Brane-Cantenac Part I

This is the first part of my last post about Chateau visits while I was in Bordeaux and the one that I am the most excited to write. Chateau Brane-Cantenac has long been one of my favorite wines. To me, it is the quintessential Bordeaux: complex and elegant, with well-structured tannins and a long finish. Plus, with most vintages in the $50-$70 range it is a wine that I can (and do) drink regularly.



The history of Chateau Brane-Cantenac dates back to at least the early 18th century when the property was known as Chateau Gorce. Even then it was recognized as a quality wine. The estate was purchased Baron Hector de Brane in 1833. Baron Hector de Brane -- a staunch advocate for making Cabernet Sauvignon the primary grape in the Medoc -- renamed the property to Brane-Cantenac in 1838 and that is the name that was used in the 1855 Classification.

Chateau Brane-Cantenac is classified as a second growth.




Like many properties in Bordeaux, the estate fell on hard times between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It changed owners several times before finally being sold to Leonce Recapet and Francois Lurton in 1925. The estate was passed to Francois' son Lucien Lurton (I have a couple of bottles of Brane that have L. Lurton etched into the wax covering on the bottle). In 1992 Lucien passed the property to his son, Henri Lurton. It is Henri who runs the Chateau today.



Henri Lurton is well-known for innovations in the wine making process. While I was visiting the Chateau I was fortunate enough to have him give me the tour, and I have to say it was a real honor talking to him about his winemaking process and philosophy.

There is an old adage that if you want to sculpt an elephant you simply get a block of marble and chip away anything that doesn’t look like an elephant. That appears to be Henri's philosophy when it comes to making wine: Because of Brane-Cantenac's terroir and the care he shows the vines there is great wine in the fruit, he just needs to chip away everything that is not great and the wine will manifest itself.

Of course it helps that Chateau Brane-Cantenac sits on one of the best spots in the Margaux region. Directly in front of the Chateau is the Plateau de Brane. The Plateau de Brane has an elevation, at its peak, of 22 meters above sea-level. It is comprised of large gravel that extends as deep as 10 meters. This is an ideal environment for Cabernet Sauvignon. The gravel improves the resilience of the vines and generates additional heat.




Harvesting and sorting are done by hand. Initial fermentation is done in temperature controlled steel, concrete and oak vats (Henri has a preference for oak). Malolactic fermentation is done inside the barrel, one of Henri's innovations. Racking is done every three months. To make that process easier Henri has begun using twist on bungs (see the last picture) in the barrels. Fining is done with egg whites and the wine is typically aged 18 months.

There are a total of 75 hectares under vine. 55% of those are Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc and .5% Carmenere. The average age of the vines is 35 years.