TN: 00 Boyd Cantenac, 12 Cantenac Brown [Margaux]
Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 4:28 pm
BillP and our spouses got together last night at a local trendy place to imbibe some Margaux. Both bottles had been decanted ahead of time, and cellared since release, I believe.
00 Boyd Cantenac [Margaux] Medium bodied. Label is vague as to abv, suggesting its between 10.5% and 13.5% which is a broad band. Color shows maturity, but not yet light at the edges, and no fading with air. It featured a Barolo like charry, creosote nose to me. The palate has more typical Margauxberry fruit, but the nose seemed less like what I'd expect from this commune. It has mostly resolved tannin, but a bright spot of acidity here. We had it with food -- I picked a slab of salmon -- so that worked ok. I liked it, it seems to have evolved well, in a earthy kind of way. For whatever reasons I don't see this 5000 cs production wine around all that much. Maybe the last time we had one was with Stefan out here? was that the 82 or 83? I'd give a B+, although most people would grade it higher.
12 Cantenac Brown [Margaux] Another estate I hardly ever have, that last one being a 2010 maybe a year ago, but that too had broken a multi year C-B fast. This is clearly much younger, fuller and richly fruited. It also is more tannic, even with some aeration but less acidic than the older wine. The palate flavors are plummy and chocolatey, a good combination, but the nose is tight, with a dollop of oak. A likable wine, in need of a few more years of cellaring. I think this will eventually be fine to drink on its own, without food pairing. Both of these wines showed the lifeline that comes from high percentages of cabernet in the mix. I'd give this a B+ too, but its a different point on the maturity curve. I suspect others would like this more though. If opening prices had been less aggressive, I might have been tempted to buy some 2015 Margaux's EP, but for now, I'll just watch and wait. For my tastes I see better opportunities in other regions.
00 Boyd Cantenac [Margaux] Medium bodied. Label is vague as to abv, suggesting its between 10.5% and 13.5% which is a broad band. Color shows maturity, but not yet light at the edges, and no fading with air. It featured a Barolo like charry, creosote nose to me. The palate has more typical Margauxberry fruit, but the nose seemed less like what I'd expect from this commune. It has mostly resolved tannin, but a bright spot of acidity here. We had it with food -- I picked a slab of salmon -- so that worked ok. I liked it, it seems to have evolved well, in a earthy kind of way. For whatever reasons I don't see this 5000 cs production wine around all that much. Maybe the last time we had one was with Stefan out here? was that the 82 or 83? I'd give a B+, although most people would grade it higher.
12 Cantenac Brown [Margaux] Another estate I hardly ever have, that last one being a 2010 maybe a year ago, but that too had broken a multi year C-B fast. This is clearly much younger, fuller and richly fruited. It also is more tannic, even with some aeration but less acidic than the older wine. The palate flavors are plummy and chocolatey, a good combination, but the nose is tight, with a dollop of oak. A likable wine, in need of a few more years of cellaring. I think this will eventually be fine to drink on its own, without food pairing. Both of these wines showed the lifeline that comes from high percentages of cabernet in the mix. I'd give this a B+ too, but its a different point on the maturity curve. I suspect others would like this more though. If opening prices had been less aggressive, I might have been tempted to buy some 2015 Margaux's EP, but for now, I'll just watch and wait. For my tastes I see better opportunities in other regions.