Château Brane Cantenac 2021

If there was one word to describe Château Brane-Cantenac, it would be “meticulous.”  This Second Growth Château in the Margaux appellation firmly believes in slow, methodical, and continuous experimentation in the vat room.  In a 2018 Decanter article, wine journalist Jane Anson describes a rigorous experiment at Château Brane-Cantenac where the estate was comparing different toasts of French and Russian Oak from the Caucasus forests with different lengths of seasoning from 24 to 36 months.  The aim of the study was to discover which type of oak was better for their cooperage and whether the oak should be kept inside a drying park or have exposure to the natural elements such as rainfall.  This is considered a normal experiment at Château Brane-Cantenac. One can clearly see at this estate, complacency is not an option.

Château Brane-Cantenac originates back to the early 17th Century, where it was known as Domaine Guilhem Hosten.  It was one of the most expensive vineyards in Bordeaux and was highly respected long before it was ranked as a Second Growth during the 1855 Classification.  The estate received its namesake when it was purchased by Baron de Brane, a highly respected viticulturalist who was nicknamed, “Napoleon of the Vines.”  The Baron was the owner of the estate Brane-Mouton, another producer that would later become known as the famous First Growth Estate, Château Mouton Rothschild. The Baron sold his holdings of Brane-Mouton to acquire Château Brane-Cantenac.  The estate changed hands in the 1920s to a négociant Château Grand Crus de France that also owned Château Margaux. Eventually Château Brane-Cantenac was acquired by one of the most famous winemaking families in Bordeaux, the Lurton family. 

After several generations, the estate is currently helmed by the ambitious and personable Henri Lurton.  Lurton is not afraid of thinking outside of the box and owns another winery in Baja California called Bodegas Henri Lurton.  With master’s degrees in Biology, Oenology, and Ampelography, he brings his scientific knowledge and love of experimentation to the vineyards at Château Brane-Cantenac. The viticultural team oversees the 75-hectare left bank vineyard with its numerous plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Carmenere. Under his leadership, 20% of the vineyard is organically farmed and 4 hectares are biodynamically farmed.  Château Brane-Cantenac has its own weather station linked up to the European Demeter Network and for more than ten years has used a website run by Meteo France to show daily weather reports, rain radar, satellite pictures, and long-range forecasts.  

Though not the most outwardly showy wines in Margaux, the wines of Brane-Cantenac are adored because of their highly complex and layered nuances that unfold with time.  They are gorgeously textured, and the fruits shine through with confidence as they age.  They are softer and more accessible than some of the bolder wines of Pauillac and other Margaux Second Growths.  Because of their accessibility and strength, these wines are tremendously versatile.  They can be consumed on the younger side or laid down and enjoyed years later.

"There are only 1,500 bottles of the 2021 Brane-Cantenac Blanc, a Sauvignon-dominant white produced from clay soils between Brane's two gravel terraces that are not entitled to the Margaux appellation. Offering up an estery, grapefruit-inflected and gently reductive bouquet, it's medium-bodied, tangy and saline, concluding with a dry finish." - William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (2/8/2024), Rating: 88

"One of the few with violet reflections to the ruby colour, with austerity and cool vintage expression of blueberry and raspberry fruits, well defined and sculpted, good juice and lift, impressive purity and power, with a sandalwood swirl of 100% new oak for ageing. Harvest September 23 to October 7, 41hl/h yield." - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux (12/06/2023) Rating: 94, Drink: 2027-2041

"I loved the nose on the 2021 Château Brane-Cantenac, which has good intensity as well as the vintage's fresher, vibrant, focused style. Ripe red and blue fruits, violets, tobacco, and a beautiful sense of graphite and minerality all define the aromatics, and it hits the palate with medium-bodied richness, a supple, elegant, layered mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and nicely integrated acidity. The overall balance here is spot on, and while this is approachable and delicious even today, it should shine for two decades. The blend is 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, and Petit Verdot, with the élevage spanning 18 months in new barrels." Jeb Dunnuck, Bordeaux 2021 From Bottle (4/3/2024) Rating: 93