Chateau Brane Cantenac

Chateau Brane Cantenac is a well-regarded wine estate based in the Margaux appellation, in the Haut-Médoc region just north of Bordeaux city. The estate was ranked a second growth in the 1855 Classification of the Médoc and Graves and regularly receives praise for its eponymously titled "grand vin". It is owned by Societe Viticole Henri Lurton and although overseen by Henrui Lurton since 1992, the estate has been in the Lurton family for four generations. The estate lies in the southern central region of the Margaux-Cantenac commune, just south of Chateau Cantenac-Brown and due west of the likes of Kirwan and Boyd-Cantenac. Dating back to the 17th Century, the estate was purchased after the French Revolution by Baron Jacques-Maxime de Brane, who gave it his name. Through several changes in ownership the estate became the residence of Lucien Lurton in the 1950s and has been in the Lurton family – a high-profile winemaking dynasty in Bordeaux – ever since. It is currently overseen by Henri Lurton.

The vineyards are planted atop sandy, gravel-based soils interspersed with large pebbles. These pebbles hold onto warmth from the sun, and the gravel in the soils allows for excellent water drainage around the vines. Cabernet Sauvignon (55 percent) and Merlot (40 percent) are planted alongside 4.5 percent Cabernet Franc and a little Carmenère. The latter was widely planted across the Médoc in the 18th Century but was pulled out of many vineyards because of its inability to fully flourish in Bordeaux's maritime climate. However, climate change has altered the terroir in Bordeaux, and growers have begun to experiment with Carmenere. Brane Cantenac has taken full advantage of the variety and, since 2011, has been including a small portion of it in the grand vin. The estate has 75 hectares (185 acres) of vineyard, of which nearly two-thirds are used to produce the Brane-Cantenac grand vin and surround the chateau building. The so-called Notton vineyard (which formerly gave its name to the second wine of the estate: Château Notton) lies on a higher gravel plateau slightly above the château.

The Brane Cantenac grand vin is aged for 18 months in new oak barrels. The second wine, Baron de Brane, is named after the 19th Century owner of the same name and is made from younger vines and aged for only 12 months in oak.