Panos Kakaviatos was in town (Washington DC) to lead 2 winemaker dinners, one with Château Brane Cantenac and one with Château Malartic Lagravière, both #worldclass Bordeaux producers. Annette and I attended both dinners.
Henri and Annette+Christian go back many years.
An article about Henri Lurton and his wines - based on a tasting of Henri Lurton at MacArthur Beverages in Washington DC - was one of my first postings on schiller wine, relased in 2010. I remember, I had just retired from the IMF and we talked a lot about Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK), my former boss at the IMF, and the favorite to win the 2012 French Presidential elections until a sex scandale forced him out of the race.
A year later, Henri was in town (Washington DC) for
24 hours and invited a small group of wine writers/bloggers/officials to
have dinner with him at CityZen: Karen Taylor (France Magazine),
Michael Besche (Commanderie de Bordeaux), and Lou Marmon (GrapeLines),
Aaron Nix-Gomez (Hogshead) and myself.
The first wine tour Annette organized was a tour with members of the Wine Brotherhood Hochheim, to Bordeaux, from September 2 to 10, 2012. One of the estates we visited was Château Brane-Cantenac. Henri was our host.
We went back to Château Brane-Cantenac during Bordeaux 2017 by ombiasy WineTours.
Now, a very special dinner with Henri at The Henri in Washington DC.
Picture: Henri Lurton and Christian Schiller in 2010
Invitation by Panos Kakaviatos: Part One: Château Brane Cantenac, Margaux with
owner Henri Lurton, on Thursday 9 May in Washington D.C. at The Henri
Restaurant, private room.
First
off, Château Brane Cantenac, a second growth in Margaux, whose perfumed
aromatics are as good as one can get short of Château Margaux itself.
More
importantly, the estate has improved quality in recent years by
crafting its first wine only from top vines grown in what is called the
"Clos" of the vineyards, the heart of the vines and thus there is a
sense of greater concentration and depth, while remaining gorgeously
fragrant. Their second wine, Baron de Brane is no longer a pale image of
the first, as it too comes from specific vineyard plots. I think that
they are daring in proposing the 2010 with the ... 2021 of that second
wine, but let's see.
Some
old timers may be dismissive of Brane, and I recall tasting some from
the 1960s that left me perplexed, but at least since the 1986, the wine
began to reflect its original second growth status, hitting its stride
between 1996 and 2005 and reaching a top notch level by the mid 2010s.
As
most know, it favors a clear majority of Cabernet Sauvignon, whereas
some from the appellation have larger percentages of Merlot. So, while
the famous Château Palmer - a great example - has a significant amount
of Merlot, Brane follows more the example of the First Growth Château
Margaux.
As much as I love Palmer, Brane in recent years has approached its level of quality, while the price remains competitive.
As
with other estates in the Médoc, Brane has recently been making dry
white wines. They count among the Médoc's best, and we will have one for
the dinner, which will be at The Henri in Washington D.C. on Thursday evening 9 May, starting at 6:30 pm.
Vintages as follows:
First course to begin with the second wine Baron de Brane 2010 and 2021
Second and third courses with Château Brane-Cantenac 2000, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2016 and 2020
Fourth course with Brane-Cantenac Blanc 2021
The owner, Henri Lurton, will host.
We
would begin with participants bringing Champagne for the meet and
greet, along with canapes, before sitting down for a four-course meal
likely to end with cheese for the dry white.
Price: $250 per person.
Panos Kakaviatos on facebook
The wine of the evening was the 2009, closely followed by the classy 2016.
Dimitri Galanis on facebook
Bordeaux-
-Washington DC
- @thehenridc - @chateau_branecantenac - nine vintages. Basically I am in wine heaven
. Superb dinner with fellow wine lovers, hosted by the man himself, Henri Lurton. Many thanks to my friend @panos_kakaviatos for organizing such a memorable event. Kathy Lang Wiedemann on facebook
About last night….
It isn’t often that you get invited to attend a fantastic Bordeaux tasting and dinner of vintages from 2000 to 2022.
We
all
started with Champagne because - duh - Champagne. Our contribution was
the Champagne Laherte Petit Meslier, that we picked up in Champagne at
our fantastic visit at the house and hosted by
Aurelien Laherte. I can tell you that many of last night’s guests were wowed by this Champagne.
Each course of the meal was paired with 2-3 of the various vintages.
It was an incredible evening. Thank you to the wonderful bon vivant
Panos Kakaviatos for the gracious invitation. We were honored to attend.
Cheers!
Howard Cooper on facebook
My good friend
Panos Kakaviatos organized another one of his fabulous wine events in DC last week, this time featuring the wines of Chateau Brane-Cantenac and hosted by owner Henri Lurton.
The wines we had were
2010 and 2021 Baron de Brane
2000, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2016 and 2020 Brane-Cantenac.
2021 Brane-Cantenac Blanc
I
thought the red Brane-Cantenac wines were universally excellent. It has been a long time since I have had a Brane Cantenac and I was impressed. My favorite wines were the 2005 and 2016. They just seemed to me to be the most complete wines with the longest finishes, the most balancing acidity and the most complexity. If I had to pick between them, I might pick the 2005, but that may be because it was older (although still not near ready to drink). For me, this wine had just an extra bit of finesse than did the other wines. But, the 2016 could ultimately be as good or better. What a great vintage in Bordeaux.
The 2000, 2009, 2010 and 2020 were all rich wines that were consistent with Bordeaux from modern, rich vintages, although more well balanced than many modern wines (not at all over the top) and pretty nice to drink. The 2009 IMHO was aging faster than were the others, but was very nice and not pruny as so many 2009s can be.
I was impressed also by the 2004. Not as much fruit as the other vintages, this was just a beautiful, well balanced wine that is ready to drink.
Finally, I was very intrigued by the 2021 Blanc. Very young and very lemony, it was hard for me to see the future of this wine (I don’t drink that much white Bordeaux) , but it seems to have a lot of fruit hiding behind the acidity and I think this wine could be pretty special over time.
Thanks again Panos for including me in this wonderful event.
Arriving
6:30 PM Meet and Greet
Participants Bring Champagne
Duo of Welcome Snacks
Around 7:30 PM we sit down for four courses
First CourseCAULIFLOWER STRUDEL
Celery custard, sumac butter
Baron de Brane 2010 and 2021
Second CourseLEEK PARMANTIER
Truffle dressing, toasted reusti potatoes
Château Brane-Cantenac 2000, 2004, 2005
Third CourseLAMB SHANK
Scallion jus, savoy cabbage confit
Château Brane-Cantenac 2010, 2016, 2020
Extra Wine: Château Brane-Cantenac 2009
Fourth Course Cheese plate
Brane-Cantenac Blanc 2021
Extra Wine
1961 Château Coutet, Sauternes-Barsac, Premier Cru Classé (brought by a guest)
Leaving
Surprise
After the dinner I bumped into Kinou Cazes-Hachemian of the Cazes family, owner of Lynch-Bages and Château Ormes de Pez #worldclass. She also had hosted a winemaker dinner at The Henri.
Good night
Henri Lurton: 2010 to Today
2010: With Henri Lurton at MacArthur Beverages in
Washington DC
An article about Henri Lurton and his wines
- based on a tasting of Henri Lurton at MacArthur Beverages in
Washington DC - was one of my first postings on schiller wine, relased
in 2010. I remember, I had just retired from the IMF and we talked a lot
about Dominique
Strauss-Kahn (DSK), my former boss at the IMF, and the favorite to win
the 2012 French Presidential elections until a sex scandale forced him
out of the race.
See: Henri Lurton and his Chateau Brane Cantenac Wines
September 2012: An Afternoon with Owner Henri Lurton at Château Brane-Cantenac, a Deuxieme Grand Cru Classe en 1855, in Margaux, France
The first wine tour Annette organized was a tour with wine aficionados, all members of the Wine Brotherhood Hochheim, to Bordeaux, from September 2 to 10, 2012. One of the estates we visited was Château Brane-Cantenac.
An Afternoon with Owner Henri Lurton at Château Brane-Cantenac, a Deuxieme Grand Cru Classe en 1855, in Margaux, France
May 2013: Tête-à-tête Dinner with Henri Lurton, Owner of Château Brane-Cantenac, a
Deuxieme Grand Cru Classe en 1855 in Margaux, at CityZen in Washington
DC, USA
Henri Lurton of Château Brane-Cantenac was in town (Washington DC) for
24 hours and invited a small group of wine writers/bloggers/officials to
have dinner with him at CityZen: Karen Taylor (France Magazine),
Michael Besche (Commanderie de Bordeaux), and Lou Marmon (GrapeLines),
Aaron Nix-Gomez (Hogshead) and myself.
See: Tête-à-tête Dinner with Henri Lurton, Owner of Château Brane-Cantenac, a
Deuxieme Grand Cru Classe en 1855 in Margaux, at CityZen in Washington
DC, USA
2017: Vineyard Tour, Cellar
Tour and Tasting at Château Brane-Cantenac with Henri Lurton, Owner -
Bordeaux Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours, France
See: Vineyard Tour, Cellar
Tour and Tasting at Château Brane-Cantenac with Henri Lurton, Owner -
Bordeaux Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours, France
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