Duluc de Branaire Ducru (2eme vin Branaire Ducru) 2018

Vineyard Notes

Château Branaire-Ducru is located in the heart of the Medoc, between Margaux and Pauillac in the Saint-Julien appellation area. It is surrounded by the other great Classified Growths that populate this outstanding terroir. The vines grow in a mixture of gravel and pebbles, deposited there by the River Garonne in the Quaternary Period. From the top of their hillocks, called “mounds”, they overlook the vast Gironde Estuary, locally referred to as “the river”. The vineyard is made up of around fifteen different micro-terroirs and covers 60 hectares (nearly 150 acres) that lie from East to West across the Southern part of the appellation area. The average age of the vines is 35 years. They grow in quaternary siliceous and gravel alluvium, which makes this terroir one of the warmest in the region. As a result, our Cabernet Sauvignon grapes achieve perfect phenolic ripeness here, while the Merlot flourishes on beds of clay.

Harvest Date Notes

Knowing how long to wait and recognising the optimal time to pick the different grape varieties are part of ancestral expertise, and vital for a good harvest. Every parcel is harvested by hand and sorted on a table to ensure that only the most perfect and healthy fruit is kept.

Winemaking

The fruit from each parcel is processed in tanks of different sizes, and the different varieties are also kept separate so that each batch is allowed to express its characteristics fully in its own time. This essential steeping process can last up to three weeks.

Ageing

In the cellar, the wine is aged to reach its purest expression. The wine is aged in oak barrels where it matures for at least twelve months. The barrels are made from timber selected in the best French forests. 60% of them are renewed every year. The harvest is fully bottled at the Château.