2018 Brane Cantenac
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Tasting notes
74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. 45.1 hl/ha. Deep crimson hue. Ripe and ‘sunny’ on the nose with a note of damson. Full and round on the palate with all the creaminess of a ripe year. Tannins seemingly integrated but the finish a touch robust. (JL)
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2018 Brane-Cantenac is like other Bordeaux wines in this vintage insofar as they are not evolving as well as, say, 2016s or 2019s. The fruit is concentrated but just lacks a little delineation, though it opens in the glass with touches of white pepper and black olive. The palate is medium-bodied and lightly spiced, with fleshy ripe tannins that provide a rounded, corpulent texture, but I seek more tension and mineralité on the finish. I actually now prefer the 2017 vintage to the 2018. Tasted at the Brane-Cantenac vertical at the château in September 2025.
Red-ruby with vivid reflections, still young, primary with fully ripe berry fruits, set off by crayon, graphite, pomegranate and liquorice, nowhere near its drinking window. Great quality, takes the foot off to the pedal when it needs to. Harvest September 17 to October 11, 45.1hl/h yield, 70% new French oak for ageing, 3.78ph, excellent summer after tough mildew pressure early in the season. Eric Boissenot consultant, Henri Lurton owner, Christophe Capdeville technical director.
Tasted blind. Nice Margaux fragrance and then easy, if a bit simple, fruit. Soft tannins (relatively) and a bit of acid. (JR)
About the producer
Château Brane-Cantenac has been a consistent performer in the Margaux wine appellation since Henri Lurton took over the property, but thanks to replanting and investment in the last decade, quality has seen another sharp upswing.