Château Branaire-Ducru

Château Branaire, known as Branaire-Ducru, became a plot detached from the Beychevelle estate when, on the death of Bernard de la Valette, Duke of Épernon, his possessions reverted to the French crown in 1666. It was acquired in 1680 by Jean-Baptiste Braneyre, who bequeathed it to his grandchildren, the du Lucs.
Louis du Luc, to whom it fell in the division of 1825, brought it to a magnificent level of production. In 1855 Branaire-Ducru was thus classified among the aristocracy of the Grands Crus, the only one it then lacked. The estate, which belonged to Gustave Ducru until 1879, then passed to the Marquis Carbonnier de Marsac, the Vicomte du Périer de Larsan and the Comte and Comtesse J. de La Tour, whose experience and care in cultivation and winemaking were well known to the Bordeaux trade and abroad. The estate was sold to third parties in 1919.
Sixty-nine years later, in 1988, Branaire-Ducru began a new chapter by returning to its vocation as a family property. Since then it has belonged to a French family group chaired by Patrick Maroteaux.
Much investment has been made in both vineyard and cellar. In particular, since 1991, vinification has taken place in a modern, gravity-fed vat room. The pumping of the harvest and of the wine is thus avoided, which preserves the integrity of the grape berries, messengers of the character of the terroir and of the typicity of Château Branaire.
But more than acquired technical skill, what matters at Branaire-Ducru is the state of mind that guides the running of the estate. Each vintage is worked to produce wines that reflect the character of the terroir and the grape varieties. Work in the vineyard is very largely geared towards seeking optimum ripeness. Vinification is carried out in a spirit that favours the purity and freshness of the fruit, as well as aromatic complexity.
Vintage after vintage, the wines of Château Branaire-Ducru assert themselves and stand out for a rare richness of sap, great suppleness, a complex nose, and the balance and fascination of the great Bordeaux.