2019 Brane-Cantenac Blanc, Bordeaux

2019 Brane-Cantenac Blanc, Bordeaux

Product: 20198126205
 
2019 Brane-Cantenac Blanc, Bordeaux

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Description

The first vintage for a dry white at Brane-Cantenac, from 3.2ha of clay-sand soils in the middle of AOC Margaux but designated Haut-Médoc. They planted the Loire clones of Sauvignon Blanc in 2017, and this has clear and well-defined Sauvignon aromatics; a little on the wild side but sappy and enticing. Integral vinification in barrel for 25%, the rest in vats with some lees stirring. It is walking the line between richness and freshness. A yield of 14hl/ha, which is low, but this feels important in these young vines to ensure quality and concentration. Diam closure. Eric Boissenot is the consultant for this, as for the red. Harvest from August 29 to September 5.

Drink 2021 - 2026

Jane Anson, Decanter (Nov 2020)

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Critics reviews

Jane Anson91/100

The first vintage for a dry white at Brane-Cantenac, from 3.2ha of clay-sand soils in the middle of AOC Margaux but designated Haut-Médoc. They planted the Loire clones of Sauvignon Blanc in 2017, and this has clear and well-defined Sauvignon aromatics; a little on the wild side but sappy and enticing. Integral vinification in barrel for 25%, the rest in vats with some lees stirring. It is walking the line between richness and freshness. A yield of 14hl/ha, which is low, but this feels important in these young vines to ensure quality and concentration. Diam closure. Eric Boissenot is the consultant for this, as for the red. Harvest from August 29 to September 5.

Drink 2021 - 2026

Jane Anson, Decanter (Nov 2020)

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Jancis Robinson MW16+/20

Emphasis on the pungent, fumy, reductive aspects of Sauvignon on the nose. Sophisticated oak handling leaves no obvious oaky quality but some depth even if the Sémillon portion is discreet – perhaps just filling-in the mid palate. Well-made wine, but something tells me it may be quite expensive. (My sample arrived in a very posh wooden box.) Still just a tad austere so it should have a decent chance of ageing into something even more interesting. I may be underestimating its life.

Drink 2021-2024

Jancis Robinson MW, jancisrobinson.com (Feb 2021)

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Jeb Dunnuck92/100
Beautiful lemon, honeyed grapefruit, chalky minerality, and flower oil notes all emerge from the 2019 Chateau Brane-Cantenace Blanc, a medium-bodied, elegant Bordeaux Blanc with a terrific spine of acidity, notable balance, and a clean, dry finish. It's going to shine on the dinner table and should have 5-7 years of longevity.

Drink 2021-2028

Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com (Apr 2021) Read more

About this WINE

Chateau Brane-Cantenac

Chateau Brane-Cantenac

Château Brane-Cantenac was for many years the home of Lucien Lurton - it is now owned and run by his son Henri. Its vineyards are located west of the village of Cantenac in the Margaux appellation. Brane-Cantenac's vineyards are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (55%), Merlot (40%), Cabernet Franc (4.5%) and Carmenère 0,5%,  and lie on fine, gravelly soils. Vinification includes up to 18 months' wood ageing, a third to a half in new `barriques'.

Brane Cantenac was perceived throughout much of the 70s and 80s as an underperforming property. Since Henri took over, there has been extensive investment in the cuverie and chai, as well as vastly improved vineyard management techniques. Consequently, the wines at Brane Cantenac now show more weight and concentration, although they still possess that haunting bouquet and quintessential elegance that characterise the wines of Margaux. It is classified as a 2ème Cru Classé.

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Margaux

Margaux

If Pauillac can be seen as the bastion of ‘traditional’ Red Bordeaux, then Margaux represents its other facet in producing wines that are among Bordeaux’s most sensual and alluring. It is the largest commune in the Médoc, encompassing the communes of Cantenac, Soussans, Arsac and Labaude, in addition to Margaux itself. Located in the centre of the Haut-Médoc, Margaux is the closest of the important communes to the city of Bordeaux.

The soils in Margaux are the lightest and most gravelly of the Médoc, with some also containing a high percentage of sand. Vineyards located in Cantenac and Margaux make up the core of the appelation with the best vineyard sites being located on well-drained slopes, whose lighter soils give Margaux its deft touch and silky perfumes. Further away from the water, there is a greater clay content and the wines are less dramatically perfumed.

Margaux is the most diffuse of all the Médoc appelations with a reputation for scaling the heights with irreproachable wines such as Ch. Margaux and Ch. Palmer, but also plumbing the depths, with too many other châteaux not fulfilling their potential. There has been an upward shift in recent years, but the appellation cannot yet boast the reliability of St Julien. However, the finest Margaux are exquisitely perfumed and models of refinement and subtlety which have few parallels in Bordeaux.

Recommended Châteaux: Ch. Margaux, Ch. Palmer, Ch. Brane-Cantenac, Ch. Rauzan-Ségla , Ch. Dufort-Vivens, Ch. Ferrière, Ch. du Tertre, Ch. Giscours, Ch. d'Angludet.

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Sauvignon Blanc & Sémillon

Sauvignon Blanc & Sémillon

The blend used for White Graves and Sauternes and rarely encountered outside France. In the great dry whites of Graves, Sauvignon Blanc tends to predominate in the blend, although properties such as Smith Haut Lafite use 100% Sauvignon Blanc while others such as Laville Haut Brion have as much as 60% Sémillon in their final blends. Sauvignon Blanc wines can lose their freshness and fruit after a couple of years in bottle - if blended with Sémillon, then the latter bolsters the wine when the initial fruit from the Sauvignon fades. Ultimately Sauvignon Blanc gives the wine its aroma and raciness while Sémillon gives it backbone and longevity.

In Sauternes, Sémillon is dominant, with Sauvignon Blanc playing a supporting role - it is generally harvested about 10 days before Sémillon and the botrytis concentrates its sweetness and dampens Sauvignon Blanc`s naturally pungent aroma. It contributes acidity, zip and freshness to Sauternes and is an important component of the blend.

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