CHÂTEAU BRANAIRE DUCRU
2014 4ème Cru Classé Saint Julien
The owners of Branaire have one important aim with their wine-making, they want to create a recognisable house style which expresses fruit purity, freshness and finesse. This admirable wish is achieved with gusto in 2014. There is lovely supple fruit up front, spiced plum and gently cooked dark berries show concentrated but pure elegance. There is just a great balance of finely grained tannin which retains the elegance but gives the necessary bones for a seriously well put together wine. Lifted, on the light-side and long. Rating: 92 L&S (Apr 2015)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
The 2014 Branaire-Ducru has a "quieter" bouquet than its peers, a little muted at first, though well-defined with mainly black tertiary fruit laced with tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins. It's a classically styled Saint-Julien that might lack a bit of substance for some on the finish, though it conveys a sense of drinkability. It's one of the few Left Bank wines to show better now than six years earlier. Tasted blind at the Southwold 10-Year-On tasting. Drinking range: 2025 - 2045 Rating: 91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2024)
The 2014 Branaire Ducru has a slightly uncouth bouquet compared to its peers: blackberry, blueberry, oyster shell and just a splash of cedar. It does not quite deliver the complexity of Beychevelle or Gruaud Larose. The palate is medium-bodied with a smooth velvety texture, moderate acidity, pure black cherry and raspberry fruit. It is a seductive Saint Julien but at the moment it articulates more the winemaking than the terroir, consequently it does not provide the same engagement as its peers. Not showy, but certainly well crafted. There is more to come with bottle maturation. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. Drinking range: 2020 - 2032 Rating: 89 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2018)
Great balance and integration on the nose. Sweet and fresh but not massively concentrated. Slightly scrawny finish. Drinking range: 2023 - 2035 Rating: 16.5+ Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Feb 2018)
The 2014 Branaire Ducru is soft, polished and super-inviting. Succulent red cherry, plum, lavender, spice and mint give the wine its attractive, open-knit personality, while silky tannins add to an overall impression of sensuality. The 2014 should drink well with minimal cellaring. Today, it is among the most accessible of the Saint-Juliens. Drinking range: 2020 - 2044 Rating: 93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2017)
Very pure and expressive, featuring lovely violet and cassis aromas and flavors that stream forth, backed by light anise and graphite hints. Maintains a fresh feel through the finish, with light minerality engaging with the fruit. Drinking range: 2019 - 2028 Rating: 93 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Jan 2017)
The Château Branaire-Ducru is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc picked between 24 September with the early-ripening Merlot, and finishing on 11 October. The yields came in at 40 hectoliters per hectare and Patrick Maratoux explained the importance of waiting for the correct maturity of each parcel. It has a tightly wound bouquet with black cherries and orange peel aromas, focused if not quite as complex as say, Château Beychevelle. The palate is medium-bodied, sinewy in the mouth with tensile tannins. This is a wine that seems to be making a huge effort in this vintage, but I would like to see more finesse manifested on the finish by the time it is in bottle. You know, I think that will develop. That 12 to 13% vin de presse lends this Branaire Ducru impressive sustain on the finish and I suspect that it will coalesce throughout the barrel ageing in two-thirds new oak (though the sample shown at the château was 100% new oak). Drinking range: 2018 - 2032 Rating: 90-92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2015)
Very well-expressed ripe Cabernet fruit with elegant structure and good length. Never showy at the start of its life, this is a classic Branaire that needs to age. (Highly Recommended St-Julien, Decanter Drinking range: 2019 - 2030 Rating: 90+ Steven Spurrier (Apr 2015)
The 2014 Branaire Ducru is beautifully textured in the glass. Lavender, plum, mint and spice open up nicely in the glass. Initially quite dense and powerful, the 2014 turns more floral and lifted over time. Sweet red cherry, graphite, violet and licorice add further shades of dimension on the finish. Creamy, silky tannins add to an overall impression of sophistication. The style is round, supple and quite giving, even at this early stage. Tasted three times. Rating: 91-94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2015)
Dark crimson. Energetic nose. Fairly light palate without that much concentration. Round, with less tannic charge than most. Serviceable. A little scrawny on the finish. Drinking range: 2022 - 2030 Rating: 16+ Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2015)
The nose has a mix of flavours quite fragrant and fresh. The start of the palate is bright the mid palate sweeter supple with well handles tannins and although lighter and fresher towards the back the finish has some rich fruit. Drinking range: 2025 - 2037 Rating: 86-90 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (Apr 2015)
Rating: 90 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2015)
This really builds on the palate with round and velvety tannins and a juicy, savory finish. Layered and complex. Shows real potential. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Mar 2015)
Château Branaire Ducru
St Julien Quatrième cru 1855 When the Beychevelle estate was broken up in 1642, in order to pay off the debts of the deceased owner, it gave birth to three Châteaux - Beychevelle, Ducru-Beaucaillou and, the portion purchased by Jean-Baptiste Braneyre, Branaire-Ducru. Jean-Baptiste's daughter married Pierre de Luc and their descendents (morphing into the Duluc family during the Revolution) owned Branaire until 1919. Branaire failed to excite much until it was bought by Patrick Maroteaux in 1988. Since then Branaire-Ducru has become a reliably good buy for lovers of St Julien. The vineyards are planted to 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and 4% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. While the number of family-owned châteaux is becoming increasingly smaller in the Médoc, the Maroteaux family has owned Branaire-Ducru since 1988. They immediatley put in a stat of the art gravity fed cellar - designed in a revolutionary way along the lines of a spoked -wheel - with all the tanks fanning out from a central control space up above. In 2017 it still looks cutting edge - and it is easy to understand how the wines are made so well here. Very sadly on November 19, 2017, Patrick Maroteaux passed away at the age of 67. His son, François Xavier Maroteaux took over the full time responsibilities of managing the estate and is committed to keeping up the great work being done here. Every year they strive to retain their ‘home signature’ of 'pure fruit, freshness and balance' and although you can always sense the vintage variations - this ambition is always clear. The Grand Vin has a focus and an elegance that is intrinsically 'Branaire' - and the pricing remains well measured. Branaire-Ducru is very often one of our recommended wines as it can offer super value for money in St Julien.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those of the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.
Ordering
Prices are per case as listed 'in bond London'.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment from you to buy the wines you order on release, subject to the price being below the upper price of the estimated band on our website. You may also set your own upper price limit, lower or higher than ours. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability. Providing this firm commitment to us effectively gives you priority.
Wines listed on the website (after any pre-orders and allocations have been fulfilled) can be ordered in the usual way via the website order form or by email or telephone 020 7221 1982, always subject to stock remaining.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date, apart from pre-orders which are binding if the release price is below the top estimate or other price you have set.
Invoices are raised at the In Bond price, excluding any duty and VAT which will become payable at the prevailing rates on arrival of the wine if required duty paid.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or credit transfer. We reserve the right to charge 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1000, orders below this total will be charged £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery for 2016 Bordeaux primeurs will probably be completed by October 2019, but we make no guarantee as to specific delivery times, and some of the Sauternes may be later.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes) for immediate payment. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option, but do please note that confirmed orders are still binding as above even if the final invoice has not been issued.
When the wine is shipped, unless previously specified we will assume that delivery is to be to bonded storage with Elephant Storage, but in any case, we will contact you requesting any alternative instructions. If you have another bonded delivery address you would like the wine to go to, please tell us at the time of ordering. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue invoices at the rates prevailing at the time for the excise duty (currently £25.98 per case) and the VAT (currently at 20%) on the total of the wine cost and the duty.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the bottle size you want. Even if a wine is only listed in one size, you can order any bottle or case size you want if the property supplies it, but you must order the case/bottle size you require and check that the correct size has been invoiced.
Additional charges are as follows:-
- +£15 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£15 per case of 6 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£35 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£45 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.