The 2016 Branaire-Ducru, a Bordeaux Blend from the renowned St-Julien sub-region in Bordeaux, France, is an exemplary red wine that has garnered high praise from multiple professional reviewers. This wine, produced by Branaire-Ducru, is composed of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc, and is bottled with a cork closure at an alcohol content of 13.0%.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate awarded the 2016 Branaire-Ducru 94+ points, highlighting its potential to rival or surpass the more demonstrative 2019 vintage. William Kelley described it as "a real classic," with "deep aromas of dark berries, cassis, loamy soil, pencil shavings, and cigar smoke," and noted its "taut, structured profile and a long, penetrating finish." Kelley emphasized that "the only missing ingredient here is time."
Wine Spectator gave a glowing review with a 96-point score, praising the wine’s core of "pure plum, blueberry, and black currant fruit flavors." The review by JM lauded its "polished structure" and "alluring ganache, anise, and sweet tobacco notes," calling it "a very classy red that isn’t shy about its power but pushes its purity to the fore."
James Suckling also rated this vintage highly with 95 points, declaring it "the best vintage of this wine since 2009." He noted the "effusive, fresh redcurrant and cassis aromas" and described the wine as having "terrific drive and energy," with "elegant, dry tannins beautifully married to the medium body."
Decanter, another reputable publication, gave this vintage 95 points, complimenting its "florality and black fruits on the nose" and calling it "generous and giving." The review highlighted its "wide open and expansive" nature, with "massive structure" and "plush tannins."
Several other reviewers, including Wine Enthusiast, Vinous, Jeb Dunnuck, and The Wine Independent, all provided scores ranging from 92 to 95 points, consistently praising its structure, complexity, and aging potential. The consensus is clear: the 2016 Branaire-Ducru is a wine of exceptional quality, with a promising future for those willing to cellar it and allow it to reach its full potential.