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Chateau Brane-Cantenac
The history of Brane-Cantenac may be traced as far back as at least the early 18th Century, at which time it was in the ownership of the Gorce family, and was known as Chateau Gorce (and for a while as Chateau Gorce-Guy). The family had acquired the estate probably around 1735, and were clearly active in the area of viticulture. Under the aegis of Marie-Françoise Gorce the estate expanded from 35 to 40 hectares, and the price rose steadily towards the end of the century, a sure sign that Brane-Cantenac was recognised as a source of good quality wine. The Tastet and Lawton archives, to which the eminent Clive Coates frequently refers in Grands Vins, shows that during the mid-18th Century Chateau Gorse [sic] was sold for an average price of 686 livres per tonneau (one tonneau is 900 litres), comparable to that for Brane-Mouton (now Mouton-Rothschild) and Gruaud, at 716 and 734 respectively. Subsequently, the estate was consistently ranked as a second growth, by André Simon in 1800, Wilhelm Franck in 1845 and of course the classification that seems to have stuck for all eternity, the 1855 classification, drawn up for the Exposition Universelle de Paris, at the request of Emperor Napoleon III, by the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce. It seems that opinion on the wines of this estate were quite consistent then, so one is left wondering about the estate today. Brane-Cantenac, quite simply, doesn't live up to its 18th and 19th Century reputation.
It
was 1833 when the estate was acquired by Baron Hector de Brane, a figure of
significant local repute, having been largely responsible for the identification
of Cabernet Sauvignon as the Médoc's number one grape, and being dubbed the Napoléon
des Vines by his peers. The estate must have been a great attraction to
him, as he sold Brane-Mouton to finance the sale, which in itself would suggest
that Chateau Gorce was indeed of great renown, or had significant potential, or
even both. He renamed the estate Brane-Cantenac in 1838, and this was the name
under which the estate was classified in
1855, and is also the name that remains
today. There are some authors that suggest, in view of the wines of the modern
era, Brane-Cantenac was ranked as a deuxième cru, a higher classification
than was perhaps really warranted, because of the influence of its famous
proprietor. I am aware of no evidence for such allegations, which as well as
being ill-founded seem to ignore Brane-Cantenac's consistently high ranking over
several classifications, over many decades. Under Baron Hector's tenure, the
vineyard expanded and production increased. The chateau, at that time a small
construction dating from the 17th Century, went largely untouched.
The estate was bequeathed by Baron Hector to Jacques-Maxime, who subsequently sold it to a group led by Gustave Roy, who also owned d'Issan, accompanied by his wife and two brothers-in-law. Here, as in almost every chateau profile I write, is where the rot probably began to set in. The late 19th Century saw a sequence of vineyard disasters, phylloxera and oidium, compounded by war and economic depression, and it is likely that it was here that the quality began to drop off. In 1919 the group sold the chateau, which had been rebuilt in the 19th Century, and vineyards to the Société des Grands Crus de France, a consortium that also owned Margaux, the aforementioned d'Issan and Durfort-Vivens. It was following the dissolution of this company in 1925 that the estate came into the hands of the current owners, when it was purchased by a shareholder named Léonce Recapet and his son-in-law, François Lurton. From François Brane-Cantenac came to his son, Lucien, when the family holdings were divided amongst Lucien's generation. Despite initial difficulties, not least the devastating frost of 1956 which wiped out many of the vines, Lurton expanded and improved. In 1992 the wheel turned full circle when once again the family holdings were divided up, and Brane-Cantenac then passed to Henri Lurton, who had worked at the estate since 1986, and today remains the incumbent proprietor.
The vineyards of Brane-Cantenac now cover 90 hectares in several plots in the
Margaux appellation; the first and largest plot, covering 45 hectares, is
adjacent to the chateau on the Plateau de Brane. The next largest, with an area
of 22 hectares, is to the north near Soussans. The final two are a 13 hectare
plot to the south near Arsac named Chateau Notton (acquired from the
d'Angludet estate), a name which is now applied
to the third wine of Brane-Cantenac, and a 10 hectare plot on the opposite side
of the D105, which runs between Margaux and Arsac. The terroir is
typically gravelly, with deeper seams of sand and clay. The vines are
predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, accounting for around 65% of the vineyard,
with Merlot an increasingly important part of the landscape at 30%, and Cabernet
Franc just 5%. There were previously small areas of Petit Verdot, just 2% of the
vineyard as documented in my original chateau profile published in 2004, but
these have now been pulled up. The planting density is fairly typical of
Bordeaux, up to 8500 vines/ha in some vineyards, whilst yields are low at 45
hl/ha. Harvest is by hand, the fruit coming into the Brane-Cantenac chai
which was refurbished in 1997. After a cold soak the must is fermented in a
variety of vessels, steel, wood and cement, all temperature-controlled. The
maceration lasts 28 days, with pumping over to submerge the cap, followed by
malolactic fermentation in barrel, using predominantly Alliers and Tronçais oak,
50% new each vintage, for up to 18 months. It is racked every three months,
fined and filtered before bottling. Overall, production lies in the region of
30000 cases per annum. The grand vin is Brane-Cantenac, the second
wine is Baron de Brane. There is also a wine made from the aforementioned
plot entitled Chateau Notton, as well as a generic Margaux.
Tasting the wines today, it is vital that we taste them within a context, the context of Bordeaux, and the context of Brane-Cantenac's peers. These are typically and identifiably Bordeaux, and for that reason the wines have, over the years, had their admirers. Often described as consistent, elegant or graceful, authors such as David Peppercorn have spoken up in favour of Brane-Cantenac in the past. But there have been naysayers too; both Parker and Coates have meted out criticism, justifiably so in my opinion. On this issue, I would join their party. The wines are indeed elegant and consistent, but at the second growth level we expect something more than this. We expect concentration, depth, complexity, vigour, a higher quality of tannins, silkiness even, and longevity. Comparison with other deuxièmes crus sows us that these features, available in many other wines at this level, may be absent in Brane-Cantenac. With just ten years under his belt, however, the relatively youthful Henri Lurton still has plenty of time to make a difference at Brane-Cantenac, and having tasted some recent vintages I certainly think there is some movement here, as evinced by the 2004, although I also think this was a strong and consistent vintage for Margaux as a whole. But there is still much work to do. (19/2/04, updated 11/4/07)
Contact details:
Address: Chateau Brane-Cantenac, 33460 Margaux
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 57 88 83 33
Fax: +33 (0) 5 57 88 72 51
Internet:
www.brane-cantenac.com
Chateau Brane-Cantenac - Tasting Notes
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Chateau Brane-Cantenac (Margaux) 2007:
Dark and spicy fruit here, although it is not hugely expressive. There is a
soft, rounded, creamy quality on the palate, which is gentle and rather
understated. There are spicy tannins and a well balanced character, but this
lacks energy, and has a short finish. From my
2007 Bordeaux
en primeur assessment. 13-14+/20 (April 2008)
Chateau Brane-Cantenac (Margaux) 2006: A lot of character here, which is good. A
firm and nutty style, rather perfumed, almost to the level of being soapy.
Rather chalky palate, all structure and no flesh. Rather bare tannins. This wine
lacks flavour, character and concentration. From my
2006 Bordeaux
assessment. 12-13/20
(April 2007)
Chateau Brane-Cantenac (Margaux) 2005:
A tasting sample drawn off in April 2007.
The wine was decanted for one hour and then consumed over the next few hours,
before what little remained was kept back 24 hours for the next day - it held up
well to this treatment. In the glass this wine has, unsurprisingly, a rather
dense and certainly glossy hue. The nose is quite exotic, with notes of spices,
pepper and sandalwood. With this there is a fine concentration of fruit, showing
a more intense cassis and blackcurrant than the red fruits which seemed to
dominate in October. Whatever the character of the fruit, there is plenty of it,
and on the palate it is presented in a very pure, direct, detached style. It is
a wine with plenty of substance, and although I can sense the ripe tannins, they
are well covered by the fruit and body of the wine and, incredulously, I can
drink this wine now with pleasure. It has a fabulous intensity of flavour, ripe
and yet restrained, with no over-the-top texture or force. Nicely composed on
the finish. On the next day almost no different - a little acetic note although
this dissipated in minutes and the fun then continued. This is a really good
vintage for fans of Brane-Cantenac. For label images and more see my
Wine of the Week write-up. 17-17.5+/20
(December 2007)
Chateau Brane-Cantenac (Margaux) 2005:
A very appealing and pure style, with good fruit, still with some nutty oak, but
overall very serious and appropriate. It has a ripe, rather flashy style on the
palate, but with a very fresh redcurrant fruit profile, with some rather herby
fruit. It is rather soft and elegant, but still with a little masculine
structure underneath, and there is more substance here than in many other
vintages of Brane-Cantenac. Very good. From my tasting of
2005 Bordeaux at two
years of age. 16.5-17+/20 (October 2007)
Chateau Brane-Cantenac (Margaux) 2004: CS 67%, M28%, CF 5%. This has a
lovely open nose, and a good depth, with plenty of deep, ripe, dark fruits. It
has a concentration I admire, but with a minerally freshness too, and this seems
like a very attractive Brane-Cantenac. Cool composition on the palate, with
cherries, perhaps a touch medicinal in character but certainly fresh,
light-footed, clean and precise with a nice direction, but with a good depth of
flavour too. Underneath it all a gentle layer of ripe tannins. This has more
approachability than my tasting after bottling, and is impressive. From a
Bordeaux 2004 tasting. 17+/20
(November 2007)
Chateau Brane-Cantenac (Margaux) 2004:
Slightly muted nose, but still displaying a good amount of fruit and perfume. On
the palate a wall of tannin; there is good, ripe fruit and texture but it is a
little overwhelmed by the structure. But doesn't feel stretched or
over-extracted. This will need plenty of cellar time. From my
2004 Bordeaux
assessment. 16-17+/20 (October 2006)
Chateau Brane-Cantenac (Margaux) 2003: This has a more open and
immediately appealing nose, with good fruit and some attractive oak. It is
rather subdued. It has the tannins of the vintage, but not obtrusively so. There
is nice flavour, it has a good balance, with a grippy finish. Some depth and it
has a little more focus. Certainly superior to the 2002. Some success for
Brane-Cantenac in this vintage, it seems. 16+/20 (February 2007)
Chateau Brane-Cantenac (Margaux) 2002: An elegant colour. Interesting
nose, not quite closed down, but restrained, with just a little blackberry
fruit. Soft, quite rounded, rather gentle, not really very well focussed. Lacks
vivacity. It has a nice grip, although overall it is soft. Decent acidity. Some
appealing flavour. But overall it lacks impact and class. I don't think it has
great potential. 14.5/20
(February 2007)
Le Baron de Brane (Margaux) 2001: Sweet fruit on the nose, with a dense, peppery,
canned strawberry character. A full, sweet texture on the palate, with some
grippy tannin and low acidity. Dense, dark fruit flavour profile. Simple wine,
but certainly very drinkable. Good.
(November 2003)
Chateau Brane-Cantenac (Margaux) 2001: An impressive nose, packed with dense fruit. Firm
structured, rounded and full-bodied. There is some texture, but it is a little
hidden behind the firm structure at present. Good sweet fruit though. One for the
cellar. Good, potentially very good. (November 2003)
Chateau Brane-Cantenac (Margaux) 1996: An edge of perfumed fruit on the nose here, on the
back of firm, earthy, gravelly character. A lovely palate, very 1996 in
character, with smooth Cabernet fruit, a stylish, not quite creamy texture, good
tannic structure and balanced acidity. There is elegance here too. Very good,
excellent potential. (November 2003)
Chateau Brane-Cantenac (Margaux) 1989: This wine has the deepest colour by far. The nose
seems rich, austere and complex. This is a big and rich wine. A
fruit-packed palate, with a massive structure. There are tannins
everywhere, matched by good acidity. This is a wine built for the long
haul, and still very much on the way up. This needs five to ten years at
least. From a Bordeaux
1989 blind horizontal tasting. 17.5+/20
(January 2002)
Chateau Brane-Cantenac (Margaux) 1961: This wine has a remarkably pale
appearance, and is starting to brown. A sweet, meaty, slightly mushroomy nose
with later notes of coriander leaf (unusual!). A nice weight, balanced, a little
richness, it has a good presence but isn't really that light on its feet.
Interesting notes of rhubarb later on. A bit of vigour on the finish, which has
a sweet, slightly grippy style. Good, and a pleasant surprise from this second
growth which has had a reputation for under-performing in the past. From a
1961 Bordeaux tasting. 15/20
(April 2007)
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