External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.4 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 79 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by kidsmurf2000 on 4/21/2024 & rated 90 points: Seems to be sleeping (3148 views) | | | Tasted by UFGators on 3/21/2024: Consistent with previous notes. Needs air but a joy to drink once it opens. This one has a long life ahead of it and will continue to improve. 96+ (3544 views) | | | Tasted by burlingtonm on 3/5/2024 & rated 94 points: Suckling Wines of the World: Still highly structured, silky tannins with the best to come but this is going to be a great wine with more time in the bottle. An excellent effort. (3843 views) | | | Tasted by faivre_eric on 12/28/2023 & rated 93 points: Lovely well-balanced Margaux.
Dark ink color.
Luscious red fruits on the palate, soft integrated tannins.
Long finish. (4355 views) | | | Tasted by stayhappy21 on 11/25/2023 & rated 92 points: Tasted this at the International Congress of Chinese Cuisine & Wine, Chateau Brane-Cantenac Masterclass at The Tower Club.
Very rounded, very smooth. A rich wine, but slightly closed. (4689 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 11/19/2023 & rated 93 points: 20 Vintages of Brane Cantenac: My limited experience with Brane has been mostly positive, and this tasting confirmed my initial thoughts: these days, Brane is A) usually quite accessible and charming, even young; B) the quality has steadily improved over the years, the wines are becoming more complex, precise and balanced; while vintages pre 2015 often seemed a bit simple, more recent vintages show better, C) the aromatics in recent vintages remind me of Ch. Margaux, with beautiful ripe red fruit core, as well as floral and coffee components; and D) the quality/price ratio is exceptionally good (not considered for the ratings). E) The best wine was the ethereal 2020 (96 points), followed by a superbly fresh 2010 (95 points). Although the quality is exceptional these days, the Chateau didn't fully nail every vintage, the 2019 (93pts) and, more surprisingly, the 2016 (93pts) were strong but a tad too ripe and sweet.
TN: This was a bit perplexing. On one hand the intensity, the broad array of fruit and aromas, the precision and the excellent tannin structure speak of the amazing 2016 vintage. On the other hand, the fruit, especially on the nose, showed much riper than what I would expect from a good wine in this vintage. Some parts were almost candy like. Luckily, there was a lot of fresher, not too ripe blue and red fruit on the palate too, as well as a lot of minerality to match the ripe fruit. All in all, this is a great wine that should provide a lot of drinking pleasure with a few more years of cellaring.
Decanting: Not decanted. I would decant it for 2+ hours. (4959 views) | | | Tasted by J_H on 9/10/2023 & rated 92 points: Vertical of 20 vintages - Chateau Brane-Cantenac: It was a pleasure to taste 20 vintages of Brane-Cantenac. All wines were tasted blind and with little time (10min per flight of 4 wines). Coming from the Margaux appellation, the wine convinced 1) with its accessibility of all vintages, 2) often very feminine and fresh vinification and 3) especially the consistency of quality to be emphasized. So it was not surprising that all 20 bottles (for the first time in this tasting with 12 people) were empty. At the same time, it could also be noted that the very great complexity for ratings above 94 points is often somewhat lacking. Very exciting to observe were the significant change in fruit. Until the 2009 vintage, this was often primarily red-fruited, light and very strongly Cabernet influenced. From the 2009 vintage on, a clear shift to more extraction and sweetness of the fruit is noticeable. The last, often great vintages from 2015 to 2020 are ripe but still with a good freshness/aciadity (except for 2015 according to my impression).
Tasting Note:
- This vintage shows a clear presence of wood, accompanied by aromas of blue fruits. The fruitiness seems sugary and very ripe.
- It is impressive how ripe this wine is without being overripe. It almost has something of candy floss. On the palate, however, the high quality of the tannins (much better than in the 90s) and the good acidity stand out. The fruitiness, however, seems a bit too sweet to me but the present acidity is holding against to have an overall nice experience of the wine. (5673 views) | | | Tasted by John McCabe on 7/1/2023 & rated 92 points: Was disappointed with this; the fruit seemed a bit affected, despite a decant. (6569 views) | | | Tasted by Collector1855 on 5/14/2023 & rated 96 points: Bordeaux 2022 en Primeur and some recent vintages: A chateau that currently has a lot of momentum. Buy this before it becomes too expensive. Jean-Marc Quarin was the first to draw attention to it in 2015. Wonderful aromas and polished tannins. Like the 2022, a super wine and under 100 bucks. (7481 views) | | | Tasted by merlotsmile on 4/13/2023 & rated 93 points: BYOB Vinklubben Vinminnen 15: Vinminnen 15 (5830 views) | | | Tasted by Waedi on 3/20/2023 & rated 92 points: 92+ (5877 views) | | | Tasted by Ben Christiansen on 10/19/2022: '16 is tremendous they say, one of the best vintages that they have done. Purity, straight, and creamy tannins, beautiful freshness, dry and sunny hot vintage. High potential of aging. Could be drunk now but needs air the winery is telling me. And its fresh and vibrant and wonderful. (7952 views) | | | Tasted by mchern02 on 9/19/2022 & rated 92 points: One hour decant
Fairly dark color with an effeminate nose of bright black fruit, wet black tea, some velvety smoke and tobacco. Tight but bright, strong core, nice dimension, and will be much better in 5 - 10 years. Will be a real nice drinker (6835 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 7/9/2022 & rated 95 points: Still dark in color, the wine is clearly powerful, with notes of black tea, flowers, dark Cuban cigars, and black cherries. Balanced, fresh, harmonious, long, and rich, there is lift, energy, length, intensity, and purity with a chalky edge to the finish. This is not a wine for today, you need some patience before it shows really well. If you are not familiar with the level of wine coming from Brane Cantenac these days, you should be. Drink from 2030-2060. (9441 views) | | | Tasted by SARED on 4/5/2022 & rated 92 points: Red currants, some cherry, savory cranberry, med/full bodied but feels light and clean in the mouth, no heat, and med+ sour cherry acidity. I appreciate the weightless fruit, polished texture and no heat - but this is another wine seems to need some time. 92-93 (8193 views) | | | Tasted by Nojomoschwa on 12/29/2021 & rated 92 points: This was much more open a couple years ago upon release. It seems to have shut down and was not very forthcoming, though it still has the immediacy of being a luxe Bordeaux with expensive barrel aging and ripe fruit. Needs at least 2-4 years to come more into its own, though, by my reckoning. (8188 views) | | | Tasted by jonboy74 on 8/28/2021 & rated 93 points: Tons of potential. Very young but coming together. Tasted at PnP and was super purple inky color, smooth, dark red fruit and boysenberry. Unique profile at open.
4 hrs after opening, slow ox, its really showing nicely. The richness on the nose foreshadows nicely whats going to hit your palate, a seamless transition from aroma to attack. The boysenberry note has subsided and its predominintely red fruits and some blackberry. Nice acidity for balance. Some drying tannins but not overwhelming, disguising a bit of a flat mid-palate but carry the finish on for awhile. Will follow over the next 4 days (8516 views) | | | Tasted by kidsmurf2000 on 8/15/2021 & rated 93 points: Getting pretty good after a couple of hours decanting, needs some time I think (7691 views) | | | Tasted by Turn on 7/11/2021 & rated 94 points: Purple color, nose violets, baking soda, red fruit. Well integrated tannins once the wine has enough air. Much better on the second day, although it was already very good on the first. Precise, long finish. I look forward to accompany this wine further, still has a lot of potential. (8176 views) | | | Tasted by Sstoten1 on 3/14/2021 & rated 94 points: Good to purchase again (8496 views) | | | Tasted by SPLJEG on 2/13/2021 & rated 94 points: The wine looks ruby colored. The body is medium/full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity. (7607 views) | | | Tasted by pgrzesik on 1/15/2021 & rated 92 points: This wine has all the potential to become a really great wine. We decanted this for about 2 hours but that was not enough. This ideally needs at least 8 hours at this point I feel. It pours a very dark red to purplish color. The nose is a bit muted but shows dark fruit, tobacco, and a hint of licorice. This is full bodied, tannins are very big, overall felt very tight. It has so much potential, who knows when this will be ready? (6962 views) | | | Tasted by pmjordan on 7/31/2020 & rated 100 points: Smooootthhh (9800 views) | | | Tasted by pmjordan on 7/31/2020 & rated 100 points: A favorite!! (8398 views) | | | Tasted by UFGators on 4/10/2020 & rated 96 points: This wine has tons of character and drinks well about its price. Classic Margaux in an incredible vintage. Floral With dark red fruit. Delicious. (9381 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Panel Tasting
Decanter, Wines of the Year 2023 (11/2/2023)
(Château Brane-Cantenac, Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaux, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Panos Kakaviatos
Decanter, Margaux: regional profile (4/18/2022)
(Château Brane-Cantenac, Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaux, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (1/23/2020)
(Ch Brane-Cantenac Margaux Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Up From The Cellar #7 & Misc New Releases (11/14/2019)
(Chateau Brane-Cantenac) Login and sign up and see review text. | By James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com (1/25/2019)
(Château Brane-Cantenac Margaux, Red, France) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2016 Bordeaux…It’s All In The Bottle (Jan 2019) (1/2/2019)
(Brane-cantenac Brane-cantenac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Neal Martin
Vinous, The DBs: Bordeaux 2016 In Bottle (Jan 2019) (1/1/2019)
(Brane-cantenac Brane-cantenac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, December 2018 (12/1/2018)
(Château Brane-Cantenac Margaux Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Julia Harding, MW
JancisRobinson.com (10/16/2018)
(Ch Brane-Cantenac Margaux Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jane Anson
Decanter, 2016 in bottle (10/8/2018)
(Château Brane-Cantenac, Margaux, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jane Anson
Decanter, Brane Cantenac Vertical (11/24/2017)
(Château Brane-Cantenac, Margaux, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2016 Bordeaux: It’s Now or Never, Baby (Apr 2017) (4/17/2017)
(Brane-cantenac Brane-cantenac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com (4/4/2017)
(Château Brane-Cantenac Margaux, Red, France) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (4/4/2017)
(Ch Brane-Cantenac Margaux Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jane Anson
Decanter, Bordeaux En Primeur 2016 Margaux (4/2/2017)
(Château Brane-Cantenac, Margaux, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, April 2017 (4/1/2017)
(Château Brane-Cantenac Margaux Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Decanter and JancisRobinson.com and JebDunnuck.com and JamesSuckling.com and Vinous and Winedoctor. (manage subscription channels) |
| Château Brane-Cantenac Producer website - Read more information about Chateau Brane Cantenac
Château Brane-Cantenac is a 2nd growth estate.
Production Area: 75 hectares in the Margaux appellation.
Terroir: There are 3 main terroirs on the estate: the first and the most valued is a large sweep of gravel in front of the château at the top of the Margaux-Cantenac plateau. The plateau de Brane has a thick layer of surface gravel, which provides both radiant heat to the vines as well as excellent drainage. The second section is centered around and behind the château; here there is still gravel, but a higher proportion of sandy soil, and no clay. The third section is on the other side of the Route d’Arsac; this is La Verdotte, a 10-hectare vineyard planted 35 years ago; here the soil is a gravelly sand again. There is a fourth vineyard, Notton, a 13-hectare plot of coarse gravel over clay, and more distant from Brane-Cantenac than the other vines.
Plantation Density: 8,000 vines per hectare
Average Age of the Vines: 35 years old
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon covers 55% of the vineyard, with 40% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc, and 0.5% Carmenère
Harvest: The fruit is picked by hand with typical yields around 45 hl/ha, and then transported to the cellar using the Air Tec system which cushions the fruit, protecting it from damage with its pneumatic suspension. The freshly harvested fruit enjoys a cold soak; for wet vintages, the team uses concentration methods, reducing the water content of the must by vacuum extraction.
Vinification: The fermentation is induced by inoculation with yeast, and in the first few vats there may also be contemporaneous inoculation with malolactic bacteria. The fermentation is naturally temperature controlled, and may last between 7 and 10 days. As it progresses, the wine can see a lot of handling, not only pumping over but sometimes pigeage and even délestage. The fruit will see a maceration lasting between 20 and 30 days before pressing using two pneumatic presses, and both the free-run and press wines are then fed into barrels, using 60-70% new oak, ready for malolactic fermentation.Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanMédoc Vins du Médoc (Conseil des Vins du Médoc) - Read More about the Medoc
VdB
The eight precisely defined appellations of the whole of the Médoc (from Blanquefort Brook to the north of the Bordeaux built-up area, almost to the Pointe de Grave) may claim the Médoc appellation. But there is also a specific territory in the north of the peninsula which produces exclusively wines with this appellation. In the great majority, the Médocs come from the north of the peninsula. The great individuality of this region is that the number of vines has increased more recently here than elsewhere, apart from a few isolated spots where vines have grown for many years. Today, the size of the small estate has brought about the development of a powerful co-operative movement. Four co-operatives out of five belong to the group called Unimédoc which ensures aging, bottling and marketing a large proportion of their wines.Margaux Read more about Margaux and its wines As with a large part of the Bordeaux vineyards, vines first appeared in Margaux during the Gallo-Roman period.
In 1705 a text mentions Château Margaux . But we have to wait for the end of the eighteenth century and the coming of the earliest techniques in aging for the concept of wines of high quality to develop. The confirmation of this was the famous 1855 classification which recognized 21 Crus Classés in the Margaux appellation. One hundred years later, the Viticultural Federation and the Margaux appellation of controlled origin were born. The appellation, which stretches out over five communes, is actually unique in the Médoc in that it is the only one to contain all the range of wines, as rich as they are vast, from First Great Cru Classé to the Fifths, not forgetting its famous Crus Bourgeois and its Crus Artisans.
In Margaux there is a predominance of Garonne gravel on a central plateau of about 4 miles in length and one and a quarter wide. To the east-south-east, it overlooks the low lying land by the estuary. Its east side is marked by gentle, dry valleys and a succession of ridges.The layer of gravel in Margaux was spread out by a former Garonne in the early Quaternary. Rather large in size, it is mingled with shingle of average dimension and represents the finest ensemble of Günz gravel in the Haut-Médoc. It is on this ancient layer on a Tertiary terrace of limestone or clayey marl that the best Médoc crus lie. All the conditions for successful wine are present : a large amount of gravel and pebbles, poor soil which cannot retain water and deep rooted vines.
It is customary to say that Margaux wines are the "most feminine" in the Médoc, thus stressing their delicacy, suppleness and their fruity, elegant aromas. This does not affect their great propensity for aging; just the opposite, for the relatively thin terroir imparts tannins which give them long life. The other characteristic of these wines which combine an elegant vitality, subtlety and consistency, is their diversity and personality. Over and above the flavour which is their "common denominator", they present an exceptional palette of bouquets, fruity flavours which show up differently from one château to another.
Production conditions (Decree dated August 10 1954)
In order to have the right to the Margaux appellation of controlled origin, red wines must:
- come from the commune of Margaux, Cantenac, Soussans, Arsac and Labarde, "excluding the land which by the nature of its soil or because of its situation, is unfit to produce wine of this appellation".
- satisfy precise production conditions: grape-varieties (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet-Franc, Carmenère, Merlot Noir, Petit Verdot, Cot or Malbec), minimum of sugar (178 grammes - 6.27 oz. - per litre of must) degree (an acquired 10°5) base yield (45 hectolitres per hectare).
Vins de Bordeaux:
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Merlot
Soil: Gravel and silt plateau on a layer of limestone or silt on clay
Surface Area: 1,530 ha |
|
