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| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.1 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 17 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 3/9/2024 & rated 95 points: With a bit of oak that still needs integrate in the nose, the perfume quickly moves to roses, tobacco leaf, cherries, black currants, incense and a background note of orange rind. On the palate, soft, fresh, elegant and refined, with layers of sweet, ripe, red fruits that taste as good as they feel. This is an incredible success for the vintage. The wine blends 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere. Drink from 2026-2050. (1038 views) | | | Tasted by Zweder on 3/4/2024 & rated 93 points: UGCB Amsterdam, walkaround tasting so just short notes.: Juicy dark and red berries, well dosed oak, good acidity and round tannin. Good length. There is a hint of bell pepper noticeable, but it is certainly a very good wine. (816 views) | | | Tasted by vvWine.ch on 3/1/2024 & rated 95 points: Komplexe Nase, noch dezent vom Holz geprägt, tiefgründig und rein, sehr feiner Cassisduft, Kirschen, Gräser, florale Noten, ein Hit. Im Gaumen elegant, anfangs leicht cremig, wird dann immer straffer, messerscharf, elegant, mit feinkörnigem Tannin, einer ungemein knackigen Frucht und sehr schöner aromatischer Länge. Das ist ein tänzerischer Brane, der früh Spass machen kann, jedoch nicht zu unterschätzen ist in Sachen Potential. 2027-2048+ (Verkostet im November 2023 in Zürich bei UGCB) (791 views) | | | Tasted by englishman's claret on 1/26/2024 & rated 92 points: a healthy, lovely 21; powdery, raspberry, blueberry, potpourri - the nose really does catch you. Perfumed floral finish; very pretty, delicate yet gourmand. 92-93 (1503 views) | | | Tasted by ohne_musik on 1/25/2024: UGCB SF Tasting Event (Metreon, San Francisco): Endowed with decent fruit and good concentration. Perhaps the most overt toast on the oak, with clove and other baking spice? A pleasing whisp of green and tobacco - actually tastes like cabernet. Needs time to integrate. 92 (1024 views) | | | Tasted by KeithAkers on 1/24/2024 & rated 91 points: UGC 2021 Bordeaux (Vibiana, Los Angeles, CA): The nose is refined and open-knit with classic tones of cedar, dark red cherries, dark berries, leather notes, spice box, currants, dark red florals, and violets. There is good depth with an elegance and class that brings me back to the glass. The Medium bodied feel is deft and balanced with crisp, medium acidity and silky, medium tannins. The mid-palate is slightly lacking and the tannins are a little stiff, but I really like everything else and if this can flesh out with some age I can see it improving a good bit. (880 views) | | | Tasted by Jake Barnes on 1/23/2024: Tasted at the UGC at the Drake Hotel in Chicago.
First, a few words about the vintage as it was revealed to me this evening. I was always taught, of course, that if you don’t have anything nice to say that you shouldn’t say anything at all, and in the words of twentieth-century British poet Philip Larkin, I’m struggling to “find words at once true and kind, or not untrue and not unkind.” I’m afraid, however, there are no two ways about it—this is not a good vintage, and it can be summed up as thin, tart, sour, cranberry, acidic, and oaky. Critics have said this is a heterogenous vintage, but I don’t think that’s true based on tonight. I felt like I was tasting slightly better and slightly worse versions of the same mediocre, tart, oaky, cranberry-filled wines all night.
Critics are also spinning 2021 as a vintage for lovers of classical, low alcohol Bordeaux. I quite like a stoic, low alcohol wine myself, but this is just…. Well, let’s just say that for me this vintage will probably not even serve as an early drinker while waiting for better vintages to come around. The quality is just too low and the prices too high for that. In virtually all cases here tonight, the quality seems to be magnitudes lower than it is in the 2014 through 2020 vintages, and in most cases, the wines are only marginally less expensive than the 2020s were. In some instances they’re even higher (Prieure Lichine, for example). I can’t see buying any of these wines over virtually any of the same wines from the 2014 through 2020 vintages, many of which can still be had for nearly the same price or just a bit more than what is being asked for the 2021s.
In finality, there’s just no value proposition here. I’m going to forget about this vintage and load up on the 2014 through 2020 vintages.
Tasting Note:
A bit thin and full of crunchy cranberry fruit, like all the wines, but with very good focus and refinement. Much softer than many of the rest, which were quite acidic and strident. A fairly complete wine showing a judicious use of oak. Second only to Lynch Bages and tied with Giscours, Les Carmes Haut Brion, Canon la Gaffiere, and surprisingly D’Angludet as the best of the rest that I tasted. Unknown ABV **(*) (799 views) | | | Tasted by oldwines on 1/22/2024 & rated 91 points: Union Des Grands Crus Bordeaux (New York City, NY, USA): I found this rather harsh and rough. Earthy for sure, but fruit totally hidden like most of the Margaux's I tasted today. Seemed one dimensional. Perhaps this and the other Margaux's were tasted early in the event and had not had much time open? Not great for me in this instance. Of note I have enjoyed this wine in many vintage and warmly remember the 1982, 1983 and 1985, which are sadly long gone now. (996 views) | | | Tasted by Dr.Cork on 1/20/2024 & rated 91 points: UGCB Millésime 2021 (Montréal, QC, Canada): Complexe, fruité, floral, épices. Beaucoup de concentration, explosif, mais bien dosé. Tannins soyeux. Long. (735 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 11/19/2023 & rated 91 points: 11x Bordeaux 2021: UCG Arrivage Tasting of just a handful of 2021 Bordeauxs. Some thoughts: 1) It's a very mediocre vintage. There is not enough substance, many wines seem simple. Especially on the Left Bank, the balance was a bit off (too much acidity, too many herbal notes, not enough fruit... and some showed greenness and drying tannins). 2) 2021 is being promoted as a vintage for "classic" Bordeaux lovers, a vintage for those who liked 2014 and 2017. In my opinion, 2021 does not come close to those vintages. 2014 is more structured, with better balance and often more depth. 2017 is much rounder, more balanced and a bit more polished. 3) We all know the high prices for 2021, so there's no need to chase them (they'll probably only get cheaper in the next few years). Here are some impressions on a few selected wines.
TN: Brief comment, no detailed notes taken. As always, Brane Cantenac delivers. This is a charming, round, well-balanced wine with a good fruit core. It is a bit simple, yes, but still a success. 91pts. (1280 views) | | | Tasted by sirpat00 on 11/6/2023 & rated 93 points: Bordeaux 2021 Arrivage Tasting (Dolder Grand, Zurich): A polished, rather ripe and dense wine. Hints of spice, iron-like mineral notes, unsweetened liquorish and leathery notes complement a fruit that started off dark, but changed to a brighter, more red type of berry. Fresh and juicy palate, but leaning towards a bit too much acidity. (997 views) | | | Tasted by vvWine.ch on 6/20/2022 & rated 95 points: (94-96 vvPunkte) Komplexe Nase, noch dezent vom Holz geprägt, tiefgründig und rein, sehr feiner Cassisduft, Kirschen, Gräser, florale Noten, ein Hit. Im Gaumen elegant, anfangs leicht cremig, wird dann immer straffer, messerscharf, elegant, mit feinkörnigem Tannin, einer ungemein knackigen Frucht und sehr schöner aromatischer Länge. Das ist ein tänzerischer Brane, der früh Spass machen kann, jedoch nicht zu unterschätzen ist in Sachen Potential. 2027-2048+ (Verkostet "En Primeur" im April 2022. Château Brane-Cantenac) vvWine.ch (5243 views) | | | Tasted by PanosKakaviatos on 5/31/2022 & rated 95 points: Selections of Bordeaux 2021 from barrel: With perfumed aromas of faded rose, white pepper, black tea leaf, and nutmeg spice, this blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and bits of Carmènere, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc mightily impresses for its robust mid palate. Overall refined tannins albeit a touch drying on the finish, but barrel aging should resolve this. (94-96) (3101 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 5/20/2022 & rated 94 points: Tobacco, roses, currants and bouquet garni kick off the perfume. The wine is soft, fresh, medium-bodied, and quite charming, as well as vibrant, finishing with a touch of spice on top of all the sweet red fruits you find on the backend. You will be able to enjoy this on release. The wine blends 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere 12.7% ABV. The harvest took place September 23-October 7. Drink from 2023-2050 93-95 (2912 views) | | | Tasted by WineTally on 5/8/2022: Cabernet Sauvignon 74%
Merlot 22%
Cabernet Franc 2%
Petit Verdot 1%
Carmenère 1%
from clayey gravel soil and vines of average age 36 yrs.
Vinified in oak casks.
Aging (pending) in new oak.
12.7% Abv.
Proprietor/Winemaker: Henri Lurton (since 1992)
Barrel sample presented in May 2022.
A(ccuray)=2: Deep purple. Plush, focused Cab blend.
B(alance)=3: Tout fruit with firm structure.
C(omplexity)=2: Dark berries, licorice, vanilla, oak tannin.
D(epth)=2: Cool mouthfeel. Even palate and lingering finish.
Wine Tally Score [2,3,2,2]= 9/10
Lurton explained the strategies behind this tricky vintage.
For story-telling label graphics, see:
[https://www.instagram.com/p/CeV9OBcJo-x/]
[https://www.facebook.com/WineTally/]
For a unique multimedia resource, see
[https://winetally.wixsite.com/vingnette] (1912 views) | | | Tasted by chatters on 4/25/2022: En-Primeur campaign for the 2021 vintage; 4/25/2022-4/29/2022 (Bordeaux): Plenty of polished oak up front, wild blackcurrant compote, slight pyrazine. Medium plus intensity acidity lends juiciness, fleshy, fresh crunchy blackcurrant, sweet and savoury spice, drying grainy tannins show the oak and persist long. Pretty good for a classic Bordeaux as long as those oaky tannins integrate with rather than dominate the fruit. (3432 views) |
| By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Bordeaux 2021 From Bottle (4/3/2024)
(Chateau Brane-Cantenac) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2021 Bordeaux: L’Enfant Terrible (Feb 2024) (2/1/2024)
(Brane-Cantenac Brane-Cantenac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Michael Godel
WineAlign (1/17/2024)
(Château Brane Cantenac Grand Vin, A.C. Margaux red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, January 2024 (1/1/2024)
(Château Brane-Cantenac Margaux Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Szabo, MS
WineAlign (12/18/2023)
(Château Brane Cantenac Grand Vin, A.C. Margaux red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Georgina Hindle
Decanter, Bordeaux 2021: In-bottle report (12/1/2023)
(Château Brane-Cantenac, Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaux, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Tom Parker MW
JancisRobinson.com (11/8/2023)
(Ch Brane-Cantenac Margaux Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, 2021 Bordeaux: A Challenging Yet Good Vintage (6/2/2022)
(Chateau Brane-Cantenac) Login and sign up and see review text. | By James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com (5/18/2022)
(Château Brane-Cantenac Margaux , France) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2021 Bordeaux En Primeur: Back to Classicism (May 2022) (5/1/2022)
(Brane-cantenac Brane-cantenac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Neal Martin
Vinous, Enticingly Fallible: Bordeaux 2021 En Primeur (May 2022) (5/1/2022)
(Brane-cantenac Brane-cantenac Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Georgina Hindle
Decanter, Bordeaux En Primeur 2021 (4/1/2022)
(Château Brane-Cantenac, Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaux, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Neal Martin
Vinous, 2+2=5: Bordeaux 2021 In Bottle (Feb 2024)
(Brane-Cantenac Brane-Cantenac Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JebDunnuck.com and Vinous and WineAlign and Winedoctor and Decanter and JancisRobinson.com and JamesSuckling.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Château Brane-Cantenac Producer website - Read more information about Chateau Brane Cantenac
Château Brane-Cantenac is a 2nd growth estate.
Production Area: 75 hectares in the Margaux appellation.
Terroir: There are 3 main terroirs on the estate: the first and the most valued is a large sweep of gravel in front of the château at the top of the Margaux-Cantenac plateau. The plateau de Brane has a thick layer of surface gravel, which provides both radiant heat to the vines as well as excellent drainage. The second section is centered around and behind the château; here there is still gravel, but a higher proportion of sandy soil, and no clay. The third section is on the other side of the Route d’Arsac; this is La Verdotte, a 10-hectare vineyard planted 35 years ago; here the soil is a gravelly sand again. There is a fourth vineyard, Notton, a 13-hectare plot of coarse gravel over clay, and more distant from Brane-Cantenac than the other vines.
Plantation Density: 8,000 vines per hectare
Average Age of the Vines: 35 years old
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon covers 55% of the vineyard, with 40% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc, and 0.5% Carmenère
Harvest: The fruit is picked by hand with typical yields around 45 hl/ha, and then transported to the cellar using the Air Tec system which cushions the fruit, protecting it from damage with its pneumatic suspension. The freshly harvested fruit enjoys a cold soak; for wet vintages, the team uses concentration methods, reducing the water content of the must by vacuum extraction.
Vinification: The fermentation is induced by inoculation with yeast, and in the first few vats there may also be contemporaneous inoculation with malolactic bacteria. The fermentation is naturally temperature controlled, and may last between 7 and 10 days. As it progresses, the wine can see a lot of handling, not only pumping over but sometimes pigeage and even délestage. The fruit will see a maceration lasting between 20 and 30 days before pressing using two pneumatic presses, and both the free-run and press wines are then fed into barrels, using 60-70% new oak, ready for malolactic fermentation.Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanMédoc Vins du Médoc (Conseil des Vins du Médoc) - Read More about the Medoc
VdB
The eight precisely defined appellations of the whole of the Médoc (from Blanquefort Brook to the north of the Bordeaux built-up area, almost to the Pointe de Grave) may claim the Médoc appellation. But there is also a specific territory in the north of the peninsula which produces exclusively wines with this appellation. In the great majority, the Médocs come from the north of the peninsula. The great individuality of this region is that the number of vines has increased more recently here than elsewhere, apart from a few isolated spots where vines have grown for many years. Today, the size of the small estate has brought about the development of a powerful co-operative movement. Four co-operatives out of five belong to the group called Unimédoc which ensures aging, bottling and marketing a large proportion of their wines.Margaux Read more about Margaux and its wines As with a large part of the Bordeaux vineyards, vines first appeared in Margaux during the Gallo-Roman period.
In 1705 a text mentions Château Margaux . But we have to wait for the end of the eighteenth century and the coming of the earliest techniques in aging for the concept of wines of high quality to develop. The confirmation of this was the famous 1855 classification which recognized 21 Crus Classés in the Margaux appellation. One hundred years later, the Viticultural Federation and the Margaux appellation of controlled origin were born. The appellation, which stretches out over five communes, is actually unique in the Médoc in that it is the only one to contain all the range of wines, as rich as they are vast, from First Great Cru Classé to the Fifths, not forgetting its famous Crus Bourgeois and its Crus Artisans.
In Margaux there is a predominance of Garonne gravel on a central plateau of about 4 miles in length and one and a quarter wide. To the east-south-east, it overlooks the low lying land by the estuary. Its east side is marked by gentle, dry valleys and a succession of ridges.The layer of gravel in Margaux was spread out by a former Garonne in the early Quaternary. Rather large in size, it is mingled with shingle of average dimension and represents the finest ensemble of Günz gravel in the Haut-Médoc. It is on this ancient layer on a Tertiary terrace of limestone or clayey marl that the best Médoc crus lie. All the conditions for successful wine are present : a large amount of gravel and pebbles, poor soil which cannot retain water and deep rooted vines.
It is customary to say that Margaux wines are the "most feminine" in the Médoc, thus stressing their delicacy, suppleness and their fruity, elegant aromas. This does not affect their great propensity for aging; just the opposite, for the relatively thin terroir imparts tannins which give them long life. The other characteristic of these wines which combine an elegant vitality, subtlety and consistency, is their diversity and personality. Over and above the flavour which is their "common denominator", they present an exceptional palette of bouquets, fruity flavours which show up differently from one château to another.
Production conditions (Decree dated August 10 1954)
In order to have the right to the Margaux appellation of controlled origin, red wines must:
- come from the commune of Margaux, Cantenac, Soussans, Arsac and Labarde, "excluding the land which by the nature of its soil or because of its situation, is unfit to produce wine of this appellation".
- satisfy precise production conditions: grape-varieties (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet-Franc, Carmenère, Merlot Noir, Petit Verdot, Cot or Malbec), minimum of sugar (178 grammes - 6.27 oz. - per litre of must) degree (an acquired 10°5) base yield (45 hectolitres per hectare).
Vins de Bordeaux:
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Merlot
Soil: Gravel and silt plateau on a layer of limestone or silt on clay
Surface Area: 1,530 ha |
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