Château Branaire-Ducru 4. Cru Classé St. Julien 2021

"Dunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Feine Brombeerfrucht, frische schwarze Kirschen, zart nach Cassis und Edelholz. Frisch und saftig, rote Kirschen, gut integrierte Tannine, mineralisch im Abgang, verfügt über Reifepotenzial."
91/100 Punkte

"Having tasted the 2021 Branaire-Ducru six times over the course of a month and a half, I feel confident in saying that it is a beautiful wine that numbers among the vintage's real successes. Offering up aromas of raspberry coulis and red cherries mingled with notions of rose petals, cigar box and spices, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and seamless, with a layered core of fruit, lively acids and beautifully powdery tannins. Why is it quite so good? It isn't because a lot of wine was declassified, as around 60% of the estate's production went into the grand vin this year—a touch more than average. Rather, the key factors seem to be waiting to pick despite an alarming weather forecast - the blend itself, which emphasizes ripe Cabernet and the estate's later-ripening Merlot on clay-limestone soils - and the fact that a partially completed new winery means that Branaire already had fully 63 fermentation vats at its disposal to pick and vinify parcel by parcel. The exact composition is 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot."
93-94+/100 Punkte

"The 2021 Branaire-Ducru is sleek, elegant and nuanced. There is more Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in the blend than in the 2018-2020 period, when the Merlots were especially successful. As a result, the aromatics are absolutely alluring, but the wine is much less forthcoming on the palate. At 12.9% alcohol, the 2021 is a classically austere Branaire that looks like it will need quite a bit of time to blossom. It is undoubtedly a very pretty wine, even if not fully expressive at this stage. Dark cherry, plum, chocolate, leather and rose petal linger. Tasted three times." von ANTONIO GALLONI
93-95/100 Punkte - Trinkreife: 2031-2061

"The 2021 Branaire Ducru was picked from September 24, albeit slowly, until October 14, at 32hL/ha. It has quite an intense, dare I say precocious bouquet of bold brambly red fruit that eventually settles in the glass and turns darker. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit and a touch of black pepper and tobacco. Quite a marine-influenced Saint-Julien, it fans out gradually toward the finish and exerts a gentle grip. Though not quite reaching the heights of recent vintages, it represents a true articulation of the growing season and of Branaire-Ducru itself." von NEAL MARTIN
91-93/100 Punkte - Trinkreife: 2025-2050

"Das Bouquet von Branaire Ducru ist von Finesse geprägt, was an sich nicht wirklich neu ist! Angenehme Frische und schöne fruchtige Ausstrahlung durch Noten von Himbeeren und Kirschen, gefolgt von blumigen Nuancen und einem Hauch von Gewürzen. Am Gaumen zeichnet sich der Wein durch seine Frische und Geradlinigkeit aus. Er ist bestens ausbalanciert und verfügt über strukturierende Tannine, die im Zusammenhang mit der straffen Säure ein gutes Omen sind ... die Symbiose, die sich daraus ergibt, ist überzeugend. Was für ein wunderschöner Wein ... Finesse zahlt sich früher oder später aus!"
93-95/100 Punkte - Trinkreife: 2027-2041

"A very pretty wine, showing blackberry and blackcurrant aromas with crushed stone. Medium to full body with layers of fine-grained tannins. Bright and refined. Lots of dark fruit at the end. Solid weight."
94-95/100 Punkte