The 2019 Baron de Brane is a gorgeous second wine. Succulent black cherry, plum, spice and leather are front and center. This racy Margaux offers a compelling interplay of bright red-toned fruit and silky contours. (AG)

This has aromas of raspberries, blackberries, currants, rosehips and hazelnuts. It’s medium-bodied with fine, silky tannins. Elegant and fresh. Pretty finish. Drink from 2024.

The blend of the second wine is 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 1% Carmenère, the picking dates as for the grand vin, the rain dividing the Merlot and Cabernet harvests. The yield was 50 hl/ha, the alcohol 14.2%. It has a great colour for a second wine, dark and intense, with a fresh claretty rim. Smoky and fragrant on the nose, it releases scents of blackcurrant skin with nuances of juniper, mint and green peppercorn. A rather correct start to the palate, with a ripe grip of tannins in evidence, working with the peppery saline tension of the vintage to give the middle of the palate a firm structure. Rather tart cranberry and cherry fruit here, with leathery tobacco notes, although that leafy note from the nose seems less apparent. It culminates in a long and lightly spiced grip. This is an attractive second wine that will need just a year or two to come around in bottle.