2020 Chateau Branaire-Ducru Grand Cru Classe 750ML

2020 Chateau Branaire-Ducru Grand Cru Classe 750ML

2020 Chateau Branaire-Ducru Grand Cru Classe 750ML Plenty of blackberry, blueberry, lead pencil and violet aromas here that follow through to a full body, with ultra-fine tannins that run the length of the wine. So integrated and polished. Changes a lot in the glass. Thoughtful young red. Suckling 96pts

“The 2020 Branaire-Ducru is utterly magnificent. A wine of extraordinary depth and dimension, the 2020 possesses tremendous intensity right out of the gate. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, new leather, licorice, cloves and lavender build as into the explosive, palate-staining finish. I don’t think I have ever tasted a Branaire quite like this.” Antonio Galloni, Vinous 96pts

Already very expressive nose of lovely, ripe fruits. After some aeration in the glass, it offers fine, spicy notes and overall freshness. The palate is very well balanced. Fleshy and yet delicately smooth, with elegant tannins. A long impressive finish. From the beginning to end, the tasting unfolds with a beautiful sense of harmony. This vintage is a blend of all the grape varieties. Winemaker

The wines of the appellation of St-Julien on the left bank of Bordeaux have become the darlings of the red wine world. Prices have sky rocketed with huge Parker ratings and massive demand internationally for the style of these wines. The most under-valued of all is Chateau Branaire-Ducru, a 4^th Growth Grand Cru Classe in 1855, this wine rivals Leoville-Las Cases or Leoville-Barton but can be had for literally a third to a quarter the price. In 2020 Chateau Branaire-Ducru hit a grand a grand slam getting a monster 96pts by Vinous and 96pts by Suckling. Now we all know vintage in Bordeaux is vital and 2020 is one of the all-time greats going down with 2010, 2005, 2000, 1982, 1961 and 1945 as the best in the last hundred years. Eric Kohler, technical director of Chateau Lafite Rothschild calls the vintage, “2020 is the great classic of today,” comparing 2020 vintage to recent great like 2010, 2005 and 2000. Suckling hails the vintage as a classic.

Other top wines from St-Julien are priced between one hundred and fifty and Four hundred dollars a bottle in 2020. This wine is a steal. The wine is just entering its drinking window but can be enjoyed over the next twenty years. The wine is also a smart buy with its price slowly increasing with time. The wine has perfect provenance being professionally stored since inception. The Chateau is also in good hands with Proprietor Patrick Maroteaux with quality increasing. After acquiring Château Branaire-Ducru, he reduced yields and increased the size of the vineyards by 10-hectares.  He hired some top-notch talent – including Philippe Dhalluin.  Dhalluin started his career at Branaire-Ducru prior to moving on to Pauillac First Growth, Château Mouton Rothschild.  This is a wine on the up!. Definitely adding to my cellar, the wine is in country ready to ship. I strongly recommend on a myriad of levels.