The 2013 Branaire-Ducru has ample black fruit on the nose, so much so that I suspect served blind you would not guess that it was the derided 2013 vintage! It is not complex per se, but there are decent pure blackberry and boysenberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, well judged acidity, a little abrupt on the finish but certainly fresh with a pleasant piquancy. Early drinking fare, but it is well made considering the vintage. Tasted at the property. 87 points

I love how every vintage tells its own story, and here you see the colour is lighter than the others in the line up. This translates to a lovely sweet edge to the fruit but the oak is a little more pronounced because there is less depth of fruit to counterbalance it (even though at 55% new oak it is less than a usual year). It has balance, but `the geometry is not the same`, as the technical director Jean-Dominique Videau so beautifully puts it. Less complexity and density than most years but there is a freshness and grace, and zero trace of pyrazine, which can be prevalent in this vintage. Braniare never pushes too hard, which means that in a year like 2013 it simply keeps things deft and carefully placed. 1% Cabernet Franc makes up the blend. Marked lower because this doesn`t have the staying power that you usually pay for in a St-Julien – but there is pleasure to be had in the medium term. 87 points

A juicy young wine with berry, cherry and currant character. Medium to full body with well-integrated tannins and a juicy finish. Pure and delicious. Very well done. 91-92 points