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Label 1660-00

Chateau Brane-Cantenac - 2000

Blend
3% Cabernet Franc
42% Cabernet Sauvignon
55% Merlot
Country
France
Region
Bordeaux
Appellation
Margaux
UPC
0 15643 70408 6
Red Wine
1660-00
Product Ratings
Wine Advocate 92pt

Fully mature and very attractive, the 2000 Brane Cantenac, which started a succession of brilliant wines from this famous estate in the Margaux appellation, has a dark plum/ruby/purple color, a sweet, juicy nose of blue, red, and black fruits, and a hint of damp earth as well as subtle herbs. Spicy, round, complex, very lush, and at its plateau of maturity, this wine should continue to drink well for another 10-15 years at minimum. This is Margaux elegance and silkiness at its very best.

by Wine Advocate, 2010
Wine Spectator 91pt

Subtle aromas of blackberry and vanilla. Medium- to full-bodied, with a solid core of silky tannins. Long and caressing. Very fresh, almost tart. An estate going places. Best after 2009. 12,500 cases made.

by Wine Spectator, 2003
James Suckling 92pt

Very rich aromas of ripe strawberries, spices and flowers follow through to a full body with velvety tannins and an outstanding structure. It's always a little austere. But so much there. Just coming around now. Delicious.

by James Suckling, 2013
Vinous Media 92pt

The 2000 Brane-Cantenac represents the only vintage that eschewed any vin de presse due to a meticulous selection. This has a gorgeous bouquet that blossoms in the glass: a melange of red and black fruit vie for attention as an underlying mineralite lends more dimension that previous vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with finely sculpted tannins, perhaps just a little spicier than previous vintage. Cohesive with decent body on the finish, this has mellowed in recent years and attained more sophistication. The 2000 is classic in style and approaching its peak. Excellent.

by Vinous Media, 2025
Wine Advocate 93pt

The 2000 Brane-Cantenac is a blend of 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 55% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. It has a really wonderful bouquet that is coming into its own: potent with black truffle and gravel infusing the red berry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a saline tang on the entry. It is not a powerful or huge wine, but there is impressive length here and genuine complexity on the finish, with black truffle, cedar and tobacco notes vying for attention. Henri Lurton oversaw a really quite fabulous, almost aristocratic Brane-Cantenac in this millennial year.

by Wine Advocate, 2016

The vintage

After an early bud-break at the end of March, the growing season was slowed down by a cool, damp spring. The subsequent shoots promised a crop size on a par with the previous year; however with the outbreak of fungal diseases, particularly downy mildew, frequent and careful anti-fungal spraying became the order of the day. July was abnormally cold and damp, though August and September were sunny and dry, ensuring good ripening of the grapes. The picking was therefore done in favourable conditions and could be stretched out according to the ripening in each plot. A good natural concentration in the berries and perfectly healthy bunches, thanks to very hot spells of weather, produced consistently ripe fruit and levels of quality which far exceeded the previous vintages. As the blending approached, the Merlot showed good deep colour with plenty of fatness on the palate. As for the Cabernets, they displayed outstanding tannins, balance, roundness and finesse. Paradoxically, selection remained very severe.
An intense, dark, garnet colour with purple glints.
Moderately aromatic nose at first, showing dominant notes of black fruit (black cherries, blackberries) together with well integrated hints of oak.. Once it has breathed in the glass, the wine displays its aromatic potential and complexity: black current, red fruit jam, leather aroma, floral notes, all showing the great maturity of the grapes.
In the mouth, the wine displays an exceptional roundness, which develops right away. The tannins are silky but powerful, a bit like the ’99. The tannins are ripe and of a velvety texture.
An extremely long, lingering finish, which leaves a very pleasant physical impact.
A wine for the keeping. If one decides to open it now, it is best to decant it.

The team

Owner: Henri Lurton
Director of Operations: Christophe Capdeville
Director of Marketing and Communication: Corinne Conroy
Vineyard Manager: Jean-Charles Nabéra-Sartoulet
Consulting Oenologist: Jacques Boissenot

MISC

Yield: 46 hl/ha
Barrel ageing : 18 months in 60% new French oak
Percentage of great wine vs secondary labels : 27,5%