Château Branaire-Ducru 2023 – Saint-Julien, Grand Cru Classé en 1855, BDX France 🇫🇷
Overview
A structured and expressive Saint-Julien showing youthful intensity and precision, driven by 65% Cabernet Sauvignon–led blend with 28% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc as a support. The wine delivers power, polish, and depth, yet remains clearly in its developmental phase, signaling strong aging potential.
Aromas & Flavors
Black cherry, cassis, dark plum, graphite, cedarwood, crushed stone, subtle cocoa, fresh tobacco leaf, light violet lift.
Mouthfeel
Medium-plus to full-bodied with firm, polished tannins, vibrant acidity, tightly wound core, excellent structural grip, and a long, focused finish that hints at future complexity.
Food Pairings
Chargrilled ribeye, lamb chops with rosemary, venison, mushroom ragù, aged Manchego or Comté.
Verdict
A serious, high-potential Saint-Julien that stands confidently in the mid-pack today while clearly projecting upward trajectory. Best enjoyed after a few years of cellaring to allow texture and aromatics to fully integrate.
🍷 Personal Pick
You can feel the horsepower under the hood, this just needs track time. Not quite ready for full send yet, but absolutely worth waiting for. Future star energy all over this bottle. — 4 months ago
LQV w Nic and Brian.
A bit simple and jammy, the 2015 Saint Joseph Babylone features aromas and flavors of cherry preserves. It's medium to full-bodied, with some slightly green, stemmy notes on the silky finish. RP89, 2015
Bright, vivid blackberry fruit with lots of concentration yet quite light body. Slight bitterness to finish. (RH) JR16.5, 2017 — 4 years ago
Chard that tastes like cloudy Aligote — 6 years ago
Christmas 2017 gift from coworker Patrick Bottle from 2012 — 8 years ago
We jammin boozy, mon. — 10 years ago
Tasty. And why not? It's New Years Eve. very Good. — 10 years ago
Very Good saint-julien after a great trail — 12 years ago
Love the wine and Sacháis very nice — 3 months ago
Bought in Nicola’s on 251231
Healthy fine smell
Fresh good balance as typical French
Match with fresh cheese or grilled chicken or smoke salmon salads or fresh ham — 5 months ago
Tar & roses — 9 years ago
Nice, but young Saint Julien — 10 years ago
Great stuff. Definitely needs air. Like chili, it's even better on day 2 — 11 years ago
Phenomenal with our lamb. So smooth and silky. — 3 months ago
Beautiful wine, decant before hand for the best nose. — 4 months ago
WOW!!!! 2017 Chateau Gloria Saint-Julien , Domaines MARTIN. - Bordeaux France!!!!!!! I have finally found an exceptional bordeaux that rocks my taste buds! The color is dark burgundy. The legs are long and slow. On the nose, there’s lots of rhubarb pie and violets! My initial pallet is tantalized with explosions of blueberries, boysenberries, cherries, and chocolate. The mid pallet quickly resolves into a velvety, slightly buttered texture. Then there is a dive straight to the finish with lots of earthy oak and cigar box with a very moderately dry finish. . This is a good one!!!!!! We purchased this in Ireland and brought it home to the USA. Unfortunately, we only bought one bottle which is already halfway gone and I’m sure as you’re reading this, it will be completely gone.  — 10 months ago
2017 vintage. One of the rare non-classified Saint-Juliens. A very successful wine for a vintage that was a mixed bag, but also underrated for the good wines. Black fruits and a hint of vanilla, medium-bodied, juicy, and fresh, with velvety tannins and good length. One of the best vintages for Teynac! Nice value too. Well worth seeking out. Abv. 13%. — 2 years ago
Spices and nice dark and red fruit on the nose and palate, nice balance, medium bodied plus with a soft texture of tannins, good. 89-90
Notes constantes, un beau fruit, des épices, bien équilibré, assez puissant mais sans excès, des tannins approchables et de belle texture. 89-90 — 5 years ago
Woo baby, #PercySelection gets it right again. Perfect wine for perfect eggs, extra runny, with grilled salmon and polenta! 🍾🍳🐟 — 10 years ago
Tasting way less reductive since the last time I tasted it, apparently still needed time to find itself — 10 years ago
Oakland's hot so give me some if that light cool Pinot please...def has the mineral taste to it. Perfect for hot weather red — 12 years ago
Ed Chin
One of the better 2nd’s I’ve had. Slightly fruit forward in a drink now style. Soft tannins and good acidity for that easy drinking brightness. — 3 months ago