Château Brane-Cantenac 2022 Margaux 2e Grand Cru Classé

James Suckling
96-97/100 punten
A long and very linear red for Margaux with intense freshness and energy. The cabernet sauvignon shows real clarity with blackcurrants and flowers. Crushed stone. Firm and racy with lots of lemon rind and intensity. 74% cabernet sauvignon, 23% merlot, 1% cabernet franc, 1% petit verdot and 1% carmenere.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate
95-97/100 punten
A blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc, Carmenère and Petit Verdot, the 2022 Brane-Cantenac unwinds in the glass with aromas of dark berries, crème de cassis, black truffles, loamy soil, burning embers and violets. Medium to full-bodied, deep and velvety, with a fleshy core of fruit, terrific concentration and lively acids, it concludes with a long, perfumed finish. This is a terrific 2022 that may rival or even surpass the 2019 if it realizes all its potential in bottle.

Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux)
98/100 punten
Easily one of the best wines of the appellation. Red rose petal fragrance, damp earth, rosemary, baking spice, sandalwood, incense, graphite and slate. Exceptional balance, deep chocolate and mint character, with lush damson and cassis fruits. Crushed violet flowers and salted cracker salinity, extremely impressive. Owner Henri Lurton has experience of making wine overseas, in Baja California, which may have given insights into viticultural techniques n the heat, but the real key here is the old vine Cabernet Sauvignon planted in the 1950s and 1960s by his late father Lucien Lurton. 100% new oak, from 8 coopers, and the meticulous approach to oak ageing care of technical director Christophe Capdeville is also important. 42% of production in the 1st wine. All the young vines, even when co-planted in the same rows were picked separately also this year

Decanter
98/100 punten
One of the standouts of the year - a wonderful wine with so much to like. Coffee, tobacco, liquorice, dark chocolate, blackcurrants and floral scents on the nose. Smooth, succulent and velvety, this is amazing, juicy and so bright and vibrant. Pure and so effortless, tannins are filling but fine and delicate and this has excellent clarity and purity of fruit. They really didn't try too hard but have still delivered a powerful wine with concentration and intensity yet brightness and such generosity of fruit and acidity which makes this so joyful. Simply wonderful. Harvest 7 September-10 October. Yield of 31.5hl/ha. 3.61pH. 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere complete the blend. 42% production. 15.8% press wine. Ageing 18 months, 100% new oak. 3.57pH.

Jeb Dunnuck
(96-98)/100 punten
I was absolutely blown away by the 2022 Château Brane-Cantenac, which looks to be a reference point vintage for this château. Based on 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, and Petit Verdot, it sports a deep purple hue to go with incredible aromatics of crème de cassis, lead pencil, sandalwood, and spring flowers. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it shines for its purity of fruit, has ultra-fine tannins, a great mid-palate, and one heck of a finish. It hit 14.3% alcohol with a pH of 3.6, and like many estates today, they utilized quite a bit of press wine (15%) in the final blend. This is clearly up with the finest wines from the appellation and is well worth seeking out.

Neal Martin (Vinous)
(96-98)/100 punten
The 2022 Brane-Cantenac, as usual, is a wine that you must sit and contemplate before words gus forth. It was picked from 7 September tot 10 Octokber (their tiny plot of Carménère) at 31,5hL/ha and contains 16% vin de presse from the Cabernet Sauvignon. It is well-defined and fresh, a very subtle Margaux, precise with blackberry, wild strawberry, cedar and tobacco scents. As previous vintages have proven, there's a kind of "hidden depth" that will become apparent post-bottling. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, very elegant and unashamedly classic in style. This is blessed with haunting poise, composed and detailed on the finish.

Falstaff
97/100 punten
Bright ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. Fine toasty aromas, a touch of liquorice, black wild berries, floral touch, very attractive. Substantial palate, elegant and silky, good fruit expression, a touch of cloves, finessed acidity, chocolatey and mineral in the finish. Fine tannins, unusually long and harmonious. A delicious wine; Margaux par excellence.

Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider)
(96-98)/100 punten
Deeply colored, the wine opens with violets, lilacs, roses, cigar wrappers, creme de cassis, spice and lavender aromatics in the perfume. On the palate, the wine is pure silk and velvet. There is a beautiful elegance, symmetry, and balance you notice as soon as the wine graces your palate. There is length, purity, and refinement making this effortless to taste. The finish has no edges, leaving you with a wealth of sensuous fruits. Fans of Brane Cantenac should run, not walk, and buy this gem as prices continue to remain reasonable for a wine of this character, and quality. The wine blends 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and 1% of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenere. The wine is 14.3% ABV, 3.61 pH. The harvest took place September 7 - October 4, with the Carmenere being picked October 10. This is the earliest start to a harvest in the history of the estate. Yields were 31.5% hectoliters per hectare. The Grand Vin was produced from only 42% of the harvest.

The Wine Independent (Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW)
(95-97)+/100 punten
A blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2022 Brane-Cantenac has a pH of 3.61 and there is 15.8% press wine in the blend. It has a deep garnet-purple color and it is a little subdued to start with notes of cedar chest and redcurrant preserves leading the charge, soon giving way to a profound core of crème de cassis, juicy black plums, and candied violets, with a touch of iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate is simply electric, shimmering with bright, energetic black and red berry layers, supported by super-ripe, finely grained tannins and amazing tension, finishing long and perfumed. Stunning!

Antonio Galloni (Vinous)
(95-97)/100 punten
The 2022 Brane-Cantenac is captivating. Aromatic, savory and layered, the 2022 is so alluring from the outset. The natural radiance of the year is very much on display, and yet there is nothing that is overdone about the 2022. Hints of blood orange, spice, rose petal and minerals open over time, offering stunning contrast to the sheer intensity of the fruit shaped by low yields and tiny berries. Brane-Cantenac is, in my view, one of the most under-the-radar wines on the Left Bank. The 2022 is a stunner.

Jancis Robinson
17/20 punten
Rich and round. Very gentle texture for a Cabernet-dominated wine, in which it is remarkably difficult to see the tannins. But apparently the IPT (measure of total phenolics, including tannins) is right up there. Henri Lurton agrees that when you taste it you can hardly see the tannins. Sappy and appetising. Persistent.