Chateau Branaire-Ducru 4eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 2016

The best vintage of this wine since 2009! Effusive, fresh redcurrant and cassis aromas give this St.-Julien terrific drive and energy, the elegant, dry tannins beautifully married to the medium body, right through the long, agile finish. Drink or hold.

You can immediately see the quality and the depth of the 2016 vintage in the complexity of the expression and construction. Bottled in early July, extremely rich and full of black brambly hawthorn-edged fruits. The quality of the tannins is extremely impressive, there are lots of them, and they build over the course of the palate, but they are not constraining, and have a fine texture. After five minutes in the glass the blackcurrant fruit starts to come out. The tannins close in again on the finish, suggesting there is a long life ahead. A vintage that is so good for St Julien, not to be missed.

The 2016 Branaire-Ducru is powerful, dense and explosive to a degree that is surprising for a wine that is typically much more sensual. There is lovely definition throughout, but readers will have to be patient to catch the 2016 at its very best. Hints of leather, smoke, tobacco and dried flowers begin to open up in the glass, but the 2016 is quite reticent at this stage. In two tastings I found the 2016 unusually closed. Needless to say, it will be interesting to see what time brings.

The 2016 Branaire-Ducru has a rather low-key, smudged bouquet featuring ample red fruit, yet missing the terroir expression of some of its peers; I would like more “oomph.” The palate is well balanced, quite graceful and poised, delivering lightly spiced black fruit, touches of pencil lead and a nicely detailed if not powerful finish. More approachable than its peers, yet noble. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.