Château Branaire-Ducru - St.-Julien 2020 (750ml)

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Producer	Château Branaire-Ducru
Country	France
Region	Bordeaux
Subregion	St.-Julien
Varietal	Bordeaux Blend
Vintage	2020
Sku	06939
Size	750ml

 

The 2020 Branaire-Ducru was so alluring en primeur, but is very shy today. That said, some of that youthful exuberance has given way to the characteristic Brainaire finesse. Dark red cherry, spice, grilled herbs, menthol and licorice emerge, but only with great reluctance. Sweet floral and spice notes lift the finish nicely. The 2020 is going to need the better part of a decade to come around.

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. Thoughtful young red.

An intensely perfumed nose with soft cocoa powder aromas. The texture is alluring, juicy and ripe but lifted, quite dense but also linear, a push-pull of direct fruit and chalky, plump tannins. Rich but not as supple as 2018, a bit more angular. Black cherries, plums and currants on the palate with both a nice sweetness and salinity. Not so easy to taste and understand today, it's thought provoking with lots going on. Great potential for a long life and one to watch!! Bottled at the beginning of July 2022.

Barrel Sample. Rich, juicy and with dense tannins, this wine is full of generous blackberry fruit flavor. The tannins and impressive structure are what show promise for the future. Expect this wine to age well.

This has a lovely floral lead followed quickly by a very pure and precise beam of cassis and bitter plum fruit. Shows ample structure but this is fine-grained and almost silky in feel, while subtle dark tea, savory and iron notes peek through on the lengthy finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.

The 2020 Branaire-Ducru will require more patience than the supple, sensual 2019, but it is another strong effort for this overperforming estate. Wafting from the glass with aromas of crème de cassis, plums, pencil shavings, petals, burning embers and discreet hints of new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a concentrated core of vibrant fruit and fine but youthfully firm tannins that assert themselves on the gently chewy finish.

Showing beautifully, the deeper purple/ruby-hued 2020 Château Branaire-Ducru offers a deep, masculine bouquet of blackcurrants, plums, smoked tobacco, and iron. This carries to a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, nicely balanced Saint-Julien with plenty of mid-palate depth, ripe, integrated tannins, and a great finish. Give bottles 4-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades or more.