2015 Château Brane-Cantenac Margaux Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note
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2015
Château Brane-Cantenac (Margaux)
Smoke, tobacco leaves, roses, licorice, and a melange of cherries fill your nose with little effort. As good as the perfume is, the palate is even better. Rich, silky, vibrant, and soft, the touch of salt on the backend really adds to the wines layers of silky, round blackberries, cherries with a dash of chocolate that comes in at the end. At 10 tears of age, 2 hours in the decanter adds a lot to the wine. Drink from 2025-2055. 1,810 Views Tasted Jan 4, 2025Already incredible to drink, the wine is concentrated, rich, sensuous, and packed with layers of fruit that does not quit. Even though it is early days, it is difficult not to be seduced by the complex aromatics and if that does not grab you, the velvet-textured opulence in the finish will. If you prefer exuberant, youthful fruits, with decadent textures, and a finish packed with fruit and glycerin, try a bottle now, If you desire more secondary notes, wait a few more years. Either way, this is a superb wine and a clear candidate for the best vintage of Brane Cantenac ever produced! Drink from 2024-2055. 8,548 Views Tasted Jul 9, 2022If this does not knock you out, I do not know what to say. Refined and elegant, with depth, vibrancy and purity of fruit, this is clearly the best wine made in the long history of Brane Cantenac. Intellectual and sexy, the sweet, perfectly ripe fruits, intense florality, silky tannins and length are in abundance here. There is a lot going on here in the nose and on the palate to keep you busy for decades! And at least for the time being, the wine still sells for a song. 10,808 Views Tasted May 21, 2018This wine deserves accolades for its balanced mix of purity of fruit, elegance, grace, refinement and frankly, sexy character. Without reservation, this is the best wine ever produced here. There is a serious depth of flavor, complexity and excitement that makes you want to take another sniff, sip and swallow. The sweet, perfectly ripe fruits, intense florality, silky tannins and length are found in abundance here. And at least for the time being, the wine still sells for a song. 8,681 Views Tasted Mar 12, 2018Truffle, forest floor, cocoa and ripe, dark, red fruits enliven the perfume. On the palate, this wine is silky, subtle and focused on freshness and purity of ready fruit. Elegance and weight enhance a long, crisp finish that feels wonderful on your palate. Blending 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Carmenere, the wine reached 13.6% with a pH of 3.78. The Grand Vin represents 42% of the harvest. This is my favorite vintage of Brane Cantenac, although Henri Lurton prefers the 2010. Either way, they are both superior vintages. 95 - 97 Pts 9,455 Views Tasted Apr 21, 2016 |

When to Drink Chateau Brane Cantenac, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time
Chateau Brane Cantenac, due to its elegant, feminine style, can be enjoyed young, with decanting. But you are missing all the nuances that come with age. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 2-3 hours, give or take. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.
Chateau Brane Cantenac is usually better with at least 10 years of bottle age. Of course that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Chateau Brane Cantenac offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 12-35 years of age after the vintage.
Serving Chateau Brane Cantenac with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips
Chateau Brane Cantenac is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.
Chateau Brane Cantenac is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Brane Cantenac is a perfect match with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, salmon, mushrooms, and pasta as well as cheese.
Chateau Brane Cantenac is an elegantly, styled Margaux, that is on the lighter, fresher, cleaner, brighter, and perhaps, slightly stern, or classic side of the style range. Especially in its youth. The wine is produced in a traditional style and shows a little more in the aromatics than the body.
The wine of Brane Cantenac has had, like many chateaus, gone through its ups and downs.
Vintages made in the 1970s, most of the 1980s and 1990's, are not at the level the vineyard is capable of producing. However, the property has been showing serious improvements in its wine.
Many of the best vintages for Brane Cantenac are relatively recent. In fact, while 2009 and 2010 are both quite strong vintages, 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2020 represent the finest wine I've tasted from Brane Cantenac. It is a truly, stunning wine!
In 2015, Henri Lurton started a new project in Ensenada Mexico, in the Guadalupe region. Henri Lurton is managing the winery with the help of his oldest sons, Vincent Lurton, Nicolas Lurton and Maria Martinez, who was previously at Brane Cantenac.
The wines are sold under the name of Bodegas Henri Lurton. They are producing 4 different wines at the moment. 2015 was their debut vintage.