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Brane Cantenac 1970 150cl

2eme Grand Cru Classé | Margaux | Bordeaux | France
CHF 205.40
Critics scores
85 Robert Parker
After my first edition of Bordeaux I received several letters from readers claiming that my ungenerous review of the 1970 Brane-Cantenac (I rated it a 65 and called it distressingly poor) was inconsistent with their tastings. I was a participant in a Bordeaux tasting where the wine was served as part of a horizontal tasting of the 1970 vintage. Two of the three bottles were deep ruby in color, with a spicy, herbaceous, earthy scent (rather than the dirty barnyard smell I described), and medium bodied, with a soft, relatively concentrated finish. Another bottle was not nearly as good as the other two, but not nearly as bad as the 1970 Brane-Cantenac I described in the 1985 edition of this book. For whatever reason, there does appear to be a great deal of bottle variation with this vintage; certainly the good examples are wines that merit a score in the mid-eighties, the bad bottles are deplorable. Anticipated maturity: Now. Last tasted, 3/89.
Producer
Château Brane Cantenac
One of the most respected châteaux in the Margaux appellation, Château Brane Cantenac was established in the early 18th century and was bought by the Baron de Brane, a nobleman known as “Napoléon of the Vineyards” in 1833 following the sale of his other château, Mouton Rothschild. He renamed the château after himself (including Cantenac, a sub-section within the Margaux appellation), but it was eventually bought by other families throughout the years. In the 1920s, a branch of the Lurton family took it over with Château Margaux and while they do not retain Margaux, they still own and manage Brane Cantenac. It is planted to 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc and 0.5% Carménère, the latter only being introduced in the 2011 vintage as a way of balancing out higher alcohol due to climate change. Their Grand Vin is aged in 60% new oak barrels for 18 months.