Chateau Branaire Ducru 2020

JAMES SUCKLING: "Plenty of blackberry, blueberry, lead pencil and violet aromas here that follow through to a full body, with ultra-fine tannins that run the length of the wine. So integrated and polished.Changes a lot in the glass. Thoughtful young red. Try after 2027."

WEINWISSER: "58 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 32 % Merlot, 3 % Cabernet Franc, 7 % Petit Verdot. Sattes Purpur mit opaker Mitte und zartem lila Rand. Betörendes Bouquet mit reifen Schattenmorellen, Szechuanpfeffer und zarten Fliedernoten, dahinter edle Cassiswürze und Holundergelee. Am geradlinigen Gaumen mit cremiger Textur, feinkörniges Extrakt, mit viel Zug und vibrierender Rasse am durchtrainierten Körper. Im energiegeladenen Finale schwarzbeerige Konturen, Tabakblatt, Nelken und dunkles Graphit. Der ist heuer richtig gut gelungen und (noch) besser als letztes Jahr. Bravo!"

DECANTER: "An intensely perfumed nose with soft cocoa powder aromas. The texture is alluring, juicy and ripe but lifted, quite dense but also linear, a push-pull of direct fruit and chalky, plump tannins. Rich but not as supple as 2018, a bit more angular. Black cherries, plums and currants on the palate with both a nice sweetness and salinity. Not so easy to taste and understand today, it's thought provoking with lots going on. Great potential for a long life and one to watch!! Bottled at the beginning of July 2022."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Quite perfumed, the complex nose offers cigar box, tobacco, spearmint, wet earth, mocha, spice, black currants and dark cherry aromas to get things going. Medium/full-bodied with a silky, fresh, refined character to its layers of ripe, sweet, mildly-spiced, red pit fruits on the palate, the finish is complex, as well as refined and currently discreet. Clearly, this is one of the top vintages from Branaire Ducru that fans of the estate should definitely have in their cellar. Drink from 2026-2055."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2020 Branaire-Ducru will require more patience than the supple, sensual 2019, but it is another strong effort for this overperforming estate. Wafting from the glass with aromas of crème de cassis, plums, pencil shavings, petals, burning embers and discreet hints of new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a concentrated core of vibrant fruit and fine but youthfully firm tannins that assert themselves on the gently chewy finish."

WINE SPECTATOR: "This has a lovely floral lead followed quickly by a very pure and precise beam of cassis and bitter plum fruit. Shows ample structure but this is fine-grained and almost silky in feel, while subtle dark tea, savory and iron notes peek through on the lengthy finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2038."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Showing beautifully, the deeper purple/ruby-hued 2020 Château Branaire-Ducru offers a deep, masculine bouquet of blackcurrants, plums, smoked tobacco, and iron. This carries to a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, nicely balanced Saint-Julien with plenty of mid-palate depth, ripe, integrated tannins, and a great finish. Give bottles 4-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades or more."

FALSTAFF: "Kräftiges Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Ein Hauch von Nugat, schwarze Kirschen, Brombeeren, etwas Pflaumen, süße Gewürze sind unterlegt, einladendes Bukett. Stoffig, reife Kirschen, angenehme Fruchtsüße, reife, integrierte Tannine, frischer Säurebogen, feinwürzig und elegant, mineralischer Nachhall, gutes Reifepotenzial. (2028–2045)"

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "The 2020 Branaire-Ducru is deep garnet-purple in color. Pure scents of blackcurrant jelly, crushed black plums, and Bing cherries spring from the glass, leading to nuances of bay leaves, graphite, black olives, and cedar. The medium-bodied palate is taut and muscular, delivering crunchy black and red fruit layers with a fine-grained texture and bags of freshness, finishing on a lingering mineral note."