Chateau Brane-Cantenac 2eme Cru Classe, Margaux 2010

Powerful carmine-red colour, at the beginning of its drinking window but with decades ahead. Love the grain of the tannins that sets off and deepens the dark berry fruits, cocoa bean, slate, crayon, campfire smoke. Characterful, excellent quality with space to improve further. 41hl/h yield, harvest September 27 to October 14, 70% new French oak, 3.57ph, Eric Boissenot consultant, Henri Lurton owner, Christophe Capdeville technical director.

The 2010 Château Brane-Cantenac appears to have shut down, yet it still shows incredible potential. Revealing a deep plum hue as well as terrific darker currant, smoked tobacco, licorice, graphite, and subtle floral notes, this beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, rich, concentrated mouthfeel, beautifully sweet tannins, and a great finish. It has an incredible amount of sweet fruit, plenty of structure, and a great mid-palate; however, it needs another 4-5 years of bottle age to hit prime time. I followed this bottle for multiple days, and it was just about impervious to air and should have another 2+ decades of overall longevity.

The 2010 Brane-Cantenac marked the first year that optical sorting was used and the replanting of a parcel of Petit Verdot. This has long been a favourite vintage, the nose in a class of its own with mineral-driven black fruit, graphite and just a touch of Earl Grey. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. Beautifully balanced with just a slight savoury element beginning to emerge towards the finish, this blossoms in the glass and ultimately has a little more panache and grandeur than the impressive 2009. Outstanding. Tasted at the Brane-Cantenac vertical at the château in September 2025.

A blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 8% Cabernet Franc, the 2010 Brane-Cantenac is deep garnet colored. It opens with maturing scents of tobacco, new leather, and prunes, giving way to creme de cassis, raisin cake, and cast-iron pan. Medium to full-bodied, it is built like a brick house with super-firm tannins and a racy backbone supporting the dense fruit, finishing long and minerally.

Pretty red fruits such as cherries in this wine with chewy tannins and fresh acidity. Toasted oak too. Needs time to come together. Dense and complete for this estate. Better than 2009. Better after 2016.

When tasted at 15 years, complexity remains. Ample florality brightens the aromas of black fruits, earth and faint hints of wood smoke. The palate shows density of dark fruits, black brambles and polished notes of plum. Sweet spices envelope the finish. A lovely wine from this esteemed estate.

(a blend of 62% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot and 8% cabernet franc; 13.5% alcohol) Purple-ruby. Highly c omplex aromas of red plum, cassis, violet, graphite, and cedar. Then focused and suave on the palate, with flavors of pure blackberry, blueberry pie and flint. Finishes with broad, polished tannins and impressive length. This excellent Brane-Cantenac is a highly nuanced and structured wine with plenty of life ahead. If it gains in sweetness, it may well eventually rate a score at the high end of my range. Drink 2020-2040.