Derived exclusively from the château's holdings on the deep gravel soils of the plateau of Brane, the 2019 Brane-Cantenac has turned out brilliantly and merits a special effort to seek out. Wafting from the glass with aromas of wild berries, pencil shavings, violets, sweet loamy soil and cardamon, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with lively acids, ripe tannins and a beautifully seamless, perfumed profile. Retaining all the estate's signature elegance but with an extra dimension of depth and intensity, it's the finest Brane-Cantenac of the modern era and one of the great successes of the 2019 vintage.

70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Carmenère and 1% Petit Verdot. 50.3 hl/ha. 100% new oak barrels from this vintage and the selection now centred on the Terrace 4 vineyard. Deep, bright crimson. Depth and intensity on the nose with greater purity of fruit. Exuberant as well. Juicy, fleshy and salivatory on the palate. Plenty of lift and the tannins well integrated. Alcohol not a problem. (JL)