The 2016 Château Brane-Cantenac is an exceptional wine, praised by critics for its classical Margaux style. A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Carmenère, it has a beautifully defined bouquet with mineral-rich black fruits, cedar, and graphite. On the palate, it's complex and elegant, with fine tannins, well-pitched acidity, and a long, persistent finish. This wine combines density, power, and freshness, showing remarkable balance and refinement. Aging potential of 30 to 40 years, it's expected to evolve beautifully, reaching its peak after 2024. This vintage is considered one of the estate’s finest, with a long lifespan, making it a benchmark for future vintages.

The Wine Advocate | RP 96-98
Published: Apr 28, 2017
Drink: 2026-2060

The 2016 Brane-Cantenac is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Carmenere picked from 22 September until 17 October (the tiny parcel of Carmenere picked three days later). The yields came in at 51 hectoliters per hectare and it is matured in 75% new oak and 25% one-year-old barrels, the final alcohol level 13.3%. It has a beautifully defined, very detailed bouquet with mineral-rich black fruit laced with cedar and graphite notes, living up to its nom de plume as the "Pauillac of Margaux." The palate is simply the best that I have ever tasted at the estate, without question. This has presence, but also weightlessness, filigree tannin and perfectly pitched acidity, with real intensity and drive. The tension here is outstanding and the persistence is incredibly long. It is not the showiest of all the 2016s by a long stretch, and yet it is everything you could possibly want from a Margaux. Like Beychevelle this year, the 2016 Brane-Cantenac puts recent vintages in the shade, thanks not only to the growing season, but also a new punching down system in their gravity-fed winery that was completed in 2015. The 2016 is a benchmark against which future vintages will be compared.

Jamessuckling.com | JS 96
Published: Jan 25, 2019

So much ripe and sweet tobacco on the nose with currant and blackberry character. Full body, intense tannins with density and beauty. It’s a wine with great structure and panache for this estate. Try after 2024.

Decanter | D 96
Published: Apr 18, 2022
Drink: 2025-2050

Racy aromatic nobility, with cassis, white flower, graphite and blackberry. A second growth for a rather friendly price (in context), this wine displays subtle density, power, freshness and elegance. It has the tannic structure for the long haul, but is already silky in its elegance. Best to wait just a few more years however for a more optimal drinking window.

Jancisrobinson.com | JR 17.5
Published: Feb 6, 2020
Drink: 2025-2048

Tasted blind. Sweet and easy. Not dramatic but well mannered and all in balance. Inky and very Margaux. Henri Lurton and his sustainable viticulture will presumably be very pleased that his wine was the group's second-favourite Margaux after Ch Margaux in this Southwold tasting.

Brane-cantenac.com

Wine Style:
Deep purple colour. Very complex nose revealing aromas of black fruits, toast, vanilla, and floral and fresh notes. In the palate the wine is supple and round, the tannic structure is fine and silky, and the finish persists with a very pleasant aromatic back palate. A wine dense, fleshy with a remarkable depth and a perfect balance: refined and powerful tannins. Probably one of the greatest vintages of those two last years.

Serving conditions
Decant 1h30 to 2h before - Serve at 18°C

Ageing potential
30 to 40 years

Wine pairing
Pavé de boeuf, truffled mashed potatoes

Weather conditions
2016 was a dry year but paradoxically yields were high. Very fortunately, there was a sudden improvement in the weather during flowering. Luck was with us again in mid-September with beneficial rain that enabled ripening to be completed. The Cabernet grapes from the fourth terrace were absolutely magnificent, thanks to this terroir’s exceptional resistance to drought conditions. One of the greatest, if not the greatest Brane!

Harvest dates
22/09 to 17/10/2016

Blend
70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Carmenère

VINIFICATION
In oak casks

Ageing
18 months in French oak barrels, with 70% new