Château Brane-Cantenac 2025

Ripe and juicy blackcurrant aromas, really pure and expressive, fruit forward with iris notes as well. Juicy and friendly with such a lifted, bright and energetic core but grippy too, really wide and filling with the structure and concentration matching the acidity step for step. Firm and streamlined, but there’s purity and I do love the slightly more muscular aspect to this. Maybe less charming than previous vintages but more sophisticated. Clarity is exceptional. Lovely and long. 1% Carménère completes the blend. 3.62pH. 12.1% press wine.

Black cherries, currants, roses, violets, spice, and forest floor create the aromatics. On the palate, the elegance and purity of the fruit are instantly recognizable. The lift and vibrancy, paired with concentration and sensuality, set this apart. The finish starts strong and continues seamlessly. 2025 marks the Lurton family's 100th anniversary of owning the vineyard. You can expect to see a special label celebrating the occasion. The 2025 is in competition with the 2022 as the best vintage ever produced at the estate. The wine blends 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 1% Carmenere, and 1% Cabernet Franc. 13.3% ABV, 3.62 pH. Harvesting took place September 2 - September 19. Yields were 32 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2029-2065. 98-100 Pts

This is luscious and full of wonderfully bright fruits, great concentration, cushion of air underneath, high Cabernet and it comes through in the floral aromatics, clearly a plentiful tannic structure but luscious and layered damson and black cherry. Yes yes yes. 12.10% press wine. 3.62 pH. Tasted twice. 100 years of the Lurtons at Brane.

The intensity of the bouquet reveals classic Brane-Cantenac markers, with notes of cocoa, licorice and black berries, rounded out by a touch of eucalyptus. The aromatic balance is very accomplished, highlighting partly contrasting elements, combining a woody edge with youthful, even slightly vegetal, nuances. On the palate, the wine is creamy from the first sip. This silky texture ensures an easy, velvety progression, supported by powerful tannins that build through the finish, while a more incisive touch enhances the fresh, juicy aspects—always welcome in Brane-Cantenac’s generous, yet not opulent, style. A flavorful, elegant, harmonious and thoroughly delightful wine!

Deep black colour. An intense, refined, fruity, pure nose that grows deeper with aeration in the glass, yet remains very Médoc in character. Blackcurrant nuances never seen at this age, mingled with black fruits. Exceptionally distinguished on entry, with remarkable grace on the palate and a melting body, the wine glides across the palate—precise, complex and profound. It finishes long and, once again, utterly irresistible. This is superb. Blend: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Carménère. Alcohol: 13.3% – pH: 3.62. 12.10% press wine. Yield: 32.2 hl/ha. If you have to buy only one wine from this vintage, make it this one. It’s the outsider among all the wines rated above it.

The stillness, nobility and aromatic precision once again make this Brane one of the great wines of the vintage; delicately fruity and floral, with plenty of blackcurrant and subtle toasted notes on the nose, the wine delivers a true tasting spectacle on the palate; the finest tannins wrap the fruit like velvet and silk, impressively powerful yet floating across the tongue with featherlight ease, always present, never intrusive; the finish is of outstanding length. This is a wine that can command the big stage for an entire evening.