96-98 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

I was absolutely blown away by the 2022 Château Brane-Cantenac, which looks to be a reference point vintage for this château. Based on 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, and Petit Verdot, it sports a deep purple hue to go with incredible aromatics of crème de cassis, lead pencil, sandalwood, and spring flowers. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it shines for its purity of fruit, has ultra-fine tannins, a great mid-palate, and one heck of a finish. It hit 14.3% alcohol with a pH of 3.6, and like many estates today, they utilized quite a bit of press wine (15%) in the final blend. This is clearly up with the finest wines from the appellation and is well worth seeking out.

96-98 Neal Martin - Vinous Media

The 2022 Brane-Cantenac, as usual, is a wine that you must sit and contemplate before words gush forth. It was picked from 7 September to 10 October (their tiny plot of Carmenère) at 31.5hL/ha and contains 16% vin de presse from the Cabernet Sauvignon. It is well-defined and fresh, a very subtle Margaux, precise with blackberry, wild strawberry, cedar and tobacco scents. As previous vintages have proven, there's a kind of "hidden depth" that will become apparent post-bottling. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, very elegant and unashamedly classic in style. This is blessed with haunting poise, composed and detailed on the finish. This Margaux is not a show stopper, which in any case, is not really Henri Lurton/Brane Cantenac’s signature style. Instead, it is a wine that 15 to 20 years down the road, you are going to treasure.

98 Georgina Hindle - Decanter

One of the standouts of the year - a wonderful wine with so much to like. Coffee, tobacco, liquorice, dark chocolate, blackcurrants and floral scents on the nose. Smooth, succulent and velvety, this is amazing, juicy and so bright and vibrant. Pure and so effortless, tannins are filling but fine and delicate and this has excellent clarity and purity of fruit. They really didn't try too hard but have still delivered a powerful wine with concentration and intensity yet brightness and such generosity of fruit and acidity which makes this so joyful. Simply wonderful. Harvest 7 September-10 October. Yield of 31.5hl/ha. 3.61pH. 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere complete the blend. 42% production. 15.8% press wine. Ageing 18 months, 100% new oak. 3.57pH.

98 Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux

Easily one of the best wines of the appellation. Red rose petal fragrance, damp earth, rosemary, baking spice, sandalwood, incense, graphite and slate. Exceptional balance, deep chocolate and mint character, with lush damson and cassis fruits. Crushed violet flowers and salted cracker salinity, extremely impressive. Owner Henri Lurton has experience of making wine overseas, in Baja California, which may have given insights into viticultural techniques n the heat, but the real key here is the old vine Cabernet Sauvignon planted in the 1950s and 1960s by his late father Lucien Lurton. 100% new oak, from 8 coopers, and the meticulous approach to oak ageing care of technical director Christophe Capdeville is also important. 42% of production in the 1st wine. All the young vines, even when co-planted in the same rows were picked separately also this year.

95-97+ Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Independent

A blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2022 Brane-Cantenac has a pH of 3.61 and there is 15.8% press wine in the blend. It has a deep garnet-purple color and it is a little subdued to start with notes of cedar chest and redcurrant preserves leading the charge, soon giving way to a profound core of crème de cassis, juicy black plums, and candied violets, with a touch of iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate is simply electric, shimmering with bright, energetic black and red berry layers, supported by super-ripe, finely grained tannins and amazing tension, finishing long and perfumed. Stunning!

96-97 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

A long and very linear red for Margaux with intense freshness and energy. The cabernet sauvignon shows real clarity with blackcurrants and flowers. Crushed stone. Firm and racy with lots of lemon rind and intensity. 74% cabernet sauvignon, 23% merlot, 1% cabernet franc, 1% petit verdot and 1% carmenere

95-97 William Kelley - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

A blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc, Carmenère and Petit Verdot, the 2022 Brane-Cantenac unwinds in the glass with aromas of dark berries, crème de cassis, black truffles, loamy soil, burning embers and violets. Medium to full-bodied, deep and velvety, with a fleshy core of fruit, terrific concentration and lively acids, it concludes with a long, perfumed finish. This is a terrific 2022 that may rival or even surpass the 2019 if it realizes all its potential in bottle.

89 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Notes of sour apples, pear skins and savory herbs. Medium-bodied with tangy acidity and a sleek texture. Fruity finish. Drink now.

91 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Very fresh with notes of sliced pears, lemons and white peaches plus a touch of white pepper spice and chamomile. It’s medium- to full-bodied with bright acidity and a phenolic touch. Dry. Blend of 33% gewurztraminer, 30% sylvaner, 17% pinot blanc, 7% riesling, 7% pinot gris and 6% muscat. Drink now.

92 Wine Spectator

Juicy and inviting, with tasty raspberry and mulberry notes infused with pine forest, red tea and wet earth accents. Keeps the fleshy, juicy feel through the lightly toasted finish. Drink now through 2028. 21,000 cases made.

89 Wine Enthusiast

"Crisp, dry and full of red-currant fruits and tight acidity, this is a delicious, young Champagne. It is textured and zesty, with layer of acidity vying with the perfumed fruit. This bottling really should age, so drink it from 2019."

98 Raymond Chan - Raymond Chan Wine Reviews

Deep, inky ruby with a deep purple hue, lighter purple on the rim. The nose is full, packed with alluring aromas of blackberries, cassis and plums entwined with cloves, cardamom and violet, subtle leathery note developing, along with dark cocoa, black olives and whisky barrel, very complex. Full-bodied, a bright palate full of energy and multilayered, black fruit melded with black olives, cocoa and violet, unfolding a hint of leather and barrel spices of cloves, cardamom and star anise. Herbal element unveiled as the wine aerated, echoing spices, black olives, linger to a very long, fulsome finish. The wine has concentration and density, yet it's bright with clarity and layers, full of whimsical interest. The tannin is well structured and integrated, fine-grained with a velvety grip, provide great vitality supported by balanced acidity. This is a stunning blend of Cabernet Sauvignon 65%, Merlot 20% and Cabernet Franc 15%, with concentrated flavour of perfectly ripe fruit and balanced acidity, elegantly complex barrel details on a fine-structured palate. Match with t-bone steak & truffle sauce and roasted lamb over the next 15+ years. Fruit sourced from best parcels in Paritua Vineyard at 2112 Maraekakaho Road, Bridge Pa Triangle. Destemmed, cold-soaked, fermented to 14.5% alc, 20-28 days post ferment maceration. Aged in French oak barriques for 24 months, 50% new oak.

97 Sam Kim - Wine Orbit

Immensely complex and engaging, showing cassis, blackberry, smoked game, cedar, tobacco and violet aromas on the nose. It's concentrated and richly textured on the palate offering fabulous fruit power combined with savoury nuances, leading to an impressively long structured finish. A blend of 65% cabernet sauvignon, 20% merlot & 15% cabernet franc. At its best: now to 2038.

96 Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier - CamDouglasMS.com

Powerful core of blackberry and roasted plums, a touch of dark chocolate and smoky tobacco oak complexities. Youthful, intense and compelling bouquet. Full-bodied, rich in flavour and texture with barrel spices and fruit flavours that mirror the nose. Firm tannins are abundant and ripe. There's no mistaking the toasty oak and barrel spice layers, these attributes contribute to a complex and powerful wine that will age for some years to come. Decant for service and serve with food or cellar. Best drinking from 2024 through 2030+.

92 Wine Spectator

"Fresh and lively, with a leesy hint of bread dough mixing with candied berry, quince paste, lemon zest, wax and fleur de sel. Fine-grained, with a lip-smacking, juicy finish. Disgorged April 2011. Drink now through 2018. –AN (Tasted 11/11)"

98 Kerin O'Keefe - kerinokeefe.com

"The 2019 straight Brunello from Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona is a beauty, starting with its heady scents of red berry, dog rose, spice and Mediterranean scrub. Full-bodied and loaded with finesse, the smooth palate delivers juicy red cherry, cracked peppercorn and licorice alongside tightly-woven, refined tannins. Juicy acidity keeps it balanced and fresh. Drink 2027–2039."

95 Monica Larner - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"There's no mistaking this wine for anything but Brunello. The Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona 2019 Brunello di Montalcino shows beautiful continuity, crescendoing on the nose and palate in synchronicity. There are aromas of grilled watermelon, red cherry, garden herb and violet, and there is a charred note that recalls the toasted oak. The bouquet balances out beautifully, but you do get considerably more power on the palate thanks to the oomph of 15% alcohol and young tannins that get under your gums. Give this wine a few more years of bottle age. Production is 66,915 bottles in addition to 4,500 smaller formats."

93 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

The lighter ruby-hued 2018 Bricco Rosso Centennial Mountain Vineyard offers up a pretty, Nebbiolo-like bouquet of mulled cherries, dried herbs, licorice, and flowers. Beautifully complex and elegant, it's medium-bodied on the palate and has light, silky yet present tannins, a wonderful core of sweet fruit, and a great finish. It's like a Barbaresco mixed with a Red Burgundy. The blend is 50% Nebbiolo, 15% each of Nerello Mascalese, Carignan, and Primitivo, and the final 5% Barbera. I don't think there's anyone in California doing Italian varieties better than Kevin Harvey and his team at Rhys (who are behind the Aeris wines).