Brane Cantenac 2018

Margaux, Second Growth

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Tasting Notes

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.

Score: 95

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028 - 2048 26 August 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.

Score: 93

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2024 - 2048 18 August 2021

A quintessential Margaux as well as one of the finest wines I've tasted from this estate, the 2018 Château Brane-Cantenac is based on 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, all aged in 70% new French oak. Beautiful cassis and mulberry fruits as well as notes of leafy tobacco, spice, cedarwood, and spring flowers emerge from the glass. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and elegant, it has loads of fruit, a seamless texture, and a good spine of acidity. Give bottles 4-5 years and enjoy over the following 30 years or more.

Score: 95

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Maturity: 2025 - 2055 18 July 2021

The 2018 Brane-Cantenac is medium to deep garnet-purple in color, leaping from the glass with vibrant notes of kirsch, black raspberries and warm cassis, plus suggestions of roses, forest floor and cinnamon stick with a waft of cedar chest. The medium-bodied palate is wonderfully elegant and refreshing, weighing in at just 13.5% alcohol, while not scrimping on the interplay of red and black fruits. It has lovely soft tannins and a long, perfumed finish. Impressive!

Score: 93

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2024 - 2042 11 July 2021