Region | |
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Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Margaux |
Colour | Red |
Type | Still |
Henri Lurton, the proprietor here, has been working to improve quality in the vineyard with regrafting of Merlot to high quality Cabernet Sauvignon as they look to keep freshness and structure in the wines. The vineyard is now planted with 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% split between Petit Verdot and Carmenère. Recent vintages have been outstanding and this property is now producing the best wines in Margaux behind the superstars of Château Margaux, Palmer and Rauzan Ségla.
Blackberries, plums, currants, tobacco and violets on the nose. Bitter chocolate and mocha, too. It’s refined and focused, with a medium to full body and firm, tightly-knit tannins. Very long, laser-focused and polished. Very classy. Best of the trilogy. Try after 2027.
The 2020 Brane-Cantenac has turned out nicely, offering up aromas of blackberries and crème de cassis mingled with notions of licorice, pencil shavings, violets and subtle hints of smoked meats. Medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy, with a lavish core of fruit, ripe acids and sweet tannins that assert themselves on the savory finish, it can't quite match the purity and sensuality of the 2019, but it's a strong effort. 2027 - 2060
There is much to be said for a wine that speaks of its appellation, and that is Brane Cantenac's brilliance in 2020. There is some toasty wood immediately on the nose, but this quickly falls into fragrant blue fruit, red and purple flowers and a wonderful, harmonising note of dried rosemary. The palate is vibrant, juicy and fine-boned, with chalky tannins giving direction and focus, lifting all the fruit into fragrant, floral tones. This is a wine with brilliant flow, it weaves between riper dark fruit from the vintage and herbal, zesty tones synonymous with the Médoc. Chalky through to the finish, this offers a lot for the money and is another great effort in a run of strong vintages at this property.
The 2020 Brane-Cantenac is deep garnet-purple in color. It gallops out with energetic scents of black and red currant preserves, fresh boysenberries, and candied violets, plus wafts of bay leaves and graphite. The medium-bodied palate shimmers with vibrant black and red berry flavors, supported by firm, grainy tannins, finishing long and earthy.
There is an exuberance to the 2020 vintage at Brane Cantenac, with rippling depths to the damson fruit, along with liqourice, graphite, cocoa bean, fine tannins, white pepper, sage. Feels fully ripe but well restrained, very Margaux. 100% new oak with 28 different parameters, including forest origin, level of toasting, width of the grain and time of seasoning the oak staves before barrel construction. Just such a meticulous approach, and no doubt helps deepen the complexity in the final glass, as do choices such as the touch of Carmanère in the blend (and the increase in Cabernet Sauvignon over recent years). Eric Boissenot consultant, 31hl/ha yield.
Full bottle 1,325 g. Cask sample taken 19 April. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% each of Petit Verdot and Carmenère. Cabernet Sauvignon was picked 17 to 28 September, Merlot 14 to 18 September, Cabernet Franc 18 to 25 September, Petit Verdot 21 to 22 September, Carmenère 30 September.
Deep, dark purple. Very fragrant with hints of bergamot. Decidedly aérien on the nose and then super-gentle on the palate. Much lighter than most of its peers but by no means vapid. The tannins are almost negligible – apparently – but they dig in on the end of the palate. Very long. A decidedly graceful wine. 13.7%
Drink 2026 – 2042
The 2020 blend is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenère. The ageing will take place in a mixture of oak barrels and amphoras for 18 months. Delicate extraction techniques were used to get highly refined tannins. Bright ruby in colour. This has a superb aroma already, mixing floral cherry blossom and violet tones with ripe red cherry fruit and a hint of dried herbs. The palate is pure cashmere, with supremely refined tannins gently framing cool black fruit at the core. Despite the silky elegance, the fruit bursts through with intensity. This is a deep, harmonious wine with a very persistent finish. An excellent Brane Cantenac and one of the highlights from our tastings this year.
(70% CS, 26% M, 2% CF, 1% CARM, 1% PV; 35% harvest, 13.7% ABV)
Dense, lightly “dry” blackcurrant Cabernet, markedly and very finely mineral; rich, full, concentrated but absolutely without excess, lightly oaky in aroma and texture, deep and subtly juicy, darkly ripe Cabernet fruit, long and close-grained to taste, very mineral, with a feel of effortlessly contained richness and wonderful black fruit and mineral persistence. And for all the ripe fruit, a delicious freshness, too. Classically proportioned, complete and beautiful. 2028–60+.
Extremely floral and beautiful with blackberry and blackcurrant aromas that follow through to a full body with a solid core of fruit and loads of dark fruit, sweet tobacco, bark and earth. Chewy, fine tannins. Perhaps the best of the trilogy years.
The 2020 Brane-Cantenac is made from 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot, and 1% Carmenere. Deep garnet-purple colored, it gives up notes of cedar, cinnamon, and sassafras over a core of cassis, lilacs, and garrigue. Medium to full-bodied, it is firm and grainy with just enough freshness, and a bright, shiny finish. This was tasted as a barrel sample.
The 2020 Brane-Cantenac is composed of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Carménère and 1% Petit Verdot. It weighs in with 13.7% alcohol and a pH of 3.71. Deep purple-black colored, it has a beautifully expressive nose of fresh redcurrants, blackcurrant jelly, kirsch and rose oil, plus hints of tobacco leaf, wild sage and crushed rocks. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly styled with a plush texture and plenty of freshness supporting the red berry and earthy flavors, finishing fragrant. 2024 - 2040
Violet-edged, lovely vibrant colour. A low-yield wine that has kept an impressively fresh core, with expressive fruits and a vibrant grip through the centre of the wine. Powerful, tight tannins and the concentration becomes clearer in the glass, a ton of bilberry, sage and rosemary aromatics, with a generous helping of graphite and crushed stone. All of these wines are going to need very careful ageing - although the reasonable alcohols should help. A yield of 31hl/ha. 18 months ageing in a mix of new oak barrels and amphoras. 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenère completes the blend. Tasted twice.
Drinking Window 2028 - 2044