Château Brane-Cantenac Margaux 2022

Jeb Dunnuck : 99 Points

(2/27/2025) An undeniable star in Margaux, the 2022 Château Brane-Cantenac checks in as a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 1% each Cabernet Franc, Carménère, and Petit Verdot. This deep purple-hued beauty offers up a sensational perfume of darker currants and cassis that gives way to more floral, spicy oak and graphite nuances with air. With flawless overall balance, ripe, velvety tannins, terrific purity, and a great finish, this riveting Brane-Cantenac already offers pleasure, yet I wouldn't be surprised to see this firm up with 4-5 years of bottle age, only to reemerge later and drink beautifully for 30+ years. It's one of the truly greats in the appellation, and readers will love to have this beauty in the cellar. Maturity: 2035 - 2065

Decanter : 98 Points

(9/2025) The 2022 Brane-Cantenac marked a year when ownership passed to Henri Lurton's four children, although he remains as general manager. More importantly (perhaps), the 2022 is a benchmark for the Margaux estate, its future North Star. This has a stupendous nose with intense Cabernet Sauvignon inflections, its intensity and delineation superior to the 2019 and 2020. An underlying floral scent emerges with time. The palate is medium-bodied with silky and fine tannins that frame the seductive black fruit laced with crushed peppercorns, and a touch of cedar on the crystalline finish. I raved about this 2022 from barrel and in bottle. I see no reason to change my "raving." Tasted at the Brane-Cantenac vertical at the château in September 2025. Drinking Window: 2030 - 2060.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni : 98 Points

(12/14/2024) Crushed velvet smoothness and almost weightless purity. Gorgeous aromatics – wild flowers, bramble fruit and soft cinnamon. Bright berry fruit, salty mineral touches and a hint of liquorice create charm and depth. This exudes Margaux elegance with bounce, finesse and fleshiness. Already so enjoyable but built to develop further. An utterly delicious wine that captures the essence of the vintage. Drinking Window: 2029 - 2050

Vinous - Neal Martin : 97 Points

(1/2025) The 2022 Brane-Cantenac is every bit as impressive as it was en primeur. What a wine. Fresh, brisk and wonderfully vibrant in the glass, the 2022 soars with striking Cabernet Sauvignon aromatics. Graphite, menthol, sage, mint, licorice, dried flowers and a kiss of well-judged oak all meld together in the glass. Great wine is the result of many small decisions taken together, some of which may seem inconsequential on their own. The team led by Technical Director Christophe Capdeville nailed it in 2022. This is a magnificent Margaux that overachieves big time. The 2022 is one of the most finessed wines of the vintage. Drinking Window: 2032 - 2062

James Suckling : 97 Points

(1/7/2025) So aromatic with blackcurrant, blueberry and violet aromas that follow through to a medium body with ultrafine tannins that are extremely integrated and refined and go on for minutes. Some lead pencil and stone at the end. Very complex and subtle for the vintage. 74% cabernet sauvignon, 23% merlot, 1% cabernet franc, 1% petit verdot and 1% carmenere. Drink after 2029 and beyond.

The Wine Independent : 97 Points

(6/5/2025) The 2022 from Henri Lurton is a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 1% each Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenère. I just adore the nose here, dark yet perfumed and fresh, with smoked blackberry fruit laced with sandalwood, incense, white peach and a touch of mint, as well as a gentle touch of peppery energy. The palate is no less beautiful than the nose suggests, with great harmony and polish, a very correct stance, the dark fruit underpinned by a spindle of dark and deliciously well-knit tannins. This is wonderfully coherent, all spiced and peppery in the finish, before a length which comes infused with peppery tannins. A brilliantly fashioned Margaux with a rich tannic structure that will carry this forward for decades. A great example of Brane-Cantenac and the appellation as a whole. Tasted twice. The alcohol on the label is 14%. Drink 2029 - 2059