Appellation: Saint-Julien
Size: 750mL
Winemaker's Notes:
"Already very expressive nose of lovely, ripe fruits. After some aeration in the glass, it offers fine, spicy notes and overall freshness. The palate is very well balanced. Fleshy and yet delicately smooth, with elegant tannins. A long impressive finish. From the beginning to end, the tasting unfolds with a beautiful sense of harmony. This vintage is a blend of all the grape varieties. Blend: 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc."
Ratings:
96 points 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."
93 points Jeb Dunnuck
"Showing beautifully, the deeper purple/ruby-hued 2020 Chateau 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. Best After 2027. Rating: 93+"
96 points Vinous
"The 2020 Branaire-Ducru is utterly magnificent. A wine of extraordinary depth and dimension, the 2020 possesses tremendous intensity right out of the gate. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, new leather, licorice, cloves and lavender build as into the explosive, palate-staining finish. I don't think I have ever tasted a Branaire quite like this." -Antonio Galloni
95 Wine Enthusiast
"Rich, juicy and with dense tannins, this wine is full of generous blackberry fruit flavor. The tannins and impressive structure are what show promise for the future. Expect this wine to age well."
93 points Decanter
"Blueberry, blackberry, damson and hawthorn, this has juice and tannins with an elegance and really excellent St-Julien character; A lovely Branaire, well placed. Unfussy, this is still not overly exuberant but it has a real sense of sappiness, lift and sinew. (JA)" (4/2021)
93 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"The 2020 Branaire-Ducru displays a deep garnet-purple color and pronounced blackcurrant cordial, plum preserves and boysenberries scents, plus hints of sautéed herbs, unsmoked cigars and graphite. The medium-bodied palate has a lot of verve, delivering appealing tension among the tightly wound black fruits and grainy tannins, finishing with an herbal lift."