Winemaker Notes
Beautiful garnet color, deep and shiny. The nose is intense, complex and fine, exhaling aromas of flowers, black fruits and hints of spices giving an impression of freshness. On the palate the wine is harmonious and long. It is full-bodied and endowed with sweetness. It is ample, soft, spherical, powerful but all in finesse. Freshness dominates with pleasant aromas of fresh black fruits and spices. This wine never seams to disappear as it's finish is long as persistent.
Blend: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Carménère, 1% Petit Verdot.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Heady and expressive on the nose, seductive tones of ripe fruit and perfumed flowers. Gorgeous intensity on the palate, rich, round and ripe - gently chewy - but cool and refreshing too. This has a dynamic undercurrent with tannins that are fine but firm giving a slightly narrow frame. It’s a bit more serious than some, brooding, but clearly well made with definition. There’s a confidence here, vibrant and detailed fruit with an excellent lingering impression of the terroir in the slightly salty, chalky, graphite touch. Layered and well built with supreme classicism. A top buy. I'd like to own this one!
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Jeb Dunnuck
Dense purple-hued, the 2020 Château Brane-Cantenac is powerful, concentrated, and very much in the style of the vintage, reminding me of an improved 2010. Ripe darker fruits, spicy wood, graphite, and a chalky, mineral character define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, rich, thick, and opulent on the palate. As with everything here, it stays remarkably balanced, pure, and graceful. A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% each Carménère and Petit Verdot, it was aged 18 months in 100% new French oak and hit 13.7% alcohol with a pH of 3.71. Hide bottles for a decade if you can, and this beauty will see its 50th birthday in fine form. Rating: 97+
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Wine Enthusiast
From what is one of Margaux's leading estates, this wine is structured and initially firm. Then it reveals luscious black fruits and succulent acidity that gives the wine a fine perfumed character, dense texture and the promise of some serious aging.
Barrel Sample: 95-97
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James Suckling
Aromas of ripe fruit, blackberries, dark cherries, licorice, violet extract and black olives. The tannins are abundant and fine-grained, with a full-bodied palate and a long, ripe and juicy finish. 70% cabernet sauvignon, 26% merlot, 2% cabernet franc, 1% carmenere and 1% petit verdot.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Brane-Cantenac has turned out nicely, offering up aromas of blackberries and crème de cassis mingled with notions of licorice, pencil shavings, violets and subtle hints of smoked meats. Medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy, with a lavish core of fruit, ripe acids and sweet tannins that assert themselves on the savory finish, it can't quite match the purity and sensuality of the 2019, but it's a strong effort.
Lucien Lurton's grandfather acquired the estate in 1925, and was succeeded by his grandson in 1956. Lucien Lurton's son, Henri, currently manages the estate and puts all his efforts into producing a great Margaux in each and every vintage, reflecting Brane-Cantenac's superb vineyard soil.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Silky, seductive and polished are the words that characterize the best wines from Margaux, the most inland appellation of the Médoc on the Left Bank of Bordeaux.
Margaux’s gravel soils are the thinnest of the Médoc, making them most penetrable by vine roots—some reaching down over 23 feet for water. The best sites are said to be on gentle outcrops, or croupes, where more gravel facilitates good drainage.
The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification but it is nonetheless important in regards to history of the area. In 1855 the finest chateaux were deemed on the basis of reputation and trading price—at that time. In 1855, Chateau Margaux achieved first growth status, yet it has been Chateau Palmer (officially third growth from the 1855 classification) that has consistently outperformed others throughout the 20th century.
Chateau Margaux in top vintages is capable of producing red Cabernet Sauvignon based wines described as pure, intense, spell-binding, refined and profound with flavors and aromas of black currant, violets, roses, orange peel, black tea and incense.
Other top producers worthy of noting include Chateau Rauzan-Ségla, Lascombes, Brane-Cantenac, and d’Issan, among others.
The best wines of Margaux combine a deep ruby color with a polished structure, concentration and an unrivaled elegance.