Chateau Branaire-Ducru

Chateau Branaire-Ducru is tucked away in the southeasternmost part of the St Julien appellation. The vineyards run west-east in several plots close to the chateau, over typical Médoc terroir of Quaternary alluvial gravels. There are 50 hectares in all, planted with 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and just 4% Petit Verdot, with an average age of nearly 40 years, and many vines are almost 100 years old.

The harvest is manual, and fermentation takes place in a modern, well-equipped cellar. The must and embryonic wine is fed through the cellar by gravity rather than pump, to ferment in stainless steel, temperature-controlled, before up to two years in oak, 50% new each vintage. Egg-white fining is practiced. The grand vin is Chateau Branaire-Ducru, 15000 cases, and there is a second wine, Chateau Duluc, named for the Duluc family, of which there are 7000 cases per annum.