99pts Jeb Dunnuck

A brilliant, borderline perfect wine, the 2022 Château Brane-Cantenac is a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Carménère, and 1% Petit Verdot that was aged 18 months in 100% new French oak. Insanely good blue fruits, spring flowers, graphite, and damp earth define the aromatics, and it builds beautifully with air, showing intensity, depth, purity, and complexity. Just gorgeous on the palate as well, it's full-bodied and has a deep, layered, seamless mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, perfectly integrated acidity, and flawless balance. Back up the truck on this beauty. It will have a broad drinking window and should cruise for 40+ years. Drink 2026-2066. The 2022 was harvested from September 7 to October 10, hitting 14.3% alcohol with a pH of 3.61.

98pts Decanter

Review Date: 12/2024
Crushed velvet smoothness and almost weightless purity. Gorgeous aromatics – wild flowers, bramble fruit and soft cinnamon. Bright berry fruit, salty mineral touches and a hint of liquorice create charm and depth. This exudes Margaux elegance with bounce, finesse and fleshiness. Already so enjoyable but built to develop further. An utterly delicious wine that captures the essence of the vintage. (GH)

98pts Jane Anson

Review Date: 09/2025
Juicy and extremely impressive fruit quality, this harnesses the best of 2022 and is one of the wines of the vintage. You feel the texture and the power of the fruit, streaks of cocoa, liquorice, and rose petals, totally love it. The biggest alcohol of the series, and certainly you get a touch of crème de cassis and ripe fresh fig, carefully delivered with great texture to the tannins. This was the year that Henri Lurton passed the estate over to his four children while remaining as general manager, and also planted Malbec for the first time in the vineyard. Harvest September 7 to October 10, 315hl/h yield, 100% new oak barrels for ageing. Eric Boissenot consultant, Henri Lurton owner, Christophe Capdeville technical director. I have given this wine 98 points consistently every time I have tasted it, and truly it is excellent.

98pts Vinous

Review Date: 03/2026
The 2022 Brane-Cantenac has another very intense bouquet: black cherries, red plum, camphor, crushed stone and a touch of melted tar on a hot summer's day. Again, very fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with velvety tannins. Very pliant, with beautiful purity of fruit, harmonious and poised, with a peacock's tail on the finish. The best Brane-Cantenac ever made. Period. (NM)

Description

Margaux de Brane is a wine for pleasure, and its tasting bears witness to this. It has a deep, brilliant purple color. The initial nose is dominated by notes of black fruit such as blackberry and blackcurrant. It is enriched by finely toasted and roasted aromas and hints of red fruit. From the outset, the wine is very round on the palate. It is balanced, full-bodied and fleshy. The smooth finish lengthens the silky, unctuous tannic structure.

Blend: 72% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon