April is just one short month away, and I am super excited to visit Chateau Brane-Cantenac and not just taste the new vintage during En Primeur, but also also see the new exhibition of photographer François Poincet. Each year, Henri Lurton invites a different artist to exhibit. Mr. Poincet is the winner of the Terroir [...]

The 2010 vintage of Brane Cantenac received a very nice review in Wine Spectator! I am so happy because I loved these wines and appreciate the hard work that goes into them.  You can read an interview with Henri Lurton about the 2009 vintage at the link here

  “Haut Brion speaks to me, yet can I say it’s really better than the other first growths?” Horst Schulze, chairman and CEO of the Capella Hotel Group told Decanter magazine (December 2012 issue, page 125). In the article, Mr. Schultze went on to praise other wines, especially Brane-Cantenac (owner Henri Lurton pictured above). I’ve [...]

    On April 4, I was invited to a fabulous party celebrating the marriage of art and wine. Each year, Henri Lurton, owner and winemaker of the 2nd Growth Brane-Cantenac in Marguax, invites an artist (of song, photography, other forms of art) to kick off the new vintage. Last week,  Eric Boissenot, a famous [...]

… so here I am, a Chateau Fourcas Dupre, tasting an incredible line-up of more than forty wines. The day started off as every day should … in a Relais & Chateau hotel called Chateau Cordeillan Bages owned by the Cazes family. It is an incredible and very elegant hotel. Chateau Fourcas Dupre is a [...]

    You probably know that in Margaux, six varietals are allowed: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc … yet in the past, Carmenere was and is still allowed. The problem until now is that it was difficult to ripen fully. In my Decanter article, I explain the decision behind its revivival. [...]

“Wine and art … it’s everywhere!” This is the refrain of every wine lover (and art lover) dazzled by the “perfect pairing” of wine and art, ranging from sleek, jet-set art events such as Art Basel in Miami to new multi-million dollar wineries around the globe. Henri Lurton, owner and winemaker of the Second Growth [...]

Today is the first day of Harvest at Brane-Cantenac … one of my favorite wineries in Bordeaux and I must say, I wish I was there! Above is a photograph taken earlier, and the grapes look perfect and ripe! When i think of Bordeaux, I usually think of fun and sun (and wine, of course) [...]

Fabulous event at chateau Brane-Cantenac (second growth) in Margaux. One of the most  fabulous things about Vinexpo in Bordeaux is that the Chateaux put on some very creative and fun events. Here, owner/winemaker Henri Lurton (enjoying the concert in the picture above( hosted a musical evening with the famous opera singer Elizabeth Vidal. So why [...]

So today I just got my “new” issue of Drinks Business (it takes way to long for it to come from the UK) and I was delighted to see on page 120 the publication recommended Brane-Cantenac, saying:  “Margaux Second growth Brane-Cantenac may not have the sex appeal of some of its neighborhing cru classes in [...]

Did any of you happen to read Neal Martin’s blog today on the eRobertParker.com site? I first met this eRobertParker.com wine columnist a few years back at one of the parties surrounding the tasting of the VDP “Grosse Gewachse” in Germany.  In person Neal is charming and a bit subdued, yet his columns are bold [...]

Henri Lurton in suit Chateau Brane-Cantenac celebrated its fabulous new vintage during En Primeur this past week, with the cities most notable names in attendence. This second growth chateau is a favorite among series collectors, and is among the first of all the chateaux in Bordeaux to invest in an optical sorter to ensure only [...]

Curious to consider that in the two thousand year history of the wine world, Classified Growth Bordeaux still retains its magic, value, and allure. In light of En Primeur, I’ll be spotlighting some favorite chateaux and their history. Created in 1735, Margaux-based Chateau Brane-Cantenac caught the roving eye of the Donald Trump of the Bordeaux [...]

“I love this wine!” my guest says, happy and relaxed in the luxurious dining room of Jean-George Vongerichten in Manhattan. The restaurant, Jean-Georges, is one of the finest in the city, with a wine list that can reach tens of thousands of dollars per bottle. Yet we are not drinking the exquisite and expensive 2005 [...]

Henri Lurton I just returned from Bordeaux where I had attended En Primeur, a week long tasting for international fine wine journalists to taste the new 2009 vintage. I had the good fortune to catch up with Chateau Brane-Cantenac owner and oenologist Henri Lurton, whose grandfather bought the second-growth estate in 1925. All week long, [...]

Amuse Bouche at Jean-Georges So many choices, so little time! As you can imagine, a wine list at Jean-Georges has many pages of fine wine on richly textured paper. Some have many zeroes, some only one or two. The restaurant is one of the three best in the city, and well worth pairing the cuisine [...]