Brane-Cantenac Margaux 2022

99 points Jeb Dunnuck: "An undeniable star in Margaux, the 2022 Château Brane-Cantenac checks in as a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 1% each Cabernet Franc, Carménère, and Petit Verdot. This deep purple-hued beauty offers up a sensational perfume of darker currants and cassis that gives way to more floral, spicy oak and graphite nuances with air. With flawless overall balance, ripe, velvety tannins, terrific purity, and a great finish, this riveting Brane-Cantenac already offers pleasure, yet I wouldn't be surprised to see this firm up with 4-5 years of bottle age, only to reemerge later and drink beautifully for 30+ years. It's one of the truly greats in the appellation, and readers will love to have this beauty in the cellar. Drink: 2035-2065. (2/27/25)"

98 points Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux): "Easily one of the best wines of the appellation. Red rose petal fragrance, damp earth, rosemary, baking spice, sandalwood, incense, graphite and slate. Exceptional balance, deep chocolate and mint character, with lush damson and cassis fruits. Crushed violet flowers and salted cracker salinity, extremely impressive. Owner Henri Lurton has experience of making wine overseas, in Baja California, which may have given insights into viticultural techniques n the heat, but the real key here is the old vine Cabernet Sauvignon planted in the 1950s and 1960s by his late father Lucien Lurton. 100% new oak, from 8 coopers, and the meticulous approach to oak ageing care of technical director Christophe Capdeville is also important. 42% of production in the 1st wine. All the young vines, even when co-planted in the same rows were picked separately also this year. (04/18/23)."

98 points Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux): "(74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Carmenere, 1% Petit Verdot). Deep plum colour, touch of grilled campfire smoke on the aromatics, good lift through the finish, this is so enjoyable, clearly skilled and full of joy. One of the wines of the vintage, totally delivers on En Primeur beauty. Technical director Christophe Capdeville, owner Henri Lurton, 100% new oak for ageing. Alcohol 14%. Drink: 2028-2046. (12/12/24)"

98 points Georgina Hindle (Decanter): "One of the standouts of the year - a wonderful wine with so much to like. Coffee, tobacco, liquorice, dark chocolate, blackcurrants and floral scents on the nose. Smooth, succulent and velvety, this is amazing, juicy and so bright and vibrant. Pure and so effortless, tannins are filling but fine and delicate and this has excellent clarity and purity of fruit. They really didn't try too hard but have still delivered a powerful wine with concentration and intensity yet brightness and such generosity of fruit and acidity which makes this so joyful. Simply wonderful. Harvest 7 September-10 October. Yield of 31.5hl/ha. 3.61pH. 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere complete the blend. 42% production. 15.8% press wine. Ageing 18 months, 100% new oak. 3.57pH. Drink between 2029-2050. (4/18/23)"

96-98 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "Deeply colored, the wine opens with violets, lilacs, roses, cigar wrappers, creme de cassis, spice and lavender aromatics in the perfume. On the palate, the wine is pure silk and velvet. There is a beautiful elegance, symmetry, and balance you notice as soon as the wine graces your palate. There is length, purity, and refinement making this effortless to taste. The finish has no edges, leaving you with a wealth of sensuous fruits. Fans of Brane Cantenac should run, not walk, and buy this gem as prices continue to remain reasonable for a wine of this character, and quality. The wine blends 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and 1% of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenere. The wine is 14.3% ABV, 3.61 pH. The harvest took place September 7 - October 4, with the Carmenere being picked October 10. This is the earliest start to a harvest in the history of the estate. Yields were 31.5% hectoliters per hectare. The Grand Vin was produced from only 42% of the harvest. Drink from 2027-2055. (May 2023)"

97 points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 2022 Brane-Cantenac showed supremely well from barrel. Now in bottle, the aromatics are tightly wound at first, opening with each swirl to reveal blackberry, crushed stone, peony and cracked black pepper scents. It is quintessential Brane-Cantenac. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled tannins that lend this Margaux unerring sym. Indeed, this is the finest balanced Brane-Cantenac that I have encountered to date. It is almost pixelated in quality and very focused, with wonderful depth, precision and gentle grip toward the finish. So much energy is packed into this wine that it is almost impossible to detect the 100% new oak. It’s brilliant. Drink: 2030-2065. (Feb 2025)"

97 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2022 Brane-Cantenac is every bit as impressive as it was en primeur. What a wine. Fresh, brisk and wonderfully vibrant in the glass, the 2022 soars with striking Cabernet Sauvignon aromatics. Graphite, menthol, sage, mint, licorice, dried flowers and a kiss of well-judged oak all meld together in the glass. Great wine is the result of many small decisions taken together, some of which may seem inconsequential on their own. The team led by Technical Director Christophe Capdeville nailed it in 2022. This is a magnificent Margaux that overachieves big time. The 2022 is one of the most finessed wines of the vintage. Drink: 2032-2062. (Jan 2025)"

97 points James Suckling: "So aromatic with blackcurrant, blueberry and violet aromas that follow through to a medium body with ultrafine tannins that are extremely integrated and refined and go on for minutes. Some lead pencil and stone at the end. Very complex and subtle for the vintage. 74% cabernet sauvignon, 23% merlot, 1% cabernet franc, 1% petit verdot and 1% carmenere. Drink after 2029 and beyond. (1/7/25)"