Château Brane-Cantenac Baron de Brane 2022

Baron de Brane is the second wine of Château Brane-Cantenac, a classified estate in Margaux on Bordeaux's Left Bank, run by Henri Lurton. The blend is led by Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and a little Petit Verdot, drawn from younger vines and plots not used for the first wine. Margaux is the Médoc's most gravelly commune, and the fine, light gravel over clay subsoil is what gives its wines their perfume and finesse rather than sheer weight. Merlot brings ripe, rounded fruit, the Cabernets add structure and cedar, and Petit Verdot lends colour and a note of spice. The 2022 spent twelve months in oak, enough to knit the blend together and add gentle spice while keeping the fruit fresh, the oxygen passing slowly through the barrel softening the tannins. The wine is concentrated but subtle. The nose leads with black currant, plum and cherry over cedar and a hint of earth; the palate is medium bodied with a fruity core, fine tannins and a slight, appealing bitterness on the finish that keeps it savoury. Serve at 16 to 17 degrees. It suits beef, lamb and roast poultry.