Château Branaire Ducru

"I like this idea of a 3 F strategy: wines of great finesse, bright fruit and great freshness"

By Patrick Maroteaux

WHY BUY IT ?

  • 4th Classified Growth of Saint-Julien in 1855
  • Château Branaire Ducru knows how to stand out thanks to the regularity and elegance of its wines
  • A renowned consulting oenologist: Eric Boissenot
  • Each vintage of Château Branaire Ducru continues the famous 3F rule: Finesse, Fruit and Freshness
  • A perfect example of Saint-Julien’s excellence

History

The history of the Château Branaire-Ducru began when in 1680 Jean-Baptiste Braneyre acquired the estate: it was already a property of excellence. But the consecration really took place when the domain was raised to the rank of 4th Classified Growth in 1855. Very quickly, the desired spirit for Branaire Ducru’s wine was defined: a policy of high quality of production highly demanding for the expression and complexity of wines. The estate also creates a second wine : Duluc de Branaire-Ducru.

Terroir & Vinification

This vineyard of 59 hectares with an historic soil is located on the most beautiful gravelly hills of the Saint-Julien appellation. The balance of the parcels of each grape variety is preserved because the property, which maintains the age of its vines at 35 years, strives to renew the generations quietly, at a rate of two or three hectares per year. The grape varieties are 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc.

For the management of the vineyard, the Château team sways between traditional plowing or weeding according to the plot and the behavior of the vine. Indeed, trellising and vineyard management are adjusted to each density and type of soil. Once the clusters are picked up by hand and sorted twice, the winemaking takes place in a modern winery, operated by gravity, which preserves the quality of the grape berries and consequently the expression of the terroir and the typicality of the Château Branaire Ducru. 28 tanks of different sizes are used to give each plot, grape variety, means and time to go to the end of its expression. Once fermentations are complete, the wine is aged in barrels for 16 to 20 months with approximately 60 to 65% new wood.

Tasting

When tasting, Château Branaire Ducru offers a wine of great purity, fruitiness, with a lot of freshness and  as much elegance as possible.

Their Team

  • Owner: MAROTEAUX Family
  • Manager: François-Xavier MAROTEAUX
  • Director: Jean-Dominique VIDEAU
  • Consulting enologist: Eric BOISSENOT
  • Head of Culture: Mr MENG
  • Cellar Master: Mr. CAMPADIEU

Other wines of the property