1996 Château Brane-Cantenac
Community Tasting Note
Julian Marshall Likes this wine:
Tuesday, April 28, 2015 - Whoever said that modern Bordeaux couldn't age well? Admittedly this isn't exactly a typical example, in that it could hardly be less classic in style and structure. The last time I tried one was in 2013 and like its predecessors, the bottle was still suffering from a harsh, cold tannic streak which brought back vague memories of various 1975s, so I wondered whether or not it would ever come good.
It has. The bouquet is still rich and creamy with notes of blackcurrants and blackberries, offset by cedar. The attack is similarly sweet and inviting, with a fresh, rounded feel to the mid-section but the finish is now silky, long and elegant. Immensely satisfying and pleasurable, a Margaux at the peak of its powers, an outstanding wine. Even better than the 98 I tasted recently, this is certainly the best mature Brane I've had since the 83.
Of course the only problem is the patience needed...sadly my last bottle from a case.
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