Chateau Branaire Ducru 2023

JAMES SUCKLING: "This has so much lead pencil, stone and blackcurrant character, as well as blackberry. It’s medium-bodied with a solid core of fruit and a polished finish. Very classy and structured."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2023 Branaire-Ducru has turned out beautifully, wafting from the glass with classy aromas of dark berries, plums, pencil shavings and licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied, cool and layered palate that's seamless, complete and enveloping, with terrific depth and vibrancy of fruit, refined tannins and a long, suave finish. At 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5.5% Cabernet Franc and 3.5% Petit Verdot, it's almost the same blend as the 2022, though at 13.1% alcohol and a pH of 3.63, it's more classically proportioned. Harvest began on September 12 and dragged on through October 4, parcel by parcel, with the vintage's healthy yields meaning the team could use their new winery, equipped with 63 smaller tanks, to keep all those components separate."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Floral, rotbeeriger Touch, frische Kirschen, ein Hauch von Cassis und Limettenzesten ist unterlegt. Mittlere Komplexität, rotbeerig und frisch, zarte Tannine, dezente Fruchtsüße, ein lebendiger Speisenbegleiter, verfügt über Entwicklungspotenzial."