CHÂTEAU BRANE-CANTENAC
2018 2ème Cru Classé Margaux
74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot at an average of 45hl/ha with 70% new wood. This is an exceptional Brane-Cantenac and, while it didn't quite have the polish and refinement of Margaux, it was very hot on the first growth's heals in 2018. The wine is so open an inviting with a beautifully scented nose of blackberry, cranberry, black cherry and violets. The palate lives up to the aromatic expectation and is chock full of gorgeously rich fruit of profound depth and purity. It just floats across the mid-palate toward a silky, concentrated finish. This is very fine a very fine Margaux from a property on a real hot-streak. Drinking range: 2028 - 2045L&S (Apr 2019)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
Generous yet balanced, plenty to sink your teeth into here, this is a Brane Cantenac that knows exactly where it is going, and that has kept a Margaux effortlessness even in the heat and drought of the summer. You feel the warmth in telltale sweetness of the fruits - blackberry puree, cassis fruit pastilles, plenty of bitter black chocolate and liqourice, but it never loses its juice, and keeps momentum through the palate. No Carmenère in the blend in this vintage. 45hl/ha yield. 70% new oak. Harvest from 17 September to 11 October. Drinking range: 2026 - 2044 Rating: 95 Jane Anson, Decanter (Oct 2021)
The 2018 Brane-Cantenac opens with a super-classic bouquet of dried herbs, pencil shavings, licorice and mint. Medium in body and wonderfully nuanced, Brane-Cantenac marries the natural richness of the year with a classic structural feel. This is one of the most elegant, restrained 2018s readers will come across. I loved it. Drinking range: 2028 - 2048 Rating: 95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)
The 2018 Brane-Cantenac was picked from September 17 until October 11 at 45hl/ha, and aged in 70% new French oak. As I wrote in my barrel report, the bouquet is more forthcoming than other vintages, scents of blackberry, cranberry, fern and mint lending it a Pauillac touch, as you often find on Brane-Cantenac in its youth. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity. As usual, there is a soupçon of underlying greenness that will dissipate with bottle age. This brims with energy yet remains very classic in style. Will it drink earlier than other vintages? I am not so sure; revisiting this in bottle, I would certainly afford it 4–5 years. Drinking range: 2024 - 2048 Rating: 93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)
Aromas of mushroom, meat, bark and iodine with blackberries and blackcurrants, following through to a full body with firm, creamy tannins that give structure and form to the wine. Tight on the finish. Long and persistent with presence. Drink after 2025. Rating: 95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2021)
The grand vin 2018 Château Brane-Cantenac checks in as 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that fermented in wooden tanks and saw malolactic fermentation and aging in 70% new French oak. It's a beautifully layered, sexy beauty loaded with notions of blackcurrants, spicy oak, camphor, and dried tobacco. Medium to full-bodied, balanced, and layered on the palate, it has a seamless texture, sweet tannin, remarkable freshness and purity, and a great finish. Count me in as a fan. This is another irresistible 2018 that should be snatched up by readers. It will keep for 25-30 years. Rating: 94-96 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2019)
Darkest core with barely a rim. Prettily scented, reminding me, along with Angludet just tasted, of the aromatic distinctiveness of classic Margaux. A bit dry and slim on the palate but the tannins have been gently handled and there’s freshness to finish. Drinking range: 2024 - 2032 Rating: 16 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)
The 2018 Brane-Cantenac is deep garnet-purple in color and delivers expressive black cherry compote, blueberry coulis and crème de cassis scents with suggestions of cigar box, Provence herbs and lavender. Full-bodied with mouth-filling, rich black fruit preserves, it has a velvety texture and a long, perfumed finish. Rating: 92-94 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2019)
What strikes me about this Brane-Cantenac is the gorgeous center palate of ripe fruit, which gives an impression of generosity, yet it’s tight and reserved at the same time. Fine and polished tannins follow on and drive this gorgeous fruit. Rating: 95-96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)
The blend is 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, and the alcohol is 13.4%. The yields were 45 hl/ha. There is a fresh and smoky character to the nose, with a little reduction showing on this sample. The palate shows some real class though, with a very elegant integration of gently polished and medium-bodied texture, with a little phenolic substance to the weight of the wine, with a backbone of silky tannins, fresh acidity and charming, floral, perfumed fruit, all tinged with bay leaf and green peppercorn. A very attractive, elegant style with potential, and overall an impressive Brane-Cantenac this year. The élevage here will be in 70% new oak and 30% second-fill oak. Rating: 93-95 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)
This wine is rich yet finely balanced. The acidity and the tannins are well integrated with the beautiful black currant flavor. Overall, this fine wine promises a bright future. Rating: 95 Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast www.winemag.com (Apr 2019)
This is a serious wine, with well constructed walls and floor, but it's full of life too, with brambled, succulent and generously-extracted fruit on the nose. It has less immediate charm than some in the appellation and will take a while to come round, but it has clear ageing ability and is one to savour. You feel the precision and confidence in how it presents itself. 1% Petit Verdot makes up the blend - there was no Carmenère in the grand vin in 2018. 45hl/ha yield. 70% new oak. Drinking range: 2027 - 2042 Rating: 95 Jane Anson, Decanter (Mar 2019)
Château Brane-Cantenac
Margaux Deuxième cru 1855 The estate was originally called Château Gorce after the family that owned it in he 18th Century, but the story really begins with its purchase by Baron Hector de Brane in 1833. Baron Hector was a well-known figure in the area, earning himself the nickname "Napoléon of the the Vines" and so keen was he to own Château Gorce that he sold Château Brane-Mouton in Pauillac to finance the purchase. Quite how much wisdom there was in ridding himself of the what was to become Château Mouton-Rothschild in order to secure the ownership of a slightly under-performing Second Growth property is debatable, but at the time the wines of the estate were consistently highly(ish) ranked. From the late 19th Century onward Brane-Cantenac followed a familiar Bordelais downward spiral. In 1920, it was purchased by the Societé des Grand Crus de France, owners of (among others) Château Margaux. In 1925, ownership passed to Léonce Récapet and his son-in-law François Lurton, but the real rennaissance of Brane-Cantenac came in 1956 when François' son - the great Lucien Lurton - took over. Today, his son Henri Lurton continues to run Château Brane-Cantenac. The period of Lurton ownership has been good to Brane-Cantenac, and the wines are consistent good performers although not really ranking alongside the best Second Growths of the Haut-Médoc, but this probably says more about the relevance of the 1855 classification than it does about the terroir and wines of Château Brane-Cantenac. Brane-Cantenac sits south-west of the village of Cantenac, next to Cantenac-Brown. There are 75ha of vineyard given over to 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc and a very unusual 0.5% Carmenere. The Grand Vin spends 18 months in wood, of which 50% is new every year. The second wine is called Baron de Brane in honour of Baron Hector who put the estate on the map in the early 19th Century.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2024 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2027. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2027. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.