March 31, 2024 - Drank at Chip's tasting 03/2024
March 10, 2024 - Needed at least 5hrs to open up. Leave for another 5yrs at least
March 6, 2024 - Margaux Extravaganza: Margaux vs. Palmer vs. Brane over two decades (1996/2009/2015). Given the pedigree of the vintages, particularly for Chateau Margaux, expectations were quite high, but especially the last two vintages didn't live up to past performances (I've previously rated Ch. Margaux up to 100pts, Ch. Margaux 2015 up to 99pts, and Palmer 2009 98pts) at first. There were some overripe aromas that were too prominent and an uncharacteristic imbalance. Of course, Ch. Margaux and Palmer showed remarkable complexity and precision, but the balance was a bit off. Still, these are some good to great wines, especially on day 2 and with more air they got better and better. Ultimately, Ch. Margaux 2015 (96pts) was the winner with its unique aromatic profile, slightly outperforming the 1996 and 2009 vintages, both at 95pts. Brane and Palmer were a notch or two below, with the Palmer 2015 particularly affected by premature oxidation. I don't doubt the potential of these wines, given the many fine examples I had last year, but I wouldn't open them today.
TN: This young, this is a rather sweet wine dominated by a lot of red fruit, almost Napa-esque in their quality. The wine will need time to shed its baby fat and bring the herbal and earthy notes forward to create a better balance. In addition, the wine has still some slightly coarse tannins. I would wait 10-20 years. 90/91pts for all the substance and precision.
January 28, 2024 - From half-bottle. 13.5% ABV. Decanted for four hours in a small decanter. Dark berry fruit and ripe red berry fruit, blackberry, black raspberry, black currant, dark plum, chocolate, cocoa, spices, vanilla, light coconut, and light smoke, with medium-level acidity, chocolaty tannin, and very good length. There is a touch of greenness that just adds additional complexity. Certainly not the most concentrated 2015 Bordeaux, but well balanced, and very smooth, and drinking very well already at this young age. A very good vintage for Château Brane-Cantenac! Drink now, and over the next 20 years. 92(+)
January 6, 2024 - The heady, sexy, quite frankly intoxicating nose brings an array of vivid floral notes, rosehips, crushed raspberries, blueberry jam, with a layer of meatiness, brick dust, graphite, fresh pie crust and digestive biscuit. Took longer than my last bottle to open: after 2.5 hrs it began to sing. Silky and enveloping on the palate, with melting raspberry and dark fruits, a soaring line of balancing acidity and grippy but perfectly ripe tannins. Let this decant for a while and enjoy. 95+
December 16, 2023 - Part of a Margaux appellation mini-vertical and horizontal comparing Margaux, Palmer, Brane Cantenac 1996, 2009 and 2015. The 1996 were double-decanted prior to the tasting while some of the 2015 spent time in the decanter. Unsurprisingly, Margaux came in first in all 3 vintages, Palmer in the middle and Brane last, expect in 2015 where I think we might have hit a bad bottle for Palmer. 1996 is coming along beautifully and appears to be in its prime drinking window while 2009 took a steep step down from its 10-years state a few years ago. For now, the 2015 appear to manage the concentration better (although Palmer was disappointing).
Tasting note:
Pretty extracted and ripe cherry fruit. Scorched earth and darker mineral notes. A decently balanced palate with maybe a faint bit of bitterness into the finish.
December 16, 2023 - Margaux battle: 1996 vs. 2009 vs. 2015: Overall conclusions of the Tasting: Brane vs. Palmer vs. Margaux '96/'09/'15
1) Margaux has a very nice stilistic and somehow a flowery character and was allways on spot today. I mean the prices of this 1996/2009/2015 are all high but you get a lot in reverse!
2) 2009 vs 2015: They seem to be quite similar, mostly ripe fruit is standing out. Probably 2015 has a bit more acidity and freshness from the fruit side. It's possible that both of them can be great with more age - I have more hope for 2015s.
3) Palmer seems to be much more volatile from a performance standpoint than the two other Margaux wine.
4) Wine of the night was definitely 1996 Margaux. It was just outstanding!
Short Tasting Note:
- Yes, this vintage it fresher than the 2009 Brane, dark and blue fruit and a lot of vanille, white chocolate.
- It´s really similar on the palate, the acidity is technically there but the complexity is lacking. I´m as well impresed here with the mouthfeel and the smooth tannins.
- 92 points
November 19, 2023 - 20 Vintages of Brane Cantenac: My limited experience with Brane has been mostly positive, and this tasting confirmed my initial thoughts: these days, Brane is A) usually quite accessible and charming, even young; B) the quality has steadily improved over the years, the wines are becoming more complex, precise and balanced; while vintages pre 2015 often seemed a bit simple, more recent vintages show better, C) the aromatics in recent vintages remind me of Ch. Margaux, with beautiful ripe red fruit core, as well as floral and coffee components; and D) the quality/price ratio is exceptionally good (not considered for the ratings). E) The best wine was the ethereal 2020 (96 points), followed by a superbly fresh 2010 (95 points). Although the quality is exceptional these days, the Chateau didn't fully nail every vintage, the 2019 (93pts) and, more surprisingly, the 2016 (93pts) were strong but a tad too ripe and sweet.
TN: I've had many beautiful 2015s and the Margaux appellation produced some of the best wines this year, but unfortunately this bottle was not up there with the best. On the one hand, you had the great strawberry and floral notes that you find in Margaux, and the tannin quality and freshness are very good, but on the other hand, the alcohol was a bit noticeable, all the pieces weren't coming together yet, and the wine was a bit wild. Maybe this was not an ideal bottle, or maybe the wine is just in an awkward phase. My guess is that it can do better than the 91pts I gave to this bottle.
Decanting: Not decanted. I would try it with 2 hours of decanting.
October 27, 2023 - Bought in Castle of Sky TST HK. (HK$630) Left for 1 hour to air out. Deep forest floor and earth to the nose. Full body and rich acidity to the mouth. Have it in 清遠.
October 14, 2023 - Pronounced intensity on the nose with blackberry, jammy, chocolate. But the palate was much less intense. It Underperformed to my expectation. It seemed young. But with lack of intensity, I’m not sure it will evolve itself better.