Saint-Julien - Château Branaire-Ducru - 2009

The domain

The Château Branaire, known as Branaire-Ducru, was previously a parcel of the vast domain of the Château Beychevelle. Ranked fourth grand cru in 1855, it has belonged since 1988 to a French family group chaired by François-Xavier Maroteaux, son of Patrick Maroteaux (who died in 2017). The vineyard is located on one of the most beautiful gravel hilltops in the commune of Saint-Julien-Beychevelle. About 35 years old, the vines extend over 60 hectares, and the grape varieties consist of Cabernet Sauvignon (mainly), Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. The harvest is manual in order to favor an optimal sorting of the picked berries.
The wine is distinguished by a great aromatic richness and a lot of suppleness. Since 1991, vinification has been carried out in a modern gravity-operated vat. The pumping of the harvest and the wine is thus avoided, which preserves the integrity of the grape berries. For several years, this cru has continued to improve in quality, as evidenced by the creation of a second wine and the desire to limit yields.