Château Brane-Cantenac: Tasting & Drinking
Tasting the wines of Château Brane-Cantenac today, it is vital that we taste them within a context, the context of Bordeaux, and the context of this estate’s peers. It is also essential that we taste them across many vintages, because an encounter with just one or two vintages might give a misleading view of what Château Brane-Cantenac is capable of, especially if the vintages in question happen to be mature, from the 1970s or 1980s perhaps. This is because there is little doubt that the wines of the two decades preceding the arrival of Christophe Capdeville and Henri Lurton were in some cases lacklustre. Compare these wines with those from some of Château Brane-Cantenac’s neighbours and the deficiencies will be laid bare.
But the story at Château Brane-Cantenac is one not of revolution – there has not been the huge shift in style here like that we have seen in the early years of the 21st century at Château Lascombes, for example – but is more like an evolution, a slow-motion battle to nudge up quality year on year, a battle that has undoubtedly yielded some positive results. The 21st-century Château Brane-Cantenac of Capdeville and Lurton is very different to the Château Brane-Cantenac of the 1970s and 1980s; the many changes these two have put in place, in the vineyard and chai, have made sure of that.
This is why it is essential to taste through the most recent vintages, to appreciate how these changes have influenced the style and quality of the wine. This is undoubtedly more appealing than it used to be, the wines reborn and yet still moulded in an elegant and linear style rather than the rich, oak-infused wines other ‘revitalised’ estates can turn out. I once wrote, when Henri Lurton had been in the job a little over ten years, that there were signs of promise at Château Brane-Cantenac. Now that he has been in the hot seat here for somewhat longer it is clear that my earlier impressions were correct. Under Henri’s direction Château Brane-Cantenac is once again a serious contender in Margaux, one worthy of its historical rank and status. Long may that continue. (19/2/04, updated 11/4/07, 21/3/12, 17/11/17, 17/10/25)
