The 2015 Cantenac Brown has been uncorked....

[JimHow]

Reports to come...

[JimHow]

I don't think I've ever had a Cantenac Brown before...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp4SC7zhWPk

[JimHow]

This is a nice young wine, it has a bit of a leafiness to it.
The tannins are present but silky, nothing like those two Pessacs I had last week.
The color is splendid Margaux purple.
Oak still fairly present.
it is light on its feet.
A real beauty, but not a "wow" like Giscours and Siran.
But I'm not sure whether the lack of a "wow" is a plus or a minus.
Maybe a touch understated, but that may not be such a bad thing, especially in 2015.
14%, ho hum.
I'm glad I have 5 more bottles in my cellar, as I think this will achieve that perfect Bordeaux/Margaux balance of elegance/strength.
I was lucky to get this at a significantly discounted price, I'm figuring low $50s when you factor in the NH liquor store incentives, but not worth its regular price of $64.
I'll drink this again in about 15 years, when I am 75 and Stefan is, what, 90-something?
I'll bring some into your nursing home room, Stefan, and we'll rate the margauxberries together....
I liked this wine, especially for its etherialness.
Not the bigness of other 2015s I've been encountering.
Rating: 93 points.

[AlohaArtakaHoundsong]

I've noted that same "ethereal" quality in the three budget 15s I've sampled: the Tour de Mons (Margaux), Vieux Robin (Medoc) and the "Kirkland" Pauillac. I'm chalking it up to a couple of factors, including alcohol somewhere in sweet spot between "normal" and "too warm" and really sound tannic ripeness (silkiness), and I'll throw in in all cases judicious concentration and extraction (as if I know). And probably I'm drinking them at too warm a temperature. I don't notice much qualitative difference from these three appellations in any sort of categorical sense (i.e. in this case how "good" they seem or in any supposed variation due to the general or specific terroir). They seem pretty similar to me but I think that in some case the vintage mark can tend to stamp out some of the idiosyncrasies, at least early on. I'd load up on the Tour de Mons ($22 plus I have experience with several vintages) for medium-term aging at least and drink the Vieux Robin ($10 and a total no-brainer as a daily) ahead of that, not to say it wouldn't evolve favorably over some timeframe too.

[JimHow]

Agreed, Hound, it is a quality that corroborates the seriousness of the vintage.
I've been wanting to try La Tour de Mons, I'm going to try to access some this coming week.

[Nicklasss]

Thumb up.

Nic

[marcs]

but is there good reason to buy this given all the other excellent 2015 Margaux, including Siran in the low $30 and a host of big names clustered in the mid-$60? For Margaux 2015 it seems like you should hold out for a wow.

[dstgolf]

Jim

Sounds promising and at an enviable price. I paid $81 cdn on futures or ~$62 USD. Thanks for the insight ITNOS.

[JimHow]

I hear what you’re saying, Marcus, but I think it depends on what your definition of “wow” is.
If “wow” is big, rich, Parkerized, fruit-bomb, being “wowed” may be what a lot of people are looking for.
If it means elegance and balance, this may be close to a wow.
I found this wine 1985-like, which ain’t too shabby.
I’m glad to have five more bottles in my cellar but at over $50 I won’t buy any more.
I’ve got a nice collection of 2015 Margauxs and Pessacs, I’ll be looking to round it out with a few bottles of d’Issan, Brane, etc., and then it’ll be on to 2016, my final vintage that I’ll be buying in any quantity.

Danny, it is worth your investment, you’ll enjoy this wine in 10-15 years.

Don’t get me wrong, this wine is a beauty.
Because it is not a Parkerized hit you over the head effort is a good thing.

[danzur]

I was just going to chime in and say that this was the "Margaux of the UGC tasting" a few months ago, but the more I thought about it, that was the "Brane Cantenac", not the "Cantenac Brown". Wine can be so confusing sometimes...LOL.

[Chateau Vin]

Yes, for me, Brane Cantenac was a dandy at the UGC tasting...It’s on my 2015 wishlist... Here is what I chimed on 15 Margaux...

MARGAUX:
Brane Cantenac was great with balance and nuances of flowers, black fruit and berries. For me it was WOTD, and I would be on the lookout for this. It was closely followed by Rauzan and Giscours.

When I tasted Lascombes, I was expecting a bit more fruity and on the modern side, but I was pleasantly surprised to see it with good acidity and balance and drinking great. Du Tertre was also good, but I was a bit disappointed by Malescot as I found the pour to be a bit disconnected, thin and off balance.

http://www.bordeauxwineenthusiasts.com/ ... ugc#p63364

[AlohaArtakaHoundsong]

I was just going to chime in and say that this was the "Margaux of the UGC tasting" a few months ago, but the more I thought about it, that was the "Brane Cantenac", not the "Cantenac Brown". Wine can be so confusing sometimes...LOL.

Don't forget Boyd Cantenac.

[Frederico]

Yes, for me, Brane Cantenac was a dandy at the UGC tasting...It’s on my 2015 wishlist... Here is what I chimed on 15 Margaux...

MARGAUX:
Brane Cantenac was great with balance and nuances of flowers, black fruit and berries. For me it was WOTD, and I would be on the lookout for this. It was closely followed by Rauzan and Giscours.

I'm glad that my first 2015 Bordeaux purchase is Brane Cantenac although I paid $125Cdn ($95US).

[AKR]

I was just going to chime in and say that this was the "Margaux of the UGC tasting" a few months ago, but the more I thought about it, that was the "Brane Cantenac", not the "Cantenac Brown". Wine can be so confusing sometimes...LOL.

Don't forget Boyd Cantenac.

We had the 2000 Boyd Cantenac maybe a year ago and it doesn't seem to be a modern wine. More like a throwback Batailley or something.

[jal]

Didn't we have some sort of virtual tasting of the 1999 Brane Cantenac and the Cantenac Brown back in the old MSN days? I remember actually disliking those wines immensely.
Man, we should really get those archives back, I don't think I can rely on my memory much longer....

[JimHow]

I think you are right, Jacques, I'm pretty sure it was the Brane Cantenac, and we did indeed hate it, I don't recall having Cantenac Brown.
I do recall enjoying the 2005 Brane Cantenac though. Or maybe it was the '10.

[AKR]

Bill and I had the 00 and 99 Brane C. next to each other last summer and they were actually both quite good. I was surprised how decent the 99 was, even though the 00 was better, it wasn't like it was a 10 furlong difference or anything. Maybe the 99 was a little more feminine.