CHÂTEAU BRANE-CANTENAC
2019 2ème Cru Classé Margaux
The 2019 Brane Cantenac has a flattering, floral, quintessentially Margaux bouquet that is very pure and well-defined. This leans more towards red than black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a gritty entry, powerful, almost burly, yet it finds a slight tertiary/herbaceous element on the finish that is the leitmotif of this estate. It is a Margaux that I would not approach for now and needs time. My score was skewed by that tertiary element and will reassess at a later date. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. Rating: 0 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
* 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.
The 2019 Brane-Cantenac is wild and exotic from the very first taste. The aromatics alone are dazzling. Super-ripe dark cherry, plum, spice, tobacco, new leather, menthol and cinnamon are all kicked up in this flamboyant Margaux. The 2019 is radiant and generous, yet also retains a very classic sense of structure. The precision here is just unreal. In 2019, Brane-Cantenac is an absolute head-turner. It is the sort of wine that abounds in Bordeaux, a wine that offers tremendous quality and relative value. Drinking range: 2029 - 2059 Rating: 97 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)
The 2019 Brane-Cantenac, which was bottled at the beginning of July 2021, takes time to open in the glass. As I mentioned in my tasting note from barrel, this vintage was matured entirely in new oak from several cooperages and inevitably the wood is still present aromatically, though it is completely simpatico with the fruit concentration that the growing season bestowed. (Previously the Grand Vin saw 70%–80% new oak.) The intense bouquet features blackberry, crushed rock, touches of crushed flowers and a hint of lavender. The palate is beautifully balanced with layers of red berry fruit, orange peel, cedar and just a touch of graphite. As I said in my previous assessment, it does not set out to be a powerful Brane-Cantenac, which means that it retains a fine elegance toward the finish and a touch of white pepper mixed with clove on the aftertaste. (Still) excellent. 14.1% alcohol Drinking range: 2028 - 2060 Rating: 95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)
Well handled and well placed fruits, this remains a little restrained now, but on opening up you get crushed stone and black pepper spice that adds a gourmet edge to the just-smoked oak. Extremely high quality, delivering on its En Primeur promise. 100% new oak. Drinking range: 2028 - 2044 Rating: 95 Jane Anson, Decanter (Jan 2022)
The 2019 Brane-Cantenac was cropped at 50hl/ha between 18 September and 9 October. Matured entirely in new oak, it is in possession of an almost pixelated bouquet with beguiling blackberry, bilberry and crushed limestone aromas. I find this less austere than some vintages of Brane-Cantenac at this prenatal stage. The palate is silky smooth on the entry with filigree tannins, very harmonious, not a deep or powerful Margaux, yet very delineated. There is that signature touch of greenness that I often find on Brane-Cantenac on the finish, though I have learned through experience that this is assimilated with bottle age, so have a cool cellar handy. Excellent. Drinking range: 2028 - 2060 Rating: 94-96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jun 2020)
A thoroughly moreish and high-quality Brane Cantenac, this is silky and seductive with impressive extraction of the tannins giving backbone and support to brambled and cassis fruits. Plenty of crushed stone and spice to add a gourmet edge alongside the just-smoked oak. Extremely high quality and one of the best Branes I've tasted at this stage. 3% of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc complete the blend. For the first time, all of the plots for this wine come from the plateau de Brane just in front of the château, a reflection of how well this terroir withstood the heat of the summer. Rating: 96 Jane Anson, Decanter (Jun 2020)
This shows exotic aromas of blackberries, wet earth, chocolate and fresh basil leaves. It’s full-bodied with round, creamy tannins and a flavorful finish. Intriguing and real on the palate. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2020)
70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Carmenère, 1% Petit Verdot. Winemaker's notes (Apr 2020)
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 2023 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. 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 2026. 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.