Cumin Sum

9.4

许久没喝了，也是最近最喜欢的一款
十几度入口不会颜艺！有少许辛辣，酒体较厚重，喝完还有葡萄皮的小清新，不错呢 — 8 years ago

Artie Hdez

8.9

A bit woody, full of flavor
very enjoy able — 9 years ago

Keshia Kuhn

9.1

Notes of strawberry and butter. Can't go wrong with a rosé! — 9 years ago

Mike Levin

9.5

Double Mag beauty. Real sassy B — 9 years ago

Karine Deschamps

9.3

Very crisp, dry. Slight lime finish with a mineral taste. Citrusy, delicately sweet — 10 years ago

Bob McDonald

8.9

Pale lemon in colour. Quite aromatic with some grassy notes with a hint of pineapple. A lean focussed palate with some astringency at the finish. — 10 years ago

Philipp Uehlinger

8.9

Very good glou glou — 11 years ago

R. S. Douglass

9.0

Excellent. Will be going back to buy more, especially at $9.99 😊 — 11 years ago

Alexander Niehenke

9.5

Ryder Cup edition. Very nice. — 12 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

On the nose, bright, ripe, ruby; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, blue fruit mix, strawberries, creamy raspberries, plums, cranberries, black tea, loamy soils, dry clay, dry stones, limestone minerals, saddlewood, crush dry rocks, dark moist soils, dark chocolate, vanilla, field of violets, lavender and fresh red florals.
The palate is medium-full yet a little lean. The fruits are elegant, ruby, ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, blue fruit mix, strawberries, creamy raspberries, plums, cranberries, black tea, loamy soils, dry clay, dry stones, limestone minerals, used leather, cedar, crush dry rocks, dark moist soils, dark chocolate, vanilla, field of violets, lavender and fresh red florals. The acidity is very good. The length, balance and length are nice. The structure a little lean. It a well polished rich fruit finish, but is a little short.

Photos of; the Chateau, Owner Patrick Maroteaux (may he RIP), Estate grapes and their barrel room.

Producer notes & history...Branaire Ducru has a long history has a long history that dates back to 1680. In those days, Branaire Ducru was a part of a larger Beychevelle. When the owner of Beychevelle passed away, he left behind a huge Bordeaux vineyard that was seriously in debt. To pay off the debt, the vineyard was broken up and sold. Several new estates were created in Saint Julien, which include Chateau Branaire Ducru. Jean-Baptiste Braneyre created the estate in 1680. As was was tradition in Bordeaux, the owner gave the estate his name, which is where the first part of the properties name came was given. Braneyre was later altered to Branaire. Braneyre bought the land we know as Branaire Ducru because of the terroir. He understood that Cabernet Sauvignon grew best on the deep gravel soils found in the Medoc. With that, we have the birth of Branaire Ducru. Or, at least the Branaire part. The middle name was gained through marriage. Marie Braneyre married Pierre de Luc which as you can guess, gave us the Branaire Duluc (the name of their 2nd wine). Almost 100 years later, the first winery at the property was constructed in 1824. It took almost 200 years for the Ducru portion of the wines name to make its way to the label. In 1875, with no direct descendants, Gustave Ducru, a more distant relative took over the property and added his name to the label making it, Chateau Branaire Ducru.

Patrick Maroteaux bought Branaire Ducru in 1988 from the Tapie family who had owned It since 1919. Prior to his ownership of Branaire Ducru, Patrick Maroteaux had no prior experience in the wine business. His background was in banking and then a president of the massive sugar company, Eurosucre. Patrick Maroteaux also served as the President of the UGCB, Union of Grand Crus Bordeaux, and as the President of the Saint Julien appellation.
Since his purchase, Patrick Maroteaux has focused much of his efforts on performing extensive work in the vineyards and in the cellars. He also began reducing the yields. Additionally, he increased the size of their vineyards by 10 hectares. Patrick was also modernized their winemaking techniques.
In fact, Patrick Maroteaux was one of the first producers in the Left Bank to being filling his tanks entirely by gravity. He did this beginning with the 91 vintage. This was done with the help of Philippe Dhalluin.

Philippe Dhalluin left Branaire Ducru in 2004 and took the same position as the director for wine making at Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Philippe Dhalluin was replaced by Jean Dominique Videau.

Chateau Branaire Ducru is a family business. The son of Patrick Maroteaux, François Xavier Maroteaux has carried the family business and joined the estate. Sadly, on November 19, 2017, Patrick Maroteaux passed away at the age of 67. His son, François Xavier Maroteaux took over the full time responsibilities of managing the property.

All the new technical improvements at Branaire Ducru quickly paid off for Patrick Maroteaux. Beginning with the 2000 vintage, Branaire Ducru became one of the top Saint Julien wines. It’s also one of the better values for high quality Bordeaux.

The 60 hectare vineyard of Branaire Ducru is planted to 65% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. The vineyard is very close to the size it was during the time of the 1855 Classification.

The terroir is deep gravel with clay soils. The best terroir is located near the chateau, closest to the Gironde river. They also have blocks further inland, with a small section of vines placed close to Chateau Lagrange and Chateau Talbot. The vineyard can be divided into 15 different blocks with 70 different parcels of vines. On average, the vines are close to 35 years of age. However, the estate has older vines as well. The oldest vines date back close to 90 years of age. The vineyard is planted to a vine density that ranges from 6,700 to 10,000 vines per hectare. The higher levels of vine density are for the newer plantings. The goal of the property is to continue increasing the vine density in all of their better terroirs.

Branaire Ducru, fermentation takes place in 28 temperature controlled, stainless steel tanks. The 28 vats vary in size. The vats range in size from as small as 30 hectoliters and up to 210 hectoliters. Each vat is sized for the needs of each specific vineyard parcel. Each vat is filled using the gravity based system.
Branaire Ducru is aged in 60 to 65% new, French oak barrels for between 16-20 months. The amount of new oak varies depending on the quality, character and style of each vintage. On average, the annual production is about 25,000 cases depending on the vintage. — 8 years ago

Not an expert

9.2

A stunner...So seductive. Hiding behind the world's least sexy label (Is that an Edwardian-era banker?) lies a breathtaking wine. Exquisite depth, and balance. Vanilla, butter, fleshy red fruit, toned minerality...it all sings on the palate. Worthy of carrying the portrait of the founder of Château Mouton Rothschild...and from the same producers that joint-ventured in California & Chile to create Opus One & Almaviva. They know a thing or two about wine. It is so good. I'mready for a top up. :) Cheers! — 11 years ago

John Ridge

9.5

First time drinking a Bordeaux and was very pleased with this one. — 11 years ago

Nicole Hakli

Sommelier The NoMad Restaurant

9.1

Wild and brambly intense berry flavors. Interesting to experience. — 12 years ago

Sean Kelly

9.1

Birth year vintage for my brother. I preferred this, he preferred the '87 Médoc Baron Philippe. — 13 years ago

Seckler Joachim

8.9

2015 vintage — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

The 14 Almaviva Cabernet is 68% Cabernet, 22% Carménère and 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The vines are 38 years of age. The wine spent 18 months in 75% new oak. The nose shows some slight funk at first. Blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, black cherry cola/licorice and dark florals. The M+ tannins are soft and a little sticky. The fruits are slightly candied in style. Blackberries, black raspberries, dark chocolate, soft leather, crushed rocks, dark moist turned earth and dark fresh florals. The structure, length, tension, balance and finish are quiet beautiful. Producer history and notes...Almaviva began in 1997, as a joint venture between Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Viña Concha y Toro. With the strengths of both families pedigree, they achieved international recognition with the the launch of their very first vintage. Their goal was to create the equivalent of Bordeaux Grand Cru Classé in Chile. Patrick Leon is their Winemaker and also makes Opus One & Mouton Rothschild. Almaviva is located in the Maipo Valley in Chile's central zone. Puente Alto has ideal conditions for growing the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. Almaviva has 85 hectares. The climatic features of Puente Alto include its; stony soil, cold, rainy winters, and the hot days and cool nights of its summers. Maipo is considered Chile’s Napa Valley.
— 9 years ago

James Forsyth

9.4

It's 1945 in Pauillac... the First Growth Mouton Rothschild celebrates the victory year with an innovative label, drawn by the artist Philippe Jullian, setting into motion a tradition synonymous with the famous estate. The vintage is considered one of the best on record and this Pauillac wine perhaps the pick of the year. Seventy years later a large format of the 1945 Mouton Rothschild becomes one of the most expensive bottles ever sold. It is stuff of legend, "immortal" no less. Down the road Château Croizet-Bages was doing its thing, making tasty wines without fanfare. A bottle of their 1945 found its way into my hands via Darren Scott of Red Room, Austin's excellent speakeasy/wine bar. The fill was almost into the belly. Not a good sign. I was expecting a dud for sure but that's part of the fun with these wines. You roll the dice, winning is an upside not to be expected. The sommelier approached the bottle with caution. (As an aside, all restaurants should have Durands on hand for older bottles.) My heart was in my mouth as the cork was prized from the bottle with a normal waiter's corkscrew. It came out in one piece, a stained but solid cylinder of promise. I tried it. Certainly a little dusty but with underlying freshness and even a hint of ripe, dark fruit. Tobacco, Earl Gray tea and coffee were present. The finish was long. The wine retained vibrancy even at its grand age. The 1945 Croizet-Bages was a gem, in part because of the low expectations, in part because of its proximity (temporal and geographical) to a legend, but mostly because it was just plain delicious. — 9 years ago

Ethanliu

8.9

It was born in Bordeaux, 2012. This year in Bordeaux was not pretty good, but Jean Philippe Janoueix still had some gifts to us ! This Croix Mouton has deep pomegranate colour. When it was opened, I felt very pungent and the bouquet was not good. After decanting, oak and strong berries will come out. Medium body, high acidity and has bitterness inside. You could feel that you are chewing a buttercandy as you drink it !!! Jean Philippe Janoueix was talented ^^ — 10 years ago

Nick Davis

9.5

Wow! 1974... — 11 years ago

Garen Staglin

9.3

Wonderful to start. Cherry and tobacco. Began to fade after an hour or so. — 12 years ago

Matt Kern

9.3

Peaches. Millions of peaches, peaches for me. A perfect match for the chocolate and pear dessert. Add some age and this wine will be unforgettable. Pretty close already. — 12 years ago

with Maggie