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History
The origin of the Branaire-Ducru vineyards may be traced back to the 17th Century, when they were once part of the estate at Chateau Beychevelle. The owner of Beychevelle, Bernard de Valette, the Duc d'Epernon, left behind a string of unpaid bills when he died in 1642. In order to meet the demands of his creditors, Beychevelle was sold off, leading to the parcellation of the estate. The chateau and some of the vineyards were regrouped by subsequent owners, but part of the estate, purchased by Jean-Baptiste Braneyre in 1680, was destined to become what we know today as Branaire-Ducru. Incidentally another part became what we known today as Ducru-Beaucaillou.Braneyre's descendants held tenure here for well over a century although his daughter, Marie Braneyre, married Pierre de Luc, and it is the de Luc name that is associated with the early history of this estate. Pierre and Marie had a son, Laurent de Luc, born in 1730, who subsequently married Marie de Chillaud of Fieux de Larenchère in 1779. They survived the Revolution, despite having been arrested, and went on to have a total of four children, including two sons, Louis and Justin Duluc, the persecution of the aristocracy having fostered a discretionary contraction of the family name.Laurent died in 1814, followed by Marie in 1818, but not before she had purchased a small house in Bourdieu, a hamlet very close to Chateau Beychevelle. Subsequently, Louis and Justin expanded and improved their inherited property, naming their chateau Braneyre (Branaire), for their grandmother and her father, Jean-Baptiste.The Duluc family remain at Branaire during the creation of the 1855 classification, when the property was ranked as a fourth growth. A year later, however, Louis Duluc died without a direct heir, and the property was managed by other family members, including his widow, brother, sister and nephews. By 1875 his descendant Gustave Ducru and his sister, Zélie Ravez, were in charge; Gustave purchased his sister's share, becoming sole owner, but when he died in 1879 the estate passed back to her again. In 1899 she bequeathed the estate to a clutch of nephews, the Marquis de Carbonnier de Marzac, Comte de Ravez and Comte du Périer de Larsan. These three live on today on the Branaire-Ducru label, each one represented by a crown, and yet the whole estate was subsequently sold off in 1919 to Jean-Michel Tapie. Tapie's tenure was not distinguished, the wines being a paler imitation of many other wines produced in the St Julien commune. This was still the situation in 1988, when Branaire-Ducru was purchased by Patrick Maroteaux.Since 1988, Patrick Maroteaux and Philippe Dhalluin, respectively President and Managing Director of Branaire-Ducru, have been reviving the competition, and the wine media are sitting up and taking notice. The property has now come into its full stride in terms of quantity. Improved quality and the renovation of cellar and vineyards mean that Branaire-Ducru has once again reached its former, widely-acknowledged, level of excellence. Patrick Maroteaux is in charge of relations with the traditional Bordeaux wine trade, responsible for worldwide distribution of Branaire-Ducru, adding the final touch to the recovery of this great growth's fine image.
Nowadays’ owner: Patrick Maroteaux(SC Château Branaire Ducru)
Technique Information
Location: Chateau Branaire-Ducru is located in the commune of Saint Julien. Branaire-Ducru is surrounded by well known neighbors. Across the street is Chateau Beychevelle and nearby you will find Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou and Chateau Gruaud-Larose.
Appellation: Appellation Saint-Julien Controlee
Neighboring Chateau: Chateau Gruaud-Larose(2nd Growth 1855 Saint-Julien)
Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou(2nd Growth 1855 Saint-Julien)
Chateau Beychevelle(4th Growth 1855 Saint-Julien)
Acreage: 50 hectares
Soil: Médoc gravels
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon 70%, Merlot 22%, Cabernet Franc 5%, Petit Verdot 3%.
Average age of vines: 35 years
Cultivation density: 10,000 vins/ha
Viticulture: Care is taken to control the vigour of the young vines. Rather than resorting to thinning out, which we find somewhat brutal, we prefer to let grass grow between the rows in plots of young vines. This is an entirely natural way of limiting production. It also has the advantage of fighting drought conditions since vine roots must go deep down into the soil to find water, and are thus able to cope with long dry spells. At last, the harvest is manual.
Winemaking: The 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. At last, the wine undergoes an egg-white fining prior to being bottled unfiltered.
Yield: 40-50hl/ha
Brand: Chateau Branaire-Ducru(First Label)(A.O.C. Saint-Julien)
Chateau Duluc(Second Label)(A.O.C.Saint-Julien)
Annually production: Chateau Branaire-Ducru(First Label): 15000 cases
Chateau Duluc(Second Label): 7000 cases
Character:
Chateau Branaire-Ducru is a splendid mix of power, elegance and subtlety. The wines tend to be 'fruit-forward' in style but have the structure and power to require at least a decade of aging before the wine really shows it's true nature.
Best vintages: 2000, 2003, 2005
Awards: Chateau Branaire-Ducru classified as Fourth Cru Class in 1855.
Website: http://www.branaire.com
Serving Suggestion
Cellar Humidity and Temperature: 75-85%, 15 ℃
Serving Temperature: 17-19 °C
Optimal drinking and aging potential: 3-5 years, be kept for 10-20 years
Food match:
Serve with Lamb, game, ham, rabbit in mustard sauce and grilled meats, such as Grilled beefsteak，muttonchops; Cheese likes Edam, Gouda also go well with it; Chinese northern gilled dishes and Roast racks of lamb with bean and garlic puree are quite good.
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