No notes taken. This is a wonderful wine with fine, not too ripe dark fruit, lots of earthy minerality and some herbs as well as some gentle, not intrusive oak aromas. Very well balanced, with a fine structural frame and good freshness. It is already drinking quite well today and isnone of the better 2018s out there, easily beating the SHL 18 (91pts) in the next glass.
Decanting: Open and ready from the go, no extensive decanting needed.
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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: The nose was a bit subdued at first, gaining expression with time, but never fully open. The palate, however, was open right out of the gate with layers of surprisingly fresh fruit with dark berries, fresh red fruit, rhubarb notes, herbs, touch of coffee/toasty notes and a bit of faint minerality. Unlike many other 2018s, the fruit is on the right side of things in terms of purity and ripeness. The structure is impeccable and the wine seemed almost delicate, more delicate than the 2016s and 2019s in the other glasses. This was easily at 94pts.
Decanting: Not decanted. No extensive decanting necessary.
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Vertical of 20 vintages - Chateau Brane-Cantenac: It was a pleasure to taste 20 vintages of Brane-Cantenac. All wines were tasted blind and with little time (10min per flight of 4 wines). Coming from the Margaux appellation, the wine convinced 1) with its accessibility of all vintages, 2) often very feminine and fresh vinification and 3) especially the consistency of quality to be emphasized. So it was not surprising that all 20 bottles (for the first time in this tasting with 12 people) were empty. At the same time, it could also be noted that the very great complexity for ratings above 94 points is often somewhat lacking. Very exciting to observe were the significant change in fruit. Until the 2009 vintage, this was often primarily red-fruited, light and very strongly Cabernet influenced. From the 2009 vintage on, a clear shift to more extraction and sweetness of the fruit is noticeable. The last, often great vintages from 2015 to 2020 are ripe but still with a good freshness/aciadity (except for 2015 according to my impression).
Tasting Note: - This vintage shows similarities to the 2020 vintage, but in a more restrained way. It is characterised by aromas of red and dark plums and blackberries. - On the palate, it is noticeable that this wine is a little warmer than the 2020 vintage, has less acidity and a touch of sexiness.
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Decanted initially for 4 hours and drank over 2 nights. The wine wasn't that great on the first night - not much depth, muted black fruit and high tannins. The wine also had a green streak that I associate with Cab Franc and was surprised by given the relatively low proportion of Cab Franc. On the second night the wine was better - the greenness had mellowed out and the wine was much more integrated and the fruit and tannin were more in balance.
I know its entirely too early to drink this wine and I'm hoping its just in a dumb phase. Either way, I'll stash my remaining bottles away and forget about them for a long time.
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Costco reduced from $76 to $60. 2.5-3 hr decant, started better with Margaux cab character and finish, almost no nose, but flatlined into soft fruit and lost Margaux character for last 3+ glasses. I know it's young but wouldn't buy again even at $60; happily drink at a party.
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Opens up after 1hr in the glass. Elegant wine with good acidity. Lots of black fruit with floral notes. Some sweetness and tobacco chocolate flavors. Nice Margaux. Tannins are medium.
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Decanter Fine Wine Encounter (The Landmark, London): Polished fruit and oak, blackcurrant, sweet spice, perfumed. Juicy, fresh, agile (especially for the vintage) chalky tannins, black hued fruits. Rather nice.
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Grapey powerful fruit on the nose. '18 was another vintage where they had to work allot. Humid spring and an attack of mildew and yields were very low. And this is all from the one particular plateau. Wonderful concetration, small berries, beautiful color, very generous already. Very typical Brane they feel. Lots of Cabernet in there. And there are very old plots of Cabernet Franc.
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See the previous note. This is a true stunner and legend. Coconut meat along with all things before. Such a suave, noir fruit and earth aftertaste. Drink 2025 -.
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Difficult to taste today, reductive nose. With vigorous swirling, red and black cherry. Lush palate, ripe but without heat. Finishes nicely. Marked - but not dominated - by the vintage. 74 CS, 23 M, 2 CF, 1 PV, 13.5% ABV, pH 3.78 Approximately 91-93 points, but with the caveats referenced above
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Tasted over three days, on the first two days alongside the same vintage d'Armailhac.
The most agreeable element: 13.5 abv. Wow! In this vintage, that makes and impression!
The least agreeable element: Too much oak, which overwhelms the estate's sublime terroir. Indeed, it showed oakier than the d'Armailhac.
The wine held form across all three days, as might be expected for its you. Will it eventually put on weight and out muscle the oak? Time will tell. Less oak, thus more terroir, would have put this over the top.
The Left Bank wines of this vintage are open-knit and berry forward, but unlike the vapid 2016 vintage, they do carry some substantive weight. This bottle had at least a 10 year evolution ahead of it. Overall, excellent, and depending on the eventual substance to oak ratio, it might on a great day, with the perfect pairing, reach into the exceptional. I would not hold bottles beyond 2038-2040.
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It’s almost too young to rate but it’s gorgeous. Four hour decant and served blind at a dinner party. It was a real hit. Smooth and silky. Perfect use of oak.
Edit February 2024: this bottle had a strong barnyard bouquet and mushroom on the palate. Not as good as I remember but I won’t change the score until I try another one.
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Decanted for three hours and finished on day two. Crème de cassis, chocolate pudding, black cherries, flower shop and cigar box complexity. The middle palate is scrumptious and juicy, with a long, savory finish. Tannins of silk and are very layered. Forward and reserved at the same time, with glorious dimension. Better on day two, this is of course obvious infanticide. A medium-to full-bodied claret of class and vibrancy. Drink 2026 -.
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74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. 13.5% ABV, TA, 3.6g/L, pH 3.78. Vine age 35 years. 18 months in barriques, 70% new oak. Limestone soil.
PNP into Riedel Ouverture glass (“Leaf” day):
Sight: Medium purplish ruby to the eyes.
Nose: Darker red cassis, cherry. Smoke, garrigue, pine, savory, balsamic notes. Better integration and intensity, more forward overall compared to the Prieure Lichine.
Palate: Very suave and lean on the palate, highly energetic and great acidity. Very clean and persistent finish.
94 points.
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Not decanted. From 375ml bottle. Very tannic. This is my second 2018 vintage (small bottle) that seemed already a bit closed. I think it's better to wait now. This will be much better in 10 years. 91+ pts now with a lot of potential.
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Beautiful Brane-Cantenac, could end up being my favorite of the string of very successful vintages the last few years, certainly one of my favorite 2018s opened to date. It is deeper in tone than the norm for the chateau with the fruit tones all black, but in terms of texture it is just as finessed and mellow as ever, like getting into a pair of your favorite pajamas, or maybe more like a surprise Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day because this is still very serious Bordeaux. That black-currant fruit comes across deep and dark in tone accented with a cedariness more in the family of an old cigar box or spice box than those pencils up north, and it's all knit together without a seam. I assume it's got some hidden structure but it's so invisibly melded in it almost has the feel of pinot noir.
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Boring and non eventful, this producer has never tickled me in the right spot. The 2018 was tight and unexpressive, slightly backward, and very out of step with the 2018 wine style. It was more old school, in a structured frame, with inadequate fruit, making it a wine that could only be interesting after several years of aging. If drank blind, I would have guessed 2010 Haut Medoc or 2012 Pessac....The oak creme might have had me guessing Smith Haut Lafitte from a mediocre vintage. Just not very Margaux to me....Meh. Not for me. Pass
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Known as a Classic Bordeaux, gravel terroir, chunky, structured.
Gorgeous aromas of sweet black cherry, chocolate, and floral notes. Big rich chewy black and red fruits, serious and dense. Fleshy, dense, beautifully packed with flavors. Lots of elements of flavors here. Long complex finish with really good flavors, impressive completeness, bit drying in finish. Tasty. Really outperformed the label.
Already so drinkable and good, yet obviously has a long way to go. Bravo! 93-94
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Elegant, fresh and refined, the wine offers layers of sweet, ripe, fresh, red berries, smoke, flowers, wet earth, herbs, spice box and tobacco leaf in the perfume. On the palate, the wine is silky, lifted, long and pure, displaying a beautiful depth of flavor in the finish. The wine blends 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.
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Arvi Bordeaux 2018 Arrivage (Dolder Grand, Zurich): Tasting of 2018 Bordeaux in the bottle. A mixed vintage where St. Emilion often ended up over-ripe and cooked while Pomerol seems to have fared better, as did the left bank. Wine of the tasting was Rauzan Ségla, but the Léovilles (Barton and Poyferré), Pichon Lalande and Clinet presented themselves brilliantly as well.
Tasting note: Quite one-dimensional but good is the one-liner here. A rather darkish fruit profile, a bit earthy and herbal. Surprisingly juicy on the palate, but also with some heat.
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N: defined, elegant. Cab Sauv aromas, depth of ripe fruit. P: reasonable, though lacking a little freshness and bite. Nice mid-weight, herbal and leafy, but falls away a bit.
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2018 Bordeaux tasting event (Stockholm): Sweet appealing nose with feminin (stupid word really) elegant Margaux typicity. Good concentration with silky fine grained tannin. Should come out on top. 93-94p
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Tasted next to the 2009. A little more precise and structured than 2018 Cantenac Brown tasted before. Good acidity, quite powerful tannins. Mineral and intense finish, very good length. I tend to prefer Brane-Cantenac from more generous vintages and this barrel sample is confirmation of this. 93-94+
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Deep garnet in color, this wine exudes a dark, black cherry core of fruits. Next, the perfume reveals hints of smoke, flowers, thyme and cigar wrapper. On the palate, the wine is focused on silky tannins, elegant textures and depth of flavor. Fans of Brane Cantenac should know that even with this depth of fruit the wine is still dances lightly over the palate. I am not ready to pick a favorite from the 2015, 2016 and 2018 trio but it is going to be fun tasting and comparing those vintages over the next few decades! From a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the wine reached 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.76. It represents 60% of the harvest, which took place from September 14 to October 10. The higher than usual percentage of the Grand Vin is due to the frost, which hit the areas of the vineyard customarily reserved for the second wine. 95-97 Pts
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4/7/2024 - ptepper Likes this wine: 96 Points
2018 brane cantenac
Malty chocolate. Cherries. Perfumed Cabernet. Violet. Little leather and cedar. 20 second finish lingers. Very earthy and good
96
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12/31/2023 - Cailles wrote: 94 Points
No notes taken. This is a wonderful wine with fine, not too ripe dark fruit, lots of earthy minerality and some herbs as well as some gentle, not intrusive oak aromas. Very well balanced, with a fine structural frame and good freshness. It is already drinking quite well today and isnone of the better 2018s out there, easily beating the SHL 18 (91pts) in the next glass.
Decanting: Open and ready from the go, no extensive decanting needed.
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11/19/2023 - Cailles wrote: 94 Points
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: The nose was a bit subdued at first, gaining expression with time, but never fully open. The palate, however, was open right out of the gate with layers of surprisingly fresh fruit with dark berries, fresh red fruit, rhubarb notes, herbs, touch of coffee/toasty notes and a bit of faint minerality. Unlike many other 2018s, the fruit is on the right side of things in terms of purity and ripeness. The structure is impeccable and the wine seemed almost delicate, more delicate than the 2016s and 2019s in the other glasses. This was easily at 94pts.
Decanting: Not decanted. No extensive decanting necessary.
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9/10/2023 - J_H Likes this wine: 92 Points
Vertical of 20 vintages - Chateau Brane-Cantenac: It was a pleasure to taste 20 vintages of Brane-Cantenac. All wines were tasted blind and with little time (10min per flight of 4 wines). Coming from the Margaux appellation, the wine convinced 1) with its accessibility of all vintages, 2) often very feminine and fresh vinification and 3) especially the consistency of quality to be emphasized. So it was not surprising that all 20 bottles (for the first time in this tasting with 12 people) were empty. At the same time, it could also be noted that the very great complexity for ratings above 94 points is often somewhat lacking. Very exciting to observe were the significant change in fruit. Until the 2009 vintage, this was often primarily red-fruited, light and very strongly Cabernet influenced. From the 2009 vintage on, a clear shift to more extraction and sweetness of the fruit is noticeable. The last, often great vintages from 2015 to 2020 are ripe but still with a good freshness/aciadity (except for 2015 according to my impression).
Tasting Note:
- This vintage shows similarities to the 2020 vintage, but in a more restrained way. It is characterised by aromas of red and dark plums and blackberries.
- On the palate, it is noticeable that this wine is a little warmer than the 2020 vintage, has less acidity and a touch of sexiness.
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4/18/2023 - bdisk1235 wrote:
Decanted initially for 4 hours and drank over 2 nights. The wine wasn't that great on the first night - not much depth, muted black fruit and high tannins. The wine also had a green streak that I associate with Cab Franc and was surprised by given the relatively low proportion of Cab Franc. On the second night the wine was better - the greenness had mellowed out and the wine was much more integrated and the fruit and tannin were more in balance.
I know its entirely too early to drink this wine and I'm hoping its just in a dumb phase. Either way, I'll stash my remaining bottles away and forget about them for a long time.
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2/28/2023 - peeks13 wrote: 91 Points
Costco reduced from $76 to $60. 2.5-3 hr decant, started better with Margaux cab character and finish, almost no nose, but flatlined into soft fruit and lost Margaux character for last 3+ glasses. I know it's young but wouldn't buy again even at $60; happily drink at a party.
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11/23/2022 - Bigdong wrote: 94 Points
Opens up after 1hr in the glass. Elegant wine with good acidity. Lots of black fruit with floral notes. Some sweetness and tobacco chocolate flavors. Nice Margaux. Tannins are medium.
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11/5/2022 - chatters wrote:
Decanter Fine Wine Encounter (The Landmark, London): Polished fruit and oak, blackcurrant, sweet spice, perfumed. Juicy, fresh, agile (especially for the vintage) chalky tannins, black hued fruits. Rather nice.
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10/19/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Grapey powerful fruit on the nose. '18 was another vintage where they had to work allot. Humid spring and an attack of mildew and yields were very low. And this is all from the one particular plateau. Wonderful concetration, small berries, beautiful color, very generous already. Very typical Brane they feel. Lots of Cabernet in there. And there are very old plots of Cabernet Franc.
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9/30/2022 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 96 Points
See the previous note. This is a true stunner and legend. Coconut meat along with all things before. Such a suave, noir fruit and earth aftertaste. Drink 2025 -.
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9/20/2022 - englishman's claret wrote:
Difficult to taste today, reductive nose. With vigorous swirling, red and black cherry. Lush palate, ripe but without heat. Finishes nicely. Marked - but not dominated - by the vintage.
74 CS, 23 M, 2 CF, 1 PV, 13.5% ABV, pH 3.78
Approximately 91-93 points, but with the caveats referenced above
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7/8/2022 - Motz wrote: 93 Points
Tasted over three days, on the first two days alongside the same vintage d'Armailhac.
The most agreeable element: 13.5 abv. Wow! In this vintage, that makes and impression!
The least agreeable element: Too much oak, which overwhelms the estate's sublime terroir. Indeed, it showed oakier than the d'Armailhac.
The wine held form across all three days, as might be expected for its you. Will it eventually put on weight and out muscle the oak? Time will tell. Less oak, thus more terroir, would have put this over the top.
The Left Bank wines of this vintage are open-knit and berry forward, but unlike the vapid 2016 vintage, they do carry some substantive weight. This bottle had at least a 10 year evolution ahead of it. Overall, excellent, and depending on the eventual substance to oak ratio, it might on a great day, with the perfect pairing, reach into the exceptional. I would not hold bottles beyond 2038-2040.
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7/3/2022 - Menez1192 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still young and tight. Nice nose, floral notes. Mix of ripe fruit, chocolate. Tannins still grippy. Will probably open up in a few years
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6/26/2022 - Deegie Likes this wine: 93 Points
It’s almost too young to rate but it’s gorgeous. Four hour decant and served blind at a dinner party. It was a real hit. Smooth and silky. Perfect use of oak.
Edit February 2024: this bottle had a strong barnyard bouquet and mushroom on the palate. Not as good as I remember but I won’t change the score until I try another one.
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6/5/2022 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for three hours and finished on day two. Crème de cassis, chocolate pudding, black cherries, flower shop and cigar box complexity. The middle palate is scrumptious and juicy, with a long, savory finish. Tannins of silk and are very layered. Forward and reserved at the same time, with glorious dimension. Better on day two, this is of course obvious infanticide. A medium-to full-bodied claret of class and vibrancy. Drink 2026 -.
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3/4/2022 - Tony Ling Likes this wine: 94 Points
74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. 13.5% ABV, TA, 3.6g/L, pH 3.78. Vine age 35 years. 18 months in barriques, 70% new oak. Limestone soil.
PNP into Riedel Ouverture glass (“Leaf” day):
Sight: Medium purplish ruby to the eyes.
Nose: Darker red cassis, cherry. Smoke, garrigue, pine, savory, balsamic notes. Better integration and intensity, more forward overall compared to the Prieure Lichine.
Palate: Very suave and lean on the palate, highly energetic and great acidity. Very clean and persistent finish.
94 points.
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1/30/2022 - Romol Likes this wine: 91 Points
Not decanted. From 375ml bottle. Very tannic. This is my second 2018 vintage (small bottle) that seemed already a bit closed. I think it's better to wait now. This will be much better in 10 years. 91+ pts now with a lot of potential.
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1/7/2022 - ayalao3 wrote: 93 Points
93+
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12/4/2021 - wineappellation Likes this wine: 93 Points
So much pencil shaving, ripe blackfruits, hint of dried florals, green bell pepper, savoury. Bright acidity. Good balance. 93
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11/25/2021 - wineappellation Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dried Violet, graphite, fresh blackberries. Less expressive on palate. On a savoury and earthy side. Very Margaux too.
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11/21/2021 - jmoon Likes this wine: 96 Points
Elegant, fresh, clean, pure, long. lovely ripe dark fruits. Gorgeous texture and almost refreshing. Excellent value. The best BC I’ve tasted.
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10/29/2021 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful Brane-Cantenac, could end up being my favorite of the string of very successful vintages the last few years, certainly one of my favorite 2018s opened to date. It is deeper in tone than the norm for the chateau with the fruit tones all black, but in terms of texture it is just as finessed and mellow as ever, like getting into a pair of your favorite pajamas, or maybe more like a surprise Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day because this is still very serious Bordeaux. That black-currant fruit comes across deep and dark in tone accented with a cedariness more in the family of an old cigar box or spice box than those pencils up north, and it's all knit together without a seam. I assume it's got some hidden structure but it's so invisibly melded in it almost has the feel of pinot noir.
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9/4/2021 - Purple Tooth wrote: 90 Points
Boring and non eventful, this producer has never tickled me in the right spot. The 2018 was tight and unexpressive, slightly backward, and very out of step with the 2018 wine style. It was more old school, in a structured frame, with inadequate fruit, making it a wine that could only be interesting after several years of aging. If drank blind, I would have guessed 2010 Haut Medoc or 2012 Pessac....The oak creme might have had me guessing Smith Haut Lafitte from a mediocre vintage. Just not very Margaux to me....Meh. Not for me. Pass
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7/11/2021 - KenK Likes this wine: 94 Points
Vinous Bordeaux Series
Known as a Classic Bordeaux, gravel terroir, chunky, structured.
Gorgeous aromas of sweet black cherry, chocolate, and floral notes.
Big rich chewy black and red fruits, serious and dense. Fleshy, dense, beautifully packed with flavors. Lots of elements of flavors here. Long complex finish with really good flavors, impressive completeness, bit drying in finish. Tasty. Really outperformed the label.
Already so drinkable and good, yet obviously has a long way to go. Bravo! 93-94
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3/9/2021 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Elegant, fresh and refined, the wine offers layers of sweet, ripe, fresh, red berries, smoke, flowers, wet earth, herbs, spice box and tobacco leaf in the perfume. On the palate, the wine is silky, lifted, long and pure, displaying a beautiful depth of flavor in the finish. The wine blends 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.
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11/2/2020 - sirpat00 wrote: 91 Points
Arvi Bordeaux 2018 Arrivage (Dolder Grand, Zurich): Tasting of 2018 Bordeaux in the bottle. A mixed vintage where St. Emilion often ended up over-ripe and cooked while Pomerol seems to have fared better, as did the left bank. Wine of the tasting was Rauzan Ségla, but the Léovilles (Barton and Poyferré), Pichon Lalande and Clinet presented themselves brilliantly as well.
Tasting note:
Quite one-dimensional but good is the one-liner here. A rather darkish fruit profile, a bit earthy and herbal. Surprisingly juicy on the palate, but also with some heat.
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10/13/2020 - R J Lewis wrote:
N: defined, elegant. Cab Sauv aromas, depth of ripe fruit.
P: reasonable, though lacking a little freshness and bite. Nice mid-weight, herbal and leafy, but falls away a bit.
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10/3/2019 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine: 93 Points
2018 Bordeaux tasting event (Stockholm): Sweet appealing nose with feminin (stupid word really) elegant Margaux typicity. Good concentration with silky fine grained tannin. Should come out on top. 93-94p
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7/3/2019 - rossi.wine wrote: 94 Points
Tasted next to the 2009. A little more precise and structured than 2018 Cantenac Brown tasted before. Good acidity, quite powerful tannins. Mineral and intense finish, very good length. I tend to prefer Brane-Cantenac from more generous vintages and this barrel sample is confirmation of this. 93-94+
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6/11/2019 - wineforth Likes this wine: 90 Points
Barrel sample at Lord's en primeur tasting last month. Very good until the strong tannins kicked in. Will it ever balance I wonder.
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4/19/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Deep garnet in color, this wine exudes a dark, black cherry core of fruits. Next, the perfume reveals hints of smoke, flowers, thyme and cigar wrapper. On the palate, the wine is focused on silky tannins, elegant textures and depth of flavor. Fans of Brane Cantenac should know that even with this depth of fruit the wine is still dances lightly over the palate. I am not ready to pick a favorite from the 2015, 2016 and 2018 trio but it is going to be fun tasting and comparing those vintages over the next few decades! From a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the wine reached 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.76. It represents 60% of the harvest, which took place from September 14 to October 10. The higher than usual percentage of the Grand Vin is due to the frost, which hit the areas of the vineyard customarily reserved for the second wine. 95-97 Pts
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