2019 | Château Branaire-Ducru | Saint-Julien | France

One winemaker's own wine of the year — Fourth-Growth St-Julien from a modern master, in the excellent 2019 vintage.

Château Branaire-Ducru is a Fourth Growth St-Julien farmed by the Maroteaux family since 1988, today under François-Xavier Maroteaux, on deep gravel over clay facing the Gironde. The estate is one of the appellation's most elegant and consistent addresses — a K&L buyer named a recent Branaire his personal wine of the year, calling it the work of one of the region's great luminaries.

Classed-growth St-Julien from a top vintage and a beloved winemaker doesn't usually sit here. A CellarTracker consensus around 93 points and glowing trade reviews → the marquee St-Julien names cost several times more → at $203 for the magnum you're buying elegance and pedigree by the 1.5L.

• 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot
• Fourth Growth (1855), Saint-Julien — 1.5L magnum
• Deep gravel over clay facing the Gironde estuary
• Maroteaux family; François-Xavier Maroteaux

"Aromatic black fruits, velvety but as always quite restrained and classic." Translation: violets and cloves over layered cassis, plush ripe tannins, and the harmonious St-Julien polish that makes this estate a cult favorite.

A magnum of modern-classic St-Julien from a winemaker other winemakers revere. Exactly the bottle for a table that wants Bordeaux with both finesse and generosity.