Blackberries, cassis, thyme, tobacco and cedar notes help define the nose. There is a sweetness and purity to the ripe red fruits that shine through. On the palate as the wine lingers, elements of juicy, blackberries poke through, giving you a melange of silky textured fruits in the finish. This is so soft, you can drink it now, but if you can wait 6-10 years, the wine will offer a much more interesting experience.

Blackberries, cassis, thyme, tobacco and cedar notes help define the nose. There is a sweetness and purity to the ripe red fruits that shine through. On the palate as the wine lingers, elements of juicy, blackberries poke through, giving you a melange of silky textured fruits in the finish. This is so soft, you can drink it now, but if you can wait 6-10 years, the wine will offer a much more interesting experience. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2015&wine=Chateau%20Branaire-Ducru

This family-owned estate has produced a structured and dark wine with great concentration balanced by acidity and pure, creamy fruit. It is a wine with a good future. The aftertaste leaves juicy acidity and firm tannins. Drink from 2025.

This pumps lush fig, boysenberry and blackberry confiture notes along, pushed by a rather polished but ample structure. Lots of anise and violet details cascade in on the finish, giving this extra aromatic dimension. Best from 2020 through 2038. — J.M.

The 2015 main bottling, as with the 2nd wine, has an approachability, an accessibility and a warmth to the fruits, with touches of grilled smoky oak. This is lovely, it has a good freshness to it and keeps the fruit bouncing along right through the palate. Less intensity than the 2016, but lots to enjoy and again the effortless balance of the appellation.

The 2015 main bottling, as with the 2nd wine, has an approachability, an accessibility and a warmth to the fruits, with touches of grilled smoky oak. This is lovely, it has a good freshness to it and keeps the fruit bouncing along right through the palate. Less intensity than the 2016, but lots to enjoy and again the effortless balance of the appellation. Read more at https://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/france/bordeaux/chateau-branaire-ducru-st-julien-4eme-cru-classe-2015-15474#R4vcZOaTt1m6m6XB.99

More open than many 2015 St.-Juliens at this stage in spite of the firm, dry tannin structure behind the bright cassis. The tannins need some integration, but with some patience (from 2021 or 2022), this will become a rather fine wine.