Tasted at the Cru Bourgeois annual tasting, the 2015 Chateau de Braude has a backward but well-defined bouquet with blackberry, graphite and earthy aromas, nicely focused and gaining vigor with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite conservative in style, unassuming but pretty with a detailed finish that does not outstay its welcome. Very fine. Tasted September 2017.

The 2014 Chateau de Braude has an attractive blackberry, cedar and tobacco-scented bouquet that opens with a sense of confidence in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple and fine tannin. The acidity is well judged and it gradually builds to a lightly spiced finish that begs you back for another sip. This Haut-Médoc is worth hunting down. Tasted September 2016.

A very attractive, well-made cru bourgeois, De Braude’s 2012 has a deep ruby/purple color, some black and red currant fruit, earth and spice. It is cleanly made and shows good purity and balance in a relatively enticing style. This wine comes from the southern part of the Médoc and has that suppleness and fragrance that wines from this area tend to produce. Drink it over the next 5-7 years.

Also recommended, but no tasting note given.