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: 1959 Branaire-Ducru, St-Julien

1959 Branaire-Ducru, St-Julien

SKU #1027654 John Gilman

Outer quote mark The 1959 Château Branaire-Ducru is a good, solid example of the vintage that has no doubt been mature for several decades, but continues to cruise along nicely and remains a very tasty bottle of old claret. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a complex blend of black cherries, a touch of plumminess, cigar smoke, dark chocolate and a nice base of soil tones. On the palate the wine is fullish, plush and still quite solid at the core, with a slightly four-square personality, but still sound structural elements. The finish is long, meltingly tannic and velvety, and though the wine is not as complex as the finest ‘59s, it is still a very good drink. Inner quote mark (3/2017)

Wine Spectator

Outer quote mark Medium ruby-garnet, with focused, currant and licorice aromas. Full-bodied and tannic, with peppery, licorice flavor. (JS, web-1990) Inner quote mark

K&L Notes

According to The Wine Cellar Insider: "In 1824, the grand chateau that is still in use today was built. It took almost 200 years for the Ducru portion of the wines name to make its way to the label. In 1875, with no direct descendants, Gustave Ducru, a more distant relative took over the Medoc property and added his name to the label, which gave us Chateau Branaire Ducru. Patrick Maroteaux bought Branaire Ducru in 1988 from the Tapie family who owned Chateau Branaire Ducru since 1919. Prior to his arrival at Branaire Ducru, Patrick Maroteaux had no prior experience in the wine business. Since his purchase, Patrick Maroteaux has focused much of his efforts on performing extensive work in the vineyards and in the cellars of Branaire Ducru. He also quickly began reducing the yields. He also increased the size of their vineyards by 10 hectares. Patrick was also interested in modernizing their winemaking techniques." (Web-2022)

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1959 Branaire-Ducru, St-Julien

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Varietal:

Cabernet Sauvignon and Blends

- Cabernet Sauvignon has come a long way from its role as a blending varietal, however dominant, in the wines of Bordeaux. Today it is the most planted red varietal in the world. Identified as a descendent of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon needs to be planted in warmer climates to fully ripen. Its small berries can easily be identified for their distinctive blue color, thick skins and high tannins. And while the varietal has its own definitive characteristics: green pepper-like aromas and black currant flavors among them, it is perhaps most prized for its ability to convey terroir, vintage and winemaking. A relatively new varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon started making inroads into the wines of the Médoc and Graves in the late-18th century. Today it is also dominant in the up-and-coming Entre-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux and can also be found in Southwest France. It is the companion varietal to Sangiovese in Italy's Super Tuscans and is planted all over Europe, stretching to lesser-known winegrowing regions like Russia and Lebanon. In the Americas Cabernet Sauvignon has found champions in every nook and cranny of California and among winemakers in Washington, where it complements plantings of Merlot. In South America, Cab thrives in Chile, but can also be found in smaller amounts in Argentina and even in Mexico.

Country:

France

- When it comes to wine, France stands alone. No other country can beat it in terms of quality and diversity. And while many of its Region, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne most obviously, produce wine as rare, as sought-after and nearly as expensive as gold, there are just as many obscurities and values to be had from little known appellations throughout the country. To learn everything there is to know about French wine would take a lifetime. To understand and appreciate French wine, one only has to begin tasting them.

Sub-Region:

Bordeaux

Specific Appellation:

Saint Julien

- St. Julien, the smallest of the four famous appellations of the Haut Medoc, is known for highly extracted, finely structured, Cabernet-based reds. It is nestled between Pauillac to the north and Margaux to the south. Like St. Estephe, there are no first growths in this area. Leoville-las-Cases, Leoville Poyferre, Leoville Barton, Ducru Beaucaillou, and Gruard Larose are the second-growths of St. Julien followed by Lagrange which is the only third-growth. Beychevelle, Branaire Ducru, St. Pierre, and Talbot, which are all fourth-growth wines, round out the grand cru classe chateaux. In the last several vintages, wineries from this appellation have been out-performing their traditional rankings making many of the wines from this region some of the best values in red wine today.