Opaque purple-ruby. Very rich nose offers sweet blueberry syrup and blackberry jam aromas, with a topnote of nutmeg and crystallized ginger. Also quite spicy on the palate, where it boasts great purity to its blackberry and plum flavors. Quite concentrated and long, though it seems almost light thanks to wonderfully harmonious acids. Finishes with still youthful but very polished tannins and a late kick of cracked black pepper and smoked bacon. Owner Patrick Maroteaux feels this is one of the five best Branaires of the last 25 years and he won't get any argument from me.

Dark red with ruby tones. Musky aromas of currant, dark plum and chocolate, along with a riper hint of black raspberry. Quite dry and uncompromising, with very good intensity and clarity to the medicinal flavors of dark fruits, blueberry skin, minerals and leather. Finishes backward, even a bit disjointed, with edgy acidity and dusty tannins in need of time to harmonize. Rather atypically unforthcoming for a young Branaire, but built for an extended life in bottle.

A stunning success for the vintage, this enticing St.-Julien reveals notes of lead pencil shavings, sweet raspberries and black currants and a subtle touch of oak. Elegant, restrained yet authoritative and impressively intense, it is a medium to full-bodied, lightly tannic effort will be even better with 1-2 years of bottle age and will keep for 15-20 years.

Tasted ex-chateau and single blind in Southwold. The nose is a little of the Branaire Ducru 2008 are muted at the moment, but as it unfurls it reveals attractive blackberry and briary aromas with well-integrated oak. This will need time. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent tannins, slightly lower in acidity with very fine integrated texture with a silky smooth finish. Composed, but maybe missing a little “personality”. Tasted January 2012.

– eRobertParker.com, Mar 2012

Vegetal aromas on the nose, black cherry and some black olive too. Savoury and serious but there's enough primary fruit to keep this drinkable and user-friendly. (RH)