Famous for its wines since the early 18th century, Château Brane Cantenac has been in the Lurton family (also owners of Dufort-Vivens and Bouscaut) for four generations.

Most of the estate’s 75 ha of vines are planted on soil consisting of sand and deep Günz and Mindel gravel on the croupe de Brane (Brane gravelly rise).

This gravel soil also has a considerable clay content. This means that it is not only well-drained, but also helps to regulate water supply all year round since the clay retains water and releases it slowly as needed.

Behind the château, 15 hectares of vines grow on a flat terrain with sandy-gravel soil.

The estate is divided into 200 plots, making it much easier to monitor ripeness and pick at just the right time. Brane Cantenac has recently carried out a soil survey to enable replanting with grape varieties ideally suited to each soil type.

For family reasons, the estate was reduced by around 20 hectares in 2008, and the wine now features a great deal more Merlot (total 45%) and less Cabernet Sauvignon (50%).

The vines are trained close to the ground to take maximum advantage of heat radiated by the gravel soil. Side shoots are removed and leaf thinning practiced as necessary. In keeping with the principles of sustainable viticulture, the plots are regularly plowed.

The grapes are sorted in the vineyard and transported to the cellar in small stainless steel containers to avoid bruising. Once they have arrived at the winery, they are put through a rotary Viniclean machine to remove any unwanted matter. The grapes are then sorted a second time by hand on a vibrating table and crushed.

Around 40% of the crop goes into the first wine, although this figure varies depending on the vintage (eg. 27% in 2007). The best Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are then put into wooden vats via an air propulsion system ensuring that different lots can be kept entirely separate.

During alcoholic fermentation, vacuum concentration is occasionally used on certain lots to improve the wine’s body, especially in vintages where the juice show signs of dilution.

The grapes undergo 48 hour pre-fermentation carbonic maceration, and the best of the press wine is selected on a vat-by-vat basis. Extraction is achieved through regular, long pumping over along with délestage (rack and return) and pigeage (punching down the cap). Malolactic fermentation takes place in 60% new French oak barrels (depending on the vintage) from seven different coopers.

This is followed by two months of aging on the lees. This reduces the astringency of the tannin and makes the wine more rich. Bâtonnage, or stirring the lees with a stick, is not practiced. Regular racking with compressed air from barrel to barrel allows the wine to absorb a variety of flavours due to oak from different coopers. The final blend is made in February. The wine is aged in barrel for a total of around 15 months, and fined with egg whites before bottling.

In 2007, Château Brane Cantenac planted around 400 m² of Carmenère to give the wine greater depth.

Something of a traditionalist, Henri Lurton has nevertheless embraced a wealth of new winemaking technology since the late 90s, making his cellar much more efficient. Thanks to this new direction, Château Brane Cantenac has gone from decades of alternating good and mediocre vintages to much more reliable quality since the mid-1990s.

In the Bottle

Classy, elegant, and with a great texture, Brane-Cantenac has been consistently good since the 2000 vintage. Generally quite complex, Brane-Cantenac needs 15 years to show its best in great vintages.

Château Brane-Cantenac is a very good Quality/Price ratio.

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Brane-Cantenac, Le Baron de Brane (second wine), Château Notton,