Chateau Brane-Cantenac 2eme Cru Classe, Margaux 2024

Tons of energy, stone fruits, cherry pits, damson, a lovely feeling of fruit that has plenty of life ahead it, fresh and juicy with sapidity. not trying too hard just full of pleasure. Edge of grilled campfire, graphite, generosity, easily one of the wines of the vintage. 11.3% press wine, 3.53pH, 46.6hl/ha yield. Harvest 17 September to 8 October, 80% new oak for ageing.

Ripe and concentrated aromas, you can feel the blackcurrant and cherry fruit, dark and full of aromatic intensity. Really welcoming. Bright and lively in the mouth, an instant hit of sweet, juiciness with high acidity giving immediate lift. It’s not plush, more sleek and svelte. More linear than recent vintages of course but lifted with careful extraction and lovely definition. A happy wine. Really makes you smile and one you want to finish. More overt acidity than some - racy - but I love the intense freshness and precision on offer and this grows in stature with time in the glass. 40% grand vin production. Ageing 80% new oak instead of 100%, probably 18 months in barrel. Tasted twice. 11.3% press. 3.53pH.

The Grand Vin is based on 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc that included 11.3% of press, saw malolactic fermentation in barrel, and will spend 18 months in 80% new barrels. Its deeper ruby/purple hue is followed by a beautifully pure, layered, elegant, and medium-bodied Margaux that has both red and blue fruits, some violet, spicy wood, and cedar pencil nuances, fine, polished tannins, and outstanding length. This hit 12.6% alcohol with a pH of 3.53.

The 2024 Brane-Cantenac is shaping up to be a gem. Blood orange, crushed flowers, spice, mint and chalk confer notable brightness. The 2024 is marked by a strong red-fruit character, bright acids and mid-weight structure, all of which make for a super-classic, if somewhat nervy, Brane-Cantenac. There's quite a bit of potential here. Tasted two times.

Deep garnet-purple colored. Slowly unfurls in the glass to reveal fragrant notes of warm red plums, kirsch, and strawberry pie, plus hints of mossy tree bark and black olives. The light to medium-bodied palate is plush and refreshing with impressive intensity and a perfumed finish. Pretty!

The 2024 Brane-Cantenac was picked between September 17 and October 8. No Petit Verdot or Carménère were included in the blend this year. It was cropped at 46.6 hl/ha and matured in 80% new oak. This has a refined bouquet, understated at first, opening with black fruit, graphite and deft touches of wild mint. The palate is medium-bodied with sapid black fruit on the entry. With fine grip and very fresh, this is a Brane-Cantenac leaning more toward Pauillac in style as it is sometimes wont to do. Lightly peppery on the finish, this is an elegant Margaux that should be broached before its 2020 or 2022 counterparts.

A blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc, the 2024 Brane-Cantenac exhibits aromas of sweet berries, vanilla pod and toasty new oak, followed by a medium-bodied, fleshy and youthfully tannic palate that's lent a creamy, lactic quality by its malolactic fermentation in new barrels.