We are to taste this bottle. However, the Wine Advocate reviewed the 2018 vintage very favourably and scored it 95 points. While this 2019 has not been reviewed yet, rest assured that it will likely surpass its predecessor, as 2019 was one of the best vintages in recent history in The Wachau.
Dense, fresh, dark fruit profile with an intense mid-palate, this 2014 Château Branaire-Ducru registers in a style that the Château usually calls "Maison". Indeed, it offers a rich and expressive nose of well-ripened yet fresh fruits. This 2014 vintage palate is fleshy from the attack and then develops into a St Julien texture with a perfect acidity that confers an exceptional balance. With ample and Fine tannins, this 2014 vintage of Château Branaire-Ducru was from vines growing on the old vineyard of Château Branaire Ducru. It is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Some complexities.
Scores are significant: 94WE, 92RP, 93WS, 93JS, 93V.
94 points Wine Enthusiast
*Cellar Selection* Spicy, rich and full of ripe fruit, this wine has excellent 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 delicate fruit. Drink from 2022. (RV) (2/2017) Edited.
93 points, James Suckling
This is a slightly shy mid-weight wine that is anything but a flashy one. Suppose you have some patience; it has plenty of subtlety and sophistication. Drink in 2021. (2/2017). Edited.
93 points Vinous
The 2014 Branaire Ducru is soft, polished and super-inviting. Succulent red cherry, plum, lavender, spice and mint give the wine its attractive, open-knit personality, while silky tannins add to an overall impression of sensuality. 2014 should drink well with minimal cellaring. Today, it is among the most accessible in Saint-Julien. (AG) (2/2017). Edited.
93 points Wine Spectator
Very pure and expressive, featuring lovely violet and cassis aromas and flavours that stream forth, backed by light anise and graphite hints. It maintains a fresh feel through the finish, with delicate minerality engaging with the fruit. Best from 2019 through 2028. (JM) (3/2017). Edited.
92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Château Branaire-Ducru blend 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc picked between 24 September with the early-ripening Merlot and finishing on 11 October. The yields came in at 40 hectoliters per hectare, and Patrick Maratoux explained the importance of waiting for the correct maturity of each parcel. It has a tightly wound bouquet with black cherries and orange peel aromas, focused, if not as complex as, say, Château Beychevelle. The palate is medium-bodied, sinewy in the mouth with tensile tannins. This wine seems to be making a considerable effort in this vintage, but I would like to see more finesse manifested on the finish by the bottle's time. You know, I think that will develop. That 12 to 13% in de presse lends this Branaire Ducru impressive sustain on the finish, and I suspect it will coalesce throughout the barrel, ageing in two-thirds new oak (though the sample shown at the château was 100% new oak). (NM) (4/2015)
2012 Ardanza is very Riojan in its primary, secondary and tertiary profile. The fundamental fruit is strong enough; the overtones are flowing well. It gives fine drinking now. The structure is superb with delicate balance and tannic texture; the finish is quite long and complex from the old vines, 30 months in aged American oak and subsequent bottle ageing—a modern style.
2012 is from a good vintage, after 2010, 2007, 2004 and 2005. It is also the best-placed Spanish wine on the list of the 100 best wines in the world produced by Wine Spectator magazine and chosen as Best Rioja Wine in the international wines from Spain 2015 competition. Before its famous popular siblings 890 and 904, Ardanza is still underrated. Yet scores are impressive, like RP94, JS95, Decanter 94, and Tim Atkins 93.
