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: 2017 Branaire-Ducru, St-Julien

2017 Branaire-Ducru, St-Julien (Pre-Arrival)

SKU #1355620 94 points Vinous

Outer quote mark The 2017 Branaire-Ducru is all class and finesse. Bright and focused, the 2017 speaks with a clear, well-articulated voice. I especially like the energy here. Soft and understated in the classic Branaire style, the 2017 offers notes of red and purplish fruit intermingled with expressive floral and spice notes. The 2017 is such a pretty Saint-Julien. (AG) Inner quote mark (3/2020)

94 points Wine Enthusiast

Outer quote mark An elegantly structured wine, this is both juicy and packed with tannins. Ripe berry flavors are equally prominent in this balanced wine. The wine’s future is promising... (RV) Inner quote mark (1/2020)

92 points Wine Spectator

Outer quote mark A polished style, with a perfumed mesquite note draped over a core of plum and blackberry puree flavors. The finish lingers, with a mineral hint amid the fruit. Pure and aromatic. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2032. (JM) Inner quote mark (3/2020)

90-92 points Jeb Dunnuck

Outer quote mark The deep purple-colored 2017 Château Branaire-Ducru offers a fresh, focused, classic style in 2017. Beautiful spring flowers, black and blue fruits, and a kiss of minerality all emerge from this medium-bodied effort that has nicely integrated acidity, a balanced, clean texture, and plenty of mid-palate depth. My money is on this ending up being an outstanding wine. Inner quote mark (4/2018)

91 points James Suckling

Outer quote mark Notes of raspberries and orange peel with tar on the nose and palate. Medium body, firm and silky tannins and a fresh, lively finish. Pleasing young red. Better after 2021. Inner quote mark (12/2019)

Wine Advocate

Outer quote mark Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Branaire-Ducru gives up plum preserves, baked blackcurrants, kirsch and boysenberries with hints of earth, tobacco, herbs and pencil lead. Medium-bodied, the palate is fresh and clean with herbal sparks and a slight chew to the texture, finishing savory. (LPB) Inner quote mark (3/2020)

K&L Notes

91 points Neal Martin for Vinous: "The 2017 Branaire Ducru has a fresh bouquet with lifted brambly red fruit mixed with cedar and woodland aromas - classic Saint-Julien. The oak here is nicely integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with light tannins, mainly red fruit mixed with leather and cedar. It needs just a little more substance on the mid-palate and it tapers in towards the finish. But it does feel fresh and vigorous, providing pleasant drinking over the next couple of decades." (02/2020)

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2017 Branaire-Ducru, St-Julien

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Product Reviews:

By: Ralph Sands | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 5/18/2018 | Send Email

We tasted Branaire 3 times and it was delicious all 3 times. Brilliantly fresh, pure and extremely elegant with red fruits of cherries, cranberry and cassis, fantastic balance and finish. This is one of the stars of the vintage and the epitome of elegance. Ralph Sands

By: Clyde Beffa Jr. | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 5/2/2018 | Send Email

We think St Julien may be the best region in Bordeaux for 2017. Unfortunately this great property lost its leader in December. 65% CS, 24%M, and mix of PV and CF to finish. Red fruit aromas and flavors-quite elegant on the palate. Very good wine and priced decently.

Drink from 2020 to 2030

Additional Information:

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.