2025 Branaire Ducru
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 2025 Branaire-Ducru was cropped at 33 hl/ha, which is not too low in the context of the growing season, but the smallest since 1991. Picking was from September 4 with the early Merlots and finished September 22. The Merlot on clay soils was deemed high quality and therefore comprises a slightly higher percentage of the blend. It is aged in 60% new and 40% one-year-old barrels. This has a flattering bouquet with black plum and strawberry fruit, and a noticeable though agreeable powdered chocolate/mocha note at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with silky smooth tannins, a fine bead of acidity, and hints of mocha and mint merging with black fruit. The finish is quite linear and understated, keeping within the style of the château. Very classy, this will give a lot of pleasure without too much cellaring. 13.2% alcohol.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin, Vinous
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
Deep purple-hued, the 2025 Château Branaire-Ducru is a gorgeous Saint-Julien based on 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, and 6% Cabernet Franc that's still resting in 62% new French oak. Harvested between September 4th and the 22nd, it has a perfumed nose of darker black and blue fruits intermixed with loads of leafy tobacco, smoky herbs, flowers, and spice, with a kiss of Pauillac-like graphite. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied with wonderfully integrated oak, beautifully polished tannins, and a supple, charming, round, and velvety style that's already hard to resist. It checks in at 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.65, and this is a seriously impressive barrel sample.
Flowers, licorice, cherries, smoke, mocha, currants, cedar, and tobacco fill the aromatic profile. The palate is medium-bodied, energetic, soft, polished, and refined. There is good concentration. Texturally, the wine feels elegant on your palate. There is freshness, giving the wine a vibrancy, making it effortless to drink. The sweetness in the fruits, paired with spice, mocha, espresso, and crushed stones, tastes and feels great. The finish starts off strong and keeps on going. 2025 is clearly in competition as one of the best vintages ever produced at Branaire Ducru. The purity here truly makes an impression. You can enjoy this with pleasure quite early in its life and count on at least 20 more years of enjoyment. The wine blends 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot. 13% ABV. The harvest took place September 4 - September 22, making this the earliest end to a harvest in the history of the estate. Yields 33 hectoliters per hectare.
Voluptuous dark fruit, cedar and a touch of tar on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied with an expressive yet concentrated profile, a precise structure and fine-grained, high quality tannins. Chiseled and balanced.
About the producer
This Fourth Growth estate, just a stone’s throw from the wide expanse of the Gironde estuary, has been revitalised under the stewardship of former banker and businessman Patrick Maroteaux, who purchased the property in 1988.