with expressive cassis and plum purée aromas and flavors carried by a graphite edge and backed with applewood, licorice root and tobacco notes. Lovely energy throughout. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2037. 18,000 cases made.

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.

The 2018 Branaire-Ducru was picked from September 19 until October 10 at 53hl/ha and is currently being aged in 60% new oak. It has retained the sophisticated bouquet that I found last year, featuring beautifully defined blackberry and cedar and hints of iris flower and rose petals. The palate is well defined with good density and backbone, something that you could argue was missing from Branaire-Ducru in the 1990s and early 2000s. It gently fans out on the finish but never wants to create too much of a commotion – that’s not its style. This indicates a property that is finding a new lease on life. Excellent.

Showing better from the bottle than in barrel, the wine is loaded with black and red berries, smoke, mocha, flowers and coffee bean. Elegant, refined, silky and fresh, the fruit offers this gorgeous sense of purity from the start continuing straight through to the vibrant, red berry packed finish. Fans of Branaire-Ducru should be all over this gem. The wine is a blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc.

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.

Deep purple with an opaque core and a delicate ruby rim. Alluring bouquet of ripe morello cherries, blackberry jelly and licorice, backed by milk chocolate and lingonberry purée. On the firm palate, finely sandy extract richness and a tightly gripping tannic frame; a masculine St. Julien, brimming with power, not an early charmer. In the concentrated finish, a full load of blackcurrants, Dominican tobacco, and a delicate, rugged note underneath. Drinking window pushed back.

Kunz barrel sample 19: fresh, medium-intensity bouquet, plums, cherries, mocha, cedar. Balanced, finely creamy palate with sweet fruit, fine tannins, powerful aromatics, delicate structure, long, refined finish. Can still improve.

Fruity, silky, fragrant bouquet, cassis, damsons, nougat, red licorice, vanilla. Elegant, medium-bodied, fresh palate with sweet, delicate fruit, good tannins, fine structure, powerful aromatics, long finish. Still has room to improve. 17/20 2025 - 2045

The 2018 Branaire-Ducru has a deep garnet-purple color. It delivers pronounced scents of crème de cassis, stewed plums, and fruitcake, with hints of allspice, tobacco, and fallen leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is rich and velvety with plenty of freshness and a long spicy finish.

A touch more discreet than its peers, a little less full-bodied but very elegant, subtle, and certainly promising for the future.

The 2018 is a wine of great refinement, following in a line of fine vintages, with a classic structure that tames the richness of the fruit. The wine retains elegance and refinement.

The nose is still a little closed, but the palate already shows all the potential the wine will reveal over time: very velvety, rich, and vibrant. This should be a beautiful expression of the vintage.

Logo on the cork: inverted T (Trescases)

94–96. Barrel Sample. This is a dense wine that is built by firm tannins, bright acidity and great fruitiness. Its structure is fully integrated into the blackberry fruits that give a rich wine that has a fine future.