En Primeur Bordeaux 2022

St Julien - The wines with tasting notes


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[Add to shopping basket] Beychevelle St Julien £430 6x75cl Low Stock - - - - - -
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[Add to shopping basket] Branaire Ducru St Julien £237 6x75cl Low Stock 95-97 96-97 95-97 96 94-96 95-97
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The 2022 Branaire-Ducru is a powerhouse, almost unnaturally so for this Saint-Julien, which is usually a more understated wine. A blast of dark plum fruit makes a pretty strong first impression. Licorice, cloves, spice, menthol and chocolate fill out the layers. Readers should expect a concentrated, virile Saint-Julien with compelling aromatic presence. In this warm, low-yielding vintage, Branaire is quite the brooding powerhouse. It will be interesting to see if more finesse develops in time. Impressive. Tasted two times.

Score: 94 - 96 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2030-2052

The fine and intense tannins are very impressive because they fold beautifully into the wine, with blackcurrants, black cherries, hints of chocolate and hazelnuts. It's full-bodied with tight and focused fruit and a long and classy finish. Fantastic definition to this. Fresh. 60.5% cabernet sauvignon, 31.5% merlot, 5.5% cabernet franc, and 2.5% petit verdot.

Score: 96 - 97 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com

A brilliant wine that's the finest young vintage I've tasted at this Saint-Julien estate, the 2022 Branaire-Ducru wafts from the glass with aromas of violets, blackberries, sweet cassis, licorice and pencil shavings, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and multidimensional palate that's succulent, sapid and perfumed, framed by supple tannins and concluding with a long, mouthwatering finish. It's a blend of 60.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31.5% Merlot, 5.5% Cabernet Franc and 2.5% Petit Verdot that checks in at a healthy pH of 3.65. Why is it so good this year? In addition to the quality of the vintage, the new gravity-flow winery means fruit can be handled more gently, and picked more precisely, sub-block by sub-block, as the team now have fully 63 vats at their disposal, almost double their capacity through 2020. Given the Maroteaux family's sensible approach to pricing, this is likely to number among the must-purchase wines of the 2022 vintage, and it comes warmly recommended.

Score: 95 - 97 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

This is an estate that can be so understated as to almost miss its complexity, but this vintage, with its excess and exuberance, does a wonderful job of drawing it out. The concentration is impressive, but there you'll also find a softness and balance that is juicy and enticing. Great job Branaire Ducru. Francois Xavier Maroteaux owner. I honestly think the best example of this château that I have ever tasted En Primeur (and god I hate it when critics say that).

Score: 96 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2030-2044

The 2022 Branaire Ducru was harvested from 12-24 September at 34.5hL/ha, the blend representative of their vineyard plantings. This feels refined and focused on the nose with plush red berry fruit, dried rose petals and orange rind scents. Classic Branaire. The palate is fresh on the entry with pliant tannins. It's very well structured to the degree that it conveys a sense of symmetry. Lightly spiced toward the finish with notes of graphite lingering on the aftertaste, this represents an excellent Branaire Ducru that will age over many years and will surely appeal to those seeking more classical Saint-Julien. Tasted three times and was more impressive each time. Branaire-Ducru continues its upward trajectory under proprietor François-Xavier Maroteaux. 14.3% alcohol.

Score: 95 - 97 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2030-2065

An absolute gem of a Saint-Julien, the 2022 Château Branaire-Ducru clocks in as 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Pure cassis, black raspberries, spicy wood, and dried flower notes all define the aromatics, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a silky, elegant, beautifully balanced mouthfeel, and terrific tannins. In addition, it has a sense of freshness and purity that keeps you coming back to the glass. It's clearly the finest wine I've tasted from this château, which going forward merits serious attention.

Score: 95 - 97 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com

[Add to wish list] [Add to pre-order list] Branaire Ducru St Julien ---- 12x37.5cl - - - - - -
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[Add to shopping basket] Clos du Marquis St Julien £363 6x75cl 92-94 95-96 93-95 92 - 95-97
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Structured and fluffy with a blanket of fine tannins. Full-bodied yet agile and floating. Juicy at the end. Excellent finish. Lots of lead pencil and crushed stone at the end. 45.5% merlot, 44.5% cabernet sauvignon and 10% cabernet franc.

Score: 95 - 96 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com

"We've never seen such refined Cabernet Sauvignon at this property," says Jean-Hubert Delon of the 2022 Clos du Marquis, and the resulting wine is certainly unusually suave and expressive, bursting with aromas of cassis, plums, orange zest, violets and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with excellent concentration, supple tannins and a long, mouthwatering finish, it will likely offer a rather broad drinking window.

Score: 93 - 95 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

Cocoa bean, smoked coffee bean, intense tannins, powerful with depth and concentration, dense tannins, cassis and baked plum fruits, a ton of dark pepper spice, and baked earth, expands outwards through the palate, plenty of St Julien character. 34 hl/ha, 53% new barrels, 3.7ph. As of this vintage, the vines that were in le Petit Marquis have been included back into Clos du Marquis.

Score: 92 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

The 2022 Clos du Marquis was picked from 8-30 September and is matured in 53% new oak with 14.25% alcohol. It is very perfumed and high-toned on the nose. The 2022 is floral and powerful, with black cherries and blueberry fruit, perhaps not quite the delineation, almost pastille-like. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, fresh with pleasing mineralité. This remains linear and tensile toward the finish, with graphite lingering on the aftertaste. Excellent.

Score: 92 - 94 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028 - 2048

I loved the 2022 Clos Du Marquis, which is a brilliant effort, if not the finest vintage of this cuvée I've tasted. Cassis, graphite, and floral notes all define the bouquet, and it's full-bodied, with ultra-fine tannins and flawless balance. It shows the ripe, concentrated, powerful style of the vintage yet is incredibly pure and seamless, with everything in the right places. It's going to round into form with just a few years of bottle age but have decades of prime drinking.

Score: 95 - 97 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com

[Add to shopping basket] Croix Ducru Beaucaillou (2nd label of Ducru) St Julien £216 6x75cl 93-95 94-95 90-92 93 92-94 93-95
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The 2022 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou is super-expressive. The aromatics and tannin show strong Cabernet Sauvignon-inflections, but the blend actually favors Merlot in this vintage, as yields in the Cabernet were on the low side. This serious, potent Saint-Julien is going to need a bit of time to fully come together, but it is certainly impressive.

Score: 92 - 94 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2025-2042

A chewy and polished red with blackberry and blueberry character. Full to medium body. Fine and tensioned. Excellent finish. Salty. Blackcurrants at the end. 66% merlot, 32% cabernet sauvignon, and 2% petit verdot.

Score: 94 - 95 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com

The 2022 La Croix de Beaucaillou opens in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cigar wrapper and fresh mint, framed by creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy, with a deep core of fruit framed by chunky tannins, it's a blend of 66% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot.

Score: 90 - 92 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

Sculpted, with muscular tannins, keeps things strictly controlled on the opening beats, then opens to show creamy damson and blackberry fruits, grilled vanilla bean, peony, iris, bitter chocolate, lifted aromatics of peony and crushed rose petals, and clear salinity on the finish. This is intense and impressive, aged in 80% new oak. Harvest September 7 to October 4, almost an entire month of harvesting, unusual for the vintage. Tasted twice

Score: 93 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2028-2042

The 2022 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou contains a lot more Merlot this year as they were compensating for the lack of Cabernet Sauvignon, this Deuxième Vin raised in 80% new oak. It has a delineated bouquet with a mixture of red and black fruit. The briary and smoky aromas feel more understated compared to its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and seamlessly integrated oak that lends a silky texture. Very harmonious with an insistent grip (the IPT is 93), it lacquers the mouth long after it has departed. That Pauillac tincture is displayed and defines its precise finish. Excellent, but be warned that the oak will require several years to assimilate fully. Not so far behind the Grand Vin because of the growing season.

Score: 93 - 95 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2030-2058

The second wine of this great château, the 2022 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou is based on two-thirds Merlot with the balance mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, raised in 80% new French oak. Hitting 14% natural alcohol, its vivid purple hue is followed by stunning aromatics of cassis, blueberries, tobacco, graphite, and chalky minerality. Full-bodied on the palate, it brings plenty of concentration and structure yet is balanced and has a great mid-palate and outstanding length. If there was a ranking for the top second wines in Bordeaux, this would be in the top handful of releases.

Score: 93 - 95 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com

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