Ch. Brane-Cantenac
2nd Growth Grand Cru Classe
Margaux
2005

The producer

Long in the hands of a branch of the Lurton family (they seem to appear everywhere in fine properties across Bordeaux), Brane has strangely played under the radar over the years. Under the custodianship of Henri Lurton since 1992, Brane has gained more prestige, more Cabernet Sauvignon, and more structure and concentration. It is also one of the rare chateaux that uses a small proportion of Carmenere in the mix. These are very charming wines that have great longevity.

Brane Cantenac is named after Baron Hector de Brane who did so much to promote the use of Cabernet Sauvignon across the Medoc. He would be proud of the chateau that bears his name now.

The wine

The main part of fruit for the Grand Vin is sourced from 40 hectares of vineyards behind the main chateau, in the commune of Cantenac. Although varying with vintage conditions and fruit ripeness, the Grand Vin is usually around 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, along with a little Petit Verdot (since the 2017 vintage), and a little Carmenere (since the 2011 vintage). 40% of the wine is fermented in oak, with the remainder in stainless steel and concrete. Carmenere and Petit Verdot are entirely vinified in oak barrels. The majority of the Grand Vin goes through malolactic fermentation in barrel and is then aged in 60% new French oak barrels for 17 months. Brane Cantenac is always an elegant wine, with a certain restraint and non-showy nature, yet with immense concentration and structure.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.