Château Brane-Cantenac
Brane-Cantenac is a family vineyard located in Cantenac, on one of the most popular plateau in Margaux. The emblematic plateau de Brane gathers 100% of the brane-Cantenac vineyard, an exceptional terroir for an authentic wine. It is one of the biggest figures of Margaux classified as a 2ème Grand Crus Classé.
History of the Estate:
Born in the XVII century, the estate produced already one of the best wines in the Medoc. Considered as part of the best Grands Crus, he is classified 2ème Grand Crus in 1855. The vineyard become owed by the Lurton family right after the first world war. François Lurton passed the estate to his second son, Lucien, in 1954. Lucien Lurton is an engineer and technician in winemaking, passionate by the history of wine. He will participate for the renowned of Brane-Cantenac and 11 other estates including 6 Grands Crus. He will give these vineyards to his 11 children in 1992.
Henri Lurton takes then the lead of the vineyard. Passionate with oenology he will make big progress in the structure of the wine and the use of the terroir to give it a fantastic expression. He missioned himself to perpetuate the style of this racy wine.
An exceptional terroir:
The soil analyses on the vineyard reveal some common points with the most prestigious terroirs in Bordeaux. What we call the ‘Terrace 4’ is chronologically the fourth terrace added by the river in the Quaternary period. It is characterized by a sandy surface layer with a majority of coarse gravel and a deep subsoil composed of the same gravel but with a high proportion of clay of between 10 and 20%. This specific combination provides optimum growing conditions for the vines. Surface drainage limits the effect of heavy rainfall. Water is retained in the deep layers of the soil and released very gradually, enabling the vines to adapt to severe drought. The continuous supply of water, in small quantities but sufficient for the vines, ensures stability throughout the year, whatever the effects of the vintage.
‘We are just the tip of the iceberg. much of the quality of the wine comes from below, in the soil, and everything we do aims to channel that quality into each grape. and when the whole team respects the importance of the vine, it’s easier for me to excel at my job.’
Pierre Auché – Chef de Culture
The wines:
The harvest starts when optimum maturity is here. A lot of analyses are made, and the grapes are tasted by the team to ensure the best quality as possible. Then comes a work of vatting only the best grape. The use of an optical sorter helps for the selection though different factors: the color, the size, the shape of each grape variety and each plot.
Then, the objectives are to ensure a maximum of aromas and color extraction all along the vinification process. The contact of the juice with the skin is really important.
The final blend is made from the combination of over 200 different batches to achieve the perfect balance.
‘What sets brane apart is that during vertical tastings, each wine is of the highest quality. And that’s thanks to our terroir, of course, but also because we’ve made the right decisions for each vintage.’
Florent Cillero – Maître de Chai