Brane-cantenac

THROUGH SCIENCE AND EXPERIMENTATION TOWARDS THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LURTON FAMILY ESTATE

CHÂTEAU

VHow would you present in a few sentences your property and its terroir?

ertdevin:

Henri Lurton: Château Brane-cantenac is a family property with 75 hectares of vines, including 3 hectares of white. The heart of the Brane terroir is a gravelly soil with a unique signature, the Brane plateau. It is located on one of the two peaks (21m) of terrace 4, the most prestigious of the Margaux appellation.

A large part of the plateau was replanted just after the great frost of 1956. Since then, we have been keen to keep these old plots.

All the grape varieties grow well on this terroir, but climate change is unfavourable to Merlot, which now reaches very high degrees of alcohol. We have therefore rapidly changed the grape varieties thanks to the method of over-grafting, which has enabled us to increase the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon from 50% to 70% in 5 years, at the expense of Merlot. At the same time we have planted other grape varieties on perfectly suitable terroirs. For us, this was the return of Carménère and Petit Verdot. Since its planting in 2007, we have made a lot of progress in the viticulture and vinification of Carménère and its contribution is very interesting.

This year we are replanting Cabernet Franc, which has almost always been present in the Brane blend, and also Malbec, which is making a comeback.

Brane-cantenac therefore has all the authorised grape varieties planted on its terroir. If Cabernet Sauvignon is dominant and Merlot is still the main secondary grape variety, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenère bring complexity to the blend. We are also waiting for Malbec and next year Castets, a late-ripening variety authorised as a trial.

What is your opinion about organic and biodynamic viticulture?

H.L.: I am a biologist and the protection of the environment has always been a priority for me, hence my long-standing interest in this type of However, in certain circumstances we find ourselves in a dead end with this type of viticulture, not a technical dead end since we now manage perfectly, albeit with difficulty, to protect a crop, but an ecological dead end.

I prefer in these circumstances (flavescence dorée, virulent mildew) to favour less toxic synthetic products over natural products that are more harmful to the ecosystem. Nature does not recognise dogma.

Thanks to the use of a synthetic product with low toxicity, I can also avoid four copper treatments when mildew is virulent, thus saving three tractor passes and limiting the doses of copper, which is a heavy metal that sterilises the soil. Unfortunately, we can’t be organic and ecological at the same time in our region by totally avoiding the use of synthetic products.

I hope, however, that the progress of phytotherapy will make them rhyme again...

What about your production methods?

H.L.: In 1999 we built the first ecological vat house in the region, which bears witness to our environmental commitment and our early concern for climate change. The predominant use of wood and the natural thermal regulation facilities have made it a building that is as energy-efficient in its construction as in its use.

The vats, wood and stainless steel, have different capacities to allow for parcel-by-parcel and even micro-parcel selection.

The grapes are brought in by pneumatically suspended trailers and gently delivered to the sorting tables by vibration. This is a technological revolution compared to the crate. This allows optical sorting, also a technological revolution, to do a perfect job on grapes whose integrity has been totally preserved.

The grapes go into the vats by gravity and thanks to the R’pulse process, there is no pumping during the vinification. The Grand Vin Château Brane-cantenac is then aged for 18 months in new French oak barrels.

The Baron de Brane is also aged in barrels for one year. We also include a few amphorae in its ageing process, as its structure is less suited to extended ageing than that of the Grand Vin.

What are the distinctive characteristics of your Grand Vin?

H.L.: Since the 19th century, Brane has always been famous for its aromatic, perfumed and floral complexity. It is a wine of elegance and finesse, finding its balance between strength and delicacy. Château Brane-cantenac is a wine with velvety tannins. Its freshness makes it a wine for ageing, which, in the great vintages, may seem closed in its young years, but which shows an extraordinary capacity for ageing, while developing its full aromatic palette over the years.

What makes this richness is our selection. The fruit comes exclusively from Terrace 4 of the Brane plateau.

Château Brane-cantenac was born of an intuition, of an experience with the terroir. A unique terroir, which must be cherished and enhanced.

The 100th anniversary of the Brane estate owned by the Lurton family will be in 2025. What are the new projects and plans that are leading the estate towards this first centenary?

H.L.: We never stop learning and experimenting. In 2019 we produced our first white wine and the first vintages were well accepted by critics and the public.

We will renovate the Baron de Brane cellar by insulating its old stone walls with wood and using the same natural thermal regulation techniques as for the great wine (Canadian wells).

The major project is the development of hedges and the planting of trees on the top of the plateau (on islands and not in the middle of the vines) with a junction on the park (8 ha of biodiversity with hundred-year-old trees).

We also hope to be able to receive visitors on the top of the plateau (the Terrace IV hut), the only way to understand the particularity of this great terroir.

thanks to henri lurton for sharing his time - Valeria tenison

Château Brane-cantenac

Chemin de Benqueyre 33460 Margaux-cantenac – France

www.brane-cantenac.com