Château Branaire-Ducru Saint-Julien 4e Cru Classé 1996 OWC6

The history of Château Branaire-Ducru began in 1680 when Jean-Baptiste Braneyre, a royal notary in Bordeaux, purchased part of the Beychevelle estate. The current château was built by his descendants, the Duluc family. Château Branaire entered the legendary ranks of the 1855 Official Classification following Napoleon's imperial invitation. Château Branaire took the name Branaire-Ducru following the takeover of the estate by Louis Duluc's nephew, Gustave Ducru, in 1857.

A new chapter in history was written in 1988, when Patrick Maroteaux took over the reins of the estate. A true figure in the wine world and a great ambassador for Bordeaux, he devoted all his energy and passion to brilliantly implementing a strategy of reclaiming the terroirs and restoring Château Branaire-Ducru to its former glory. Thanks to him and the extensive work carried out on the property (complete overhaul of the cellars in 1992, including the installation of one of the first gravity-fed vats and plot-by-plot vinification in small vats using gentle extraction methods, reduced yields, and sustainable cultivation methods), Château Branaire-Ducru has managed to become one of the highest-quality Crus in the Médoc. Patrick Maroteaux sadly passed away in November 2017. The family story continues with his son, François-Xavier Maroteaux.

The Château Branaire-Ducru vineyard covers 60 hectares following a 10-hectare expansion in 2010, comprising several plots running along an east-west axis in the southern part of the appellation. The vines, averaging 35 years old, some of which are centuries old, are planted on Quaternary gravelly-siliceous alluvial soils, recognized as one of the warmest terroirs in the region, allowing late-ripening grape varieties to thrive while ensuring perfect phenolic ripening. The estate's grape varieties are typically representative of the Médoc, with a majority proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), 28% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc.

The Branaire-Ducru style is defined by wines that are distinct from other Saint-Julien crus, bearing their own identity, recognized for their consistency and elegant finesse, beautifully underscored by the presence of ripe fruit on a supple and velvety texture.