A beautiful wine from Branaire, the 2000 is close to full maturity, and should offer plenty of pleasure over the next 15-20 years. Its deep ruby/purple hue is accompanied by scents of boysenberries, black currants, and spring flowers. This medium to full-bodied, pure St.-Julien hits the palate with authority, displaying silky tannins as well as wonderful richness, depth, and texture.

Robert Parker''s Wine Advocate 29/06/2010 A beautiful wine from Branaire, the 2000 is close to full maturity, and should offer plenty of pleasure over the next 15-20 years. Its deep ruby/purple hue is accompanied by scents of boysenberries, black currants, and spring flowers. This medium to full-bodied, pure St.-Julien hits the palate with authority, displaying silky tannins as well as wonderful richness, depth, and texture. Drink 2008-2025
-Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide No 7

A saturated purple color offers up notes of graphite, plum, raspberry, and blueberry fruit in that distinctive Branaire style. Always a singular wine, even for St.-Julien, the wine boasts superb purity, rich, medium to full-bodied flavors, with loads of sweetness, some subtle toasty oak, and strength and richness that builds incrementally on the palate. A top-flight Branaire, this is the finest wine made at this property since the 1996 and 1982. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025. (93)

Good medium ruby. Deep, smoky aromas of cassis, raspberry, leather, chocolate and roasted oak. Sweet, supple and thick but not at all heavy. A very concentrated wine with lovely sweetness of fruit and terrific mouth coverage. Really spreads out on the back end, which features broad, ripe tannins and terrific length.

(77% cabernet sauvignon, 17% merlot, 4% petit verdot and 2% cabernet franc; 3.8 pH; 12.7% alcohol): Medium red with an amber rim. Precise aromas of red fruits, dried herbs and earth. Then more herbs, minty chocolate and dark fruits on the palate, lifted by a note of faded flowers. The long, creamy finish features truffles and brown spices. While a recently tasted magnum was drinking beautifully, another 750-ml. bottle was tired, earthy and drying. This note reflects the better 750, which I think is more typical of this wine. Harvested between September 25 and October 10.

The 2000 Branaire-Ducru has an attractive earthy bouquet with touches of cedar and oyster shell, well defined and perhaps with more horsepower than the 2001. It still feels youthful. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin, blackberry, cedar, sage and a touch of black olive developing with time. Then halfway through it takes its foot off the accelerator and becomes much more elegant, to wit, a Saint-Julien with “gentle swagger”. This comes recommended and whilst you could drink it now, it will benefit from two or three more years in bottle. Tasted at the Branaire-Ducru dinner.