2024 Brane-Cantenac:

'Easily one of the wines of the vintage'

Also released: Palmer, Latour-Martillac, Grand Mayne

It's 'easily one of the wines of the vintage,' says Jane Anson. Uncorked agrees: we thought 2024 Brane-Cantenac was dramatically good. Despite the travails of the vintage, Henri Lurton managed good yields and a great wine - but then, the 12-meter-deep gravel soils of the Plateau de Brane have always been one of the best terroirs in Margaux. The backbone of the wine is the 60+ year-old Cabernet Sauvignon vines planted on the plateau by Henri's father Lucien, after the great frost of 1956. Palmer also shrugged off the challenges of 2024 to produce a wine that would be a triumph in any vintage. 

From Pessac, we loved both colours of the Kressmann family's Latour-Martillac. The cool conditions of 2024 have made an outstanding white: Latour-Martillac Blanc is crisp and energetic, tense and fresh, with lovely aromatics of citrus fruits and nectarine. The rouge is delicate, with soft, fresh red fruits and smooth tannins.

In St-Emilion, Jean-Antoine Nony has been finessing the style at his family property Grand Mayne. He has also been dialling down the oak regime, and gradually replanting the vineyards; the  long-term aim is to restore Cabernet Franc to the 35% of the vineyard area it occupied in his grandfather's day. That's partly because the limestone-and-clay soils love it, and partly as a hedge against global warming. And in pursuit of elegance rather than power, Jean-Antoine has said adieu to consultant Michel Rolland, bonjour Stéphane Derenoncourt. This is a property to watch. /NT

Read our full vintage report here. 
Keep abreast of latest Bordeaux releases and read wine profiles here. 

Offered subject to remaining unsold. Wines expected to arrive in 2027. To place an order, click on the wines below or call 020 7638 5998