Spicy, rich and full of ripe fruit, this wine has great potential. It is structured and dense while bringing out a stylish elegance. Blackberry fruit dominates the tannins to create a wine that has both concentration and fine fruit. Drink from 2022.

The 2014 Branaire-Ducru is medium to deep garnet in color. Fragrant scents of kirsch, candied violets, and fallen leaves drift gently from the glass, with hints of Sichuan pepper and black olives in the background. The medium-bodied palate is all class, with great tension and fine-grained tannins framing the elegant perfumed fruit, finishing minerally.

Very pure and expressive, featuring lovely violet and cassis aromas and flavors that stream forth, backed by light anise and graphite hints. Maintains a fresh feel through the finish, with light minerality engaging with the fruit. Best from 2019 through 2028. — J.M.

Herbal nose, violets, blackcurrants, chocolate and exotic sweet spices; clove and cinnamon. Plump and fruit forward, this is confident and shines brightly out the glass. Round and nicely balanced, it's not at all plump, you could say this is severe in its directness and forward-focus on the palate, the flavours driving from start to finish. Tannins are super sleek but finely spiced so they just give the frame and edges while the fruit, soft chalkiness and minerality do most of the talking as opposed to the weight or the texture. Feels really well worked, nothing pushed too hard or too far. Nicely defined with direction and purity - everything in high definition. Just at the beginning of a lovely drinking period.

The 2014 Branaire-Ducru has a "quieter" bouquet than its peers, a little muted at first, though well-defined with mainly black tertiary fruit laced with tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins. It's a classically styled Saint-Julien that might lack a bit of substance for some on the finish, though it conveys a sense of drinkability. It's one of the few Left Bank wines to show better now than six years earlier. Tasted blind at the Southwold 10-Year-On tasting. -- Neal Martin