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: There was a lovely, fresh dark fruit component on the nose and especially palate but overall, this bottle did not perform well as it showed lots of green and bitter notes and an unintegrated high acidity.
Decanting: Not decanted. I don’t think that the wine would have improved much with air.
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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/acidity (except for 2015 according to my impression).
Tasting Note: - A slightly more complete nose with more dark fruit flavors compared to the 1995, has some astringent tannins, green touch here too and still strong tannins. Still seems a bit young. Questionable if it's worth storing here any further, certainly decant. - 89 points
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Day one, had a 2 hour decant nose was coming around with a classic aged Bordeaux. It was still slightly closed and had a short finish, very good but short. Day two really came around, tannins are fully integrated and resolved but still lightly present. Fruit is muted and aged, wood flavors and earth take over but work together Still somewhat youthful and will go longer.
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During a Bordeaux blind tasting session. This wine fooled us quite a bit. It was very closed and dense at the beginning, I was thinking 2009 Pauillac. Lots of structure, bright acidity, delineated. Opened up more and more and ended up being a highlight of the evening.
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Very smooth, velvet texture greeting, medium fruit The wine looks tawny colored. The legs are slow. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like fig, plum, stoniness and forest floor. It tastes like strawberry, red currant, fig, raisin, cinnamon, flint and mushroom. The body is medium/full. The wine has satin-like texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.
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Huge concentration, powerful bouquet with earth and mushrooms dominating. Glycerin. Tamed tannins. Well balanced but lacks the complexity that would make it more remarkable.
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One-hour decant. Very consistent with my prior notes. The wine continues in its "rustic" mode as opposed to the usual Margaux silk. Still very enjoyable but I find bottles of this wine to be atypical from the commune, and even from the 1998 vintage.
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Couleur violet foncé Nez mature, terre, champignon Dans la bouche, attaque mature, sur les fruits rouges mélangés avec le bois, les champignons, la terre et le fer Longue finale Très agréable
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Decanted for 1 hour. Very consistent with my tasting note from December 11, 2017 except a little more fruit and a little less dust. Hence the one point add-on. I am going to drink the rest of mine over the next few months, I think it is time.
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Not quite as good as it was three years ago, this is showing signs of decline. I certainly would not decant it. I opened it in the morning and by the evening it was ready. Quite a discreet nose with notes of vanilla and blackberry now, rather than the blackcurrant there was before. In the mouth, much the same: fully mature and starting to fade, with a soft but featureless attack, good notes of wild strawberry and blackberry in the middle section before a fairly persistent finish. It lacks the zip it had before and this will not improve. Still very enjoyable but not quite as much as before.
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Decanted for about 1 hour. Wine was clear, crimson bowl, no bricking yet on edge. In the decanter, aromas of cedar and black currants. No Margaux floral. After breathing, the nose in the glass imparted red currants and pencil shavings. In the mouth, red fruit was dusty, with cedar and spice. Not as smooth or deep as most BCs I have had. Certainly enjoyable; more rustic than the usual Margaux silk. Good balance and fairly long finish that ended with coriander seed.
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Tested blind, dark red, no signs of age in color, soft tannins, fresh acidity, nice length, pencil, leather, cigar box, may well be drunk now, will not be much better with long aging, just different and lose some fruit but will then have som secondary aromas, if you find some bottles, buying those, this wine is "cheap" and worth the price
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Aromatic with aromas of smokey, flowery cassis, blackberries, spice and liquorice. Medium bodied nicely concentrated layered and voluptuous, delineated and plush palate. Ends medium long and silky with aromatic bluefruits. A bit aristocratic in its traditional way.
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Boasting a tantalizing deep crimson core and intoxicating aromas of led pencil shavings, tobacco leaf, vanillin and cinnamon the 1998 Brane-Cantenac is nothing short of a marvel. This medium to full-bodied beauty softly caresses the palate with its silky tannins as it unleashes delightfully intertwined layers of black currant, burnt tar, caramel and white chocolate, all on the back drop of a rich raspberry coulis. The velvety finish goes on and on....an astonishingly classy, mature Margaux with at least another decade of pleasure left in it.
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Blackcurrant and cherry aromas at first, with a touch of vanilla verging on crème brûlée, with herbs right at the end. Very much blackcurrant flavoured at first, with a second wave of rich, creamy vanilla, redcurrant and blackberry, before an elegant, crisp finish. The tannins are now fully integrated, the structure and grip are good and the overall feeling is one of perfect balance and freshness. Really impressive, the best mature Brane I've tried, this just lacks a little zip mid-palate to be outstanding, but it isn't far off and I'm probably just being picky.
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Excellent. Nez moyennement expressif, mais doux et parfumé. Encore bien tannique, cèdre, plumes, corsé, bonne mâche, thé, graphite, café, chocolat, vanille, assez long en bouche et enveloppant, un peu de fruits rouges et noirs, mais assez peu, malgré cela très bon et persistant. Sera sans doute plus profond et complexe dans quelques années.
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~5 hour slow ox This one started with a big dose of green bell pepper and finished with rather bitter tannins. It is more red fruited than I expected and much of the fruit has faded, leaving the tannins to dominate. It isn't bad but not particularly exciting either.
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The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry and raspberry. It tastes like cherry. The body is medium. The wine has polished texture. The wine finishes long.
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Drank at WWS Ned tasting, matched up against 1998 Grand Pontet (I supplied both). Dark red color, shows a slight bit of age but nothing concerning. Fairly generous nose, which became more enhanced in the glass, of coffee/espresso. Fairly gritty tannins remain but not intrusive. Dark fruits still present but this wine is now more about its tertiary elements: tar, tobacco, earth, & dirt--all of which are now nicely integrated overall. This wine has a somewhat gritty, dirty character but still maintains--in my opinion--somewhat of an elegant quality. A very enjoyable, nicely matured & developed Margaux with excellent complexity and structure. Voted WOTN by the group, though my 2nd choice to the Grand Pontet.
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Commanderie de Bordeaux tasting/dinner. Medium garnet with brick rim. Expressive nose of secondary aromas, cassis, toast, earth. Quite elegant and aromatic. Brane Cantenac is always very drinkable. Never a heavy wine but one for the table. Drink up.
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Sweet cedar and slightly malty nose. Still running on a backbone of fruit with tannin-sweet core and a backbeat of funky leather. Sitting at a really pleasing point between primary and aged - definitely a sweet spot for me.
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A classy Margaux exhibiting good clarity and a dense ruby red core. Fragrant aromas of plum, tar and spice emerge from the glass as this medium to full bodied wine reveals a soft texture and good overall balance. Clean fruit with notes of cassis and licorice. The tannins are abundant and well integrated and the finish long and silky. This is just entering its maturity plateau and still has a long life ahead of it. Drinking window: 2012-2028
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Drinking this together with Brane Cantenac 78 and Durfort Vivent 78, the 1998 seems far to young. Decanted two hours before drinking but anyway it took a while before it opens up. Together with the two other bottles the smell is very much dominated by fruit and dark berries. A note of leather and cigarbox as well. The taste is very dominated by tanins but very full bodied long lasting taste, a very good bottle of wine.
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Same as the last one I tried in May, very impressive. Compared to the 99 which I opened at the same time, this is just a little better, with more zip and concentration mid-palate.
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Much better than the last one I tasted, this is full bodied, with the tannins at last settling down. Blackcurrants, with a touch of blackberry and redcurrant, but with a vanilla creaminess that wasn't present before. There is good elegance behind the initial mouthful, so all in all, easily the best BC tasted since the 83 (not that difficult) and further proof of 98 quality on the Left Bank. The only criticism I would make, which stops the wine from being excellent rather than very good, is the slight astringency on the finale.
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The wine looks Crimson colored. The legs are Medium. It smells like red fruits, Lead Pencil, and Dust. It tastes like Oak, and Strawberry. The body is Medium. The wine has Smooth texture and elegant. The wine finishes Long. Lovely mature Margaux
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decanted 1 hour Upon sipping the aroma of strong beautiful hit the nose. Super inky color Taste was extreme. very pleasnt to taste buds, and a super finish.
Great sipper wine
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Tasted in double-blind fashion with our tasting group. The wine had been decanted approximately 2-3 hours earlier. Bright disc. Opaque garnet robe with garnet rim. Clean nose, showing moderately intense aromas of black currents bathed in a certain loamy/earthy background. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity and big coarse tannins. The flavors are black fruit-dominated and are somewhat muted by some quite harsh tannins. Medium, astringent finish. In my opinion, this is a somewhat disjointed wine which is unlikely to get better in the cellar. Drink now-12/15.
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Nice and unexpected surprise found in the cellar. Very dark colour, intense nose and full mouth. This wine has clearly reached its maturity but given its structure i will be at the peak for few years for sure.
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Dark red. Mild bouquet. A fully mature bordeaux. The elements of fruit, tannin and oak were well balanced. This is a classicaly preportioned wine. This was a lovely wine that went well with the meal we were having at a well known French Restaurant in NYC.
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Very nice. Still very dark, no hint of lightning color. On the nose very elegant a touch too discreet yet, but very nice nose of typical bordeaux. The secondary aromas are not coming yet, the primary aromas are well settling down. I personally very much like this type of elegant, not on the face wine, which delivers nice fruit, good tannin, and tobacco, pencil, wet rock. Very nice and highly recommanded for those who are starting to be tired of the big monsters.
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This bottle, which I will assume was off, showed cooked red fruit and disjointed acidity -- not unlike a mistreated bottle of Chianti Riserva or something similar. Not unpleasant, but not good either.
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Winestreet Tastes Bordeaux: Very dark red. The nose was very distinctive with tobacco. The taste was a blend of red fruit and tobacco. This wine was medium to full bodied and had a pleasant finish. This showed even better when retasted later in the evening, so it probably deserves a slightly higher score.
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Great red berry fruit flavor with a nice midpallate and a solid finish. this wine clearly has a way to go before it is done. I wish I had more. Great value.
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11/19/2023 - Cailles wrote: 84 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: There was a lovely, fresh dark fruit component on the nose and especially palate but overall, this bottle did not perform well as it showed lots of green and bitter notes and an unintegrated high acidity.
Decanting: Not decanted. I don’t think that the wine would have improved much with air.
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9/10/2023 - J_H Likes this wine: 89 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/acidity (except for 2015 according to my impression).
Tasting Note:
- A slightly more complete nose with more dark fruit flavors compared to the 1995, has some astringent tannins, green touch here too and still strong tannins. Still seems a bit young. Questionable if it's worth storing here any further, certainly decant.
- 89 points
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10/1/2022 - Nbkat8 wrote: 93 Points
Day one, had a 2 hour decant nose was coming around with a classic aged Bordeaux. It was still slightly closed and had a short finish, very good but short. Day two really came around, tannins are fully integrated and resolved but still lightly present. Fruit is muted and aged, wood flavors and earth take over but work together Still somewhat youthful and will go longer.
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4/29/2022 - Henbest wrote: 91 Points
Drinking very well still. Had two of these in 2021 and just had the third. Very soft tannins, equal good fruit on the nose and mouth, long finish.
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1/27/2022 - Collector1855 wrote: 94 Points
During a Bordeaux blind tasting session. This wine fooled us quite a bit. It was very closed and dense at the beginning, I was thinking 2009 Pauillac. Lots of structure, bright acidity, delineated. Opened up more and more and ended up being a highlight of the evening.
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10/21/2021 - trumpet60201 wrote: 88 Points
Didn't love this - seemed to have some VA going on. Maybe I got a bad bottle.
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9/26/2021 - Bil Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted for about an hour. Drinking well but mature. Red fruits, tobacco, perhaps a hint of dust.
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7/31/2021 - llindahl Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beatiful mature Bordeaux with a bouquet that goes on and on.
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6/21/2021 - Henbest Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very smooth, velvet texture greeting, medium fruit
The wine looks tawny colored. The legs are slow. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like fig, plum, stoniness and forest floor. It tastes like strawberry, red currant, fig, raisin, cinnamon, flint and mushroom. The body is medium/full. The wine has satin-like texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.
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4/17/2021 - Blackart wrote: 89 Points
Strong tobacco flavours and mellowed fruit with deep colour. Good but was expecting more
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12/27/2020 - LopedeAguirre wrote: 91 Points
Huge concentration, powerful bouquet with earth and mushrooms dominating. Glycerin. Tamed tannins. Well balanced but lacks the complexity that would make it more remarkable.
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7/31/2019 - OenophilistMN Likes this wine: 88 Points
One-hour decant. Very consistent with my prior notes. The wine continues in its "rustic" mode as opposed to the usual Margaux silk. Still very enjoyable but I find bottles of this wine to be atypical from the commune, and even from the 1998 vintage.
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11/25/2018 - Alibertucci wrote: 88 Points
Big wine with notes of tobacco and leather. Typical Margaux with long finish.
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4/8/2018 - parinacota Likes this wine: 91 Points
Beautifully matured (dark fruit, underwood), medium body, good balance with silky tannins. A real pleasure to drink now.
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4/6/2018 - Laurentcg wrote: 92 Points
Couleur violet foncé
Nez mature, terre, champignon
Dans la bouche, attaque mature, sur les fruits rouges mélangés avec le bois, les champignons, la terre et le fer
Longue finale
Très agréable
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4/5/2018 - OenophilistMN Likes this wine: 88 Points
Decanted for one hour. Entirely consistent with my tasting note of 3/08/2018.
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3/8/2018 - OenophilistMN Likes this wine: 88 Points
Decanted for 1 hour. Very consistent with my tasting note from December 11, 2017 except a little more fruit and a little less dust. Hence the one point add-on. I am going to drink the rest of mine over the next few months, I think it is time.
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3/4/2018 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine: 91 Points
Not quite as good as it was three years ago, this is showing signs of decline. I certainly would not decant it. I opened it in the morning and by the evening it was ready. Quite a discreet nose with notes of vanilla and blackberry now, rather than the blackcurrant there was before. In the mouth, much the same: fully mature and starting to fade, with a soft but featureless attack, good notes of wild strawberry and blackberry in the middle section before a fairly persistent finish. It lacks the zip it had before and this will not improve. Still very enjoyable but not quite as much as before.
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12/11/2017 - OenophilistMN Likes this wine: 87 Points
Decanted for about 1 hour. Wine was clear, crimson bowl, no bricking yet on edge. In the decanter, aromas of cedar and black currants. No Margaux floral. After breathing, the nose in the glass imparted red currants and pencil shavings. In the mouth, red fruit was dusty, with cedar and spice. Not as smooth or deep as most BCs I have had. Certainly enjoyable; more rustic than the usual Margaux silk. Good balance and fairly long finish that ended with coriander seed.
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10/11/2017 - DotDad Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very soft tannins; earthy with good fruit. Hints of cassis; very ripe blackberries and cherries, with an elegant long finish
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11/20/2016 - spillwine wrote: 90 Points
Un peu rustique
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8/19/2016 - wine4ever Likes this wine: 91 Points
Last three tasting notes say it all. Great wine in a good place, with several more years ahead.
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4/6/2016 - Per-Harald Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tested blind, dark red, no signs of age in color, soft tannins, fresh acidity, nice length, pencil, leather, cigar box, may well be drunk now, will not be much better with long aging, just different and lose some fruit but will then have som secondary aromas, if you find some bottles, buying those, this wine is "cheap" and worth the price
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10/4/2015 - macaujames wrote: 91 Points
Aromatic with aromas of smokey, flowery cassis, blackberries, spice and liquorice. Medium bodied nicely concentrated layered and voluptuous, delineated and plush palate. Ends medium long and silky with aromatic bluefruits. A bit aristocratic in its traditional way.
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8/24/2015 - phils_hobby wrote: 93 Points
Heavy dark color, almost opaque. Rich dark flavors and smooth. Definitely ready to drink.
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5/27/2015 - Wineguy76 wrote: 93 Points
Boasting a tantalizing deep crimson core and intoxicating aromas of led pencil shavings, tobacco leaf, vanillin and cinnamon the 1998 Brane-Cantenac is nothing short of a marvel. This medium to full-bodied beauty softly caresses the palate with its silky tannins as it unleashes delightfully intertwined layers of black currant, burnt tar, caramel and white chocolate, all on the back drop of a rich raspberry coulis. The velvety finish goes on and on....an astonishingly classy, mature Margaux with at least another decade of pleasure left in it.
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3/1/2015 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine: 93 Points
Blackcurrant and cherry aromas at first, with a touch of vanilla verging on crème brûlée, with herbs right at the end.
Very much blackcurrant flavoured at first, with a second wave of rich, creamy vanilla, redcurrant and blackberry, before an elegant, crisp finish. The tannins are now fully integrated, the structure and grip are good and the overall feeling is one of perfect balance and freshness. Really impressive, the best mature Brane I've tried, this just lacks a little zip mid-palate to be outstanding, but it isn't far off and I'm probably just being picky.
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7/12/2014 - meqoubal36 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Excellent. Nez moyennement expressif, mais doux et parfumé. Encore bien tannique, cèdre, plumes, corsé, bonne mâche, thé, graphite, café, chocolat, vanille, assez long en bouche et enveloppant, un peu de fruits rouges et noirs, mais assez peu, malgré cela très bon et persistant. Sera sans doute plus profond et complexe dans quelques années.
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7/4/2014 - S1 wrote:
~5 hour slow ox
This one started with a big dose of green bell pepper and finished with rather bitter tannins. It is more red fruited than I expected and much of the fruit has faded, leaving the tannins to dominate. It isn't bad but not particularly exciting either.
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6/2/2014 - flwino wrote: 91 Points
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry and raspberry. It tastes like cherry. The body is medium. The wine has polished texture. The wine finishes long.
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5/20/2014 - cephomer Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank at WWS Ned tasting, matched up against 1998 Grand Pontet (I supplied both). Dark red color, shows a slight bit of age but nothing concerning. Fairly generous nose, which became more enhanced in the glass, of coffee/espresso. Fairly gritty tannins remain but not intrusive. Dark fruits still present but this wine is now more about its tertiary elements: tar, tobacco, earth, & dirt--all of which are now nicely integrated overall. This wine has a somewhat gritty, dirty character but still maintains--in my opinion--somewhat of an elegant quality. A very enjoyable, nicely matured & developed Margaux with excellent complexity and structure. Voted WOTN by the group, though my 2nd choice to the Grand Pontet.
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4/26/2014 - Collector1855 wrote: 90 Points
Commanderie de Bordeaux tasting/dinner. Medium garnet with brick rim. Expressive nose of secondary aromas, cassis, toast, earth. Quite elegant and aromatic. Brane Cantenac is always very drinkable. Never a heavy wine but one for the table. Drink up.
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2/8/2014 - isdblm@lsu.edu wrote: 90 Points
This bottle was just past ready. Still showing typical complexity of taste one finds in solid left bank Bordeaux.
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12/25/2013 - AndrewSGHall Likes this wine:
Sweet cedar and slightly malty nose. Still running on a backbone of fruit with tannin-sweet core and a backbeat of funky leather. Sitting at a really pleasing point between primary and aged - definitely a sweet spot for me.
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10/24/2013 - Wineguy76 Likes this wine: 92 Points
A classy Margaux exhibiting good clarity and a dense ruby red core. Fragrant aromas of plum, tar and spice emerge from the glass as this medium to full bodied wine reveals a soft texture and good overall balance. Clean fruit with notes of cassis and licorice. The tannins are abundant and well integrated and the finish long and silky. This is just entering its maturity plateau and still has a long life ahead of it. Drinking window: 2012-2028
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7/21/2013 - rho wrote: 91 Points
Drank at restaurant without decant. Full bodied. Leather, dark fruits with soft tannin. Drink now.
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9/15/2012 - Prinsen wrote: 90 Points
Drinking this together with Brane Cantenac 78 and Durfort Vivent 78, the 1998 seems far to young. Decanted two hours before drinking but anyway it took a while before it opens up. Together with the two other bottles the smell is very much dominated by fruit and dark berries. A note of leather and cigarbox as well. The taste is very dominated by tanins but very full bodied long lasting taste, a very good bottle of wine.
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8/6/2012 - Julian Marshall wrote:
Same as the last one I tried in May, very impressive. Compared to the 99 which I opened at the same time, this is just a little better, with more zip and concentration mid-palate.
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6/16/2012 - MonkeyBiz101 wrote: 92 Points
Large format bottle. Well integrated tannins. Some leather, some wood and dark fruit.
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5/9/2012 - Julian Marshall wrote:
Much better than the last one I tasted, this is full bodied, with the tannins at last settling down. Blackcurrants, with a touch of blackberry and redcurrant, but with a vanilla creaminess that wasn't present before. There is good elegance behind the initial mouthful, so all in all, easily the best BC tasted since the 83 (not that difficult) and further proof of 98 quality on the Left Bank. The only criticism I would make, which stops the wine from being excellent rather than very good, is the slight astringency on the finale.
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4/20/2012 - nikohi Likes this wine: 91 Points
The wine looks Crimson colored. The legs are Medium. It smells like red fruits, Lead Pencil, and Dust. It tastes like Oak, and Strawberry. The body is Medium. The wine has Smooth texture and elegant. The wine finishes Long. Lovely mature Margaux
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4/15/2011 - Ydaucourt wrote: 88 Points
Ouvert, décanté et bu de suite. Ample, et long mais une certaine verdeur un peu dérangeante
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12/12/2010 - yenda wrote: 93 Points
very nice wine. Full of Margaux style, i.e.elegent yet exotic.Quite long on the palate.
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12/7/2009 - flwino wrote: 91 Points
decanted 1 hour
Upon sipping the aroma of strong beautiful hit the nose.
Super inky color
Taste was extreme. very pleasnt to taste buds, and a super finish.
Great sipper wine
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11/24/2009 - yenda wrote: flawed
5 bottles bought, third opened and second corked. this sucks
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9/24/2009 - joshwoodward wrote: 90 Points
Yikes. Just yikes.; 9/24/2009-9/25/2009 (Bowling Green, OH): Awesome dusty strawberry nose. Balanced, with medium+ tannins and acidity, medium body. Red fruit dominates. Very Bordeaux.
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6/12/2009 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 82 Points
Tasted in double-blind fashion with our tasting group. The wine had been decanted approximately 2-3 hours earlier. Bright disc. Opaque garnet robe with garnet rim. Clean nose, showing moderately intense aromas of black currents bathed in a certain loamy/earthy background. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity and big coarse tannins. The flavors are black fruit-dominated and are somewhat muted by some quite harsh tannins. Medium, astringent finish. In my opinion, this is a somewhat disjointed wine which is unlikely to get better in the cellar. Drink now-12/15.
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5/17/2009 - yenda wrote: 91 Points
Nice and unexpected surprise found in the cellar. Very dark colour, intense nose and full mouth. This wine has clearly reached its maturity but given its structure i will be at the peak for few years for sure.
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5/10/2009 - dssmith wrote: 89 Points
Dark red. Mild bouquet. A fully mature bordeaux. The elements of fruit, tannin and oak were well balanced. This is a classicaly preportioned wine. This was a lovely wine that went well with the meal we were having at a well known French Restaurant in NYC.
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2/1/2008 - swyang wrote: 90 Points
Very nice. Still very dark, no hint of lightning color. On the nose very elegant a touch too discreet yet, but very nice nose of typical bordeaux. The secondary aromas are not coming yet, the primary aromas are well settling down. I personally very much like this type of elegant, not on the face wine, which delivers nice fruit, good tannin, and tobacco, pencil, wet rock. Very nice and highly recommanded for those who are starting to be tired of the big monsters.
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7/8/2006 - Drmelendez wrote: 92 Points
Shared with Tom
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6/23/2006 - KeyMaster wrote: 95 Points
Superbe.
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2/19/2006 - BordeauxNut wrote:
This bottle, which I will assume was off, showed cooked red fruit and disjointed acidity -- not unlike a mistreated bottle of Chianti Riserva or something similar. Not unpleasant, but not good either.
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11/10/2005 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 88 Points
Winestreet Tastes Bordeaux: Very dark red. The nose was very distinctive with tobacco. The taste was a blend of red fruit and tobacco. This wine was medium to full bodied and had a pleasant finish. This showed even better when retasted later in the evening, so it probably deserves a slightly higher score.
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11/4/2005 - Slipknot wrote: 90 Points
Great red berry fruit flavor with a nice midpallate and a solid finish. this wine clearly has a way to go before it is done. I wish I had more. Great value.
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5/22/2004 - KeyMaster wrote: 90 Points
Excellent. Encore jeune.
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