Founded in the 18th century by the Gorce family, who gave it its original name, this great wine estate was producing one of the most highly regarded wines of the Médoc well before the 1855 classification. The high price of its wines gave the estate its rank at the top of the second classed growths. It came as no surprise then, when the dynamic Baron of Brane, nicknamed the 'Napoléon of the Vineyards,' bought up the estate in 1833 after selling Brane-Mouton (known today as Mouton-Rothschild)! A viticultural pioneer of his time, he was well aware of the reputation and the huge potential of the estate's outstanding terroir, located largely on the famous Brane gravel mound. In 1838, eager to leave his trace in history, he chose to rename the estate 'Brane-Cantenac'.

Sold in 1866 to the Roy family, who were also the owners of Château d'Issan, Brane continued to prosper. Before the First World War in 1914, its wine fetched the same prices as the first growths. The château was long known unofficially as the 'First of the Seconds'. The Société des Grands Crus de France (a consortium of merchants and growers), which owned several prestigious estates such as Château Margaux, Château Giscours, and Château Lagrange, bought Brane in 1920.