2015 Brane Cantenac

[JimHow]

I will drink one bottle in the not too distant future and will report back.

[Blanquito]

Well done, I have 4, so I’m extra interested.

[Frederico]

Would be nice if able to compare between this and Rauzan Segla

[JimHow]

Because I am kind and benevolent and am always looking out for you guys, I have uncorked a bottle in the name of science....

[Racer Chris]

So ...
2 1/2 hours later, should be sufficient decant time to start tasting,
... and reporting.

[JimHow]

Wow! Stunning. Best wine I have tasted so far from 2015. Now this is what I am talking about. More balanced than the Leoville Barton. Just more of everything overall than the Giscours. I'm not going to go into the whole modernization debate. This wine has great balance, Margaux character, very, very deep Margaux color. 13.5%, which seems low given the vintage and everything else. And what a bouquet... cedar, flowers... This wine is big like all 2015s but its power is reined in. Will age for 50 years but will evolve beautifully and will have much to offer as each decade passes. Stunning purple/black color. Violets. It has everything. Very earthy. A stunner. Much better than the Leoville Barton. 97 points.

[JimHow]

I got these for $64 at Wine Exchange in California, that's a very fair price relative to the very high quality of this wine.

[Jeff Leve]

Jim, IMO, it is the best vintage ever produced at Brane Cantenac.

[Chateau Vin]

Wow! Stunning. Best wine I have tasted so far from 2015. Now this is what I am talking about. More balanced than the Leoville Barton. Just more of everything overall than the Giscours. I'm not going to go into the whole modernization debate. This wine has great balance, Margaux character, very, very deep Margaux color. 13.5%, which seems low given the vintage and everything else. And what a bouquet... cedar, flowers... This wine is big like all 2015s but its power is reined in. Will age for 50 years but will evolve beautifully and will have much to offer as each decade passes. Stunning purple/black color. Violets. It has everything. Very earthy. A stunner. Much better than the Leoville Barton. 97 points.

I am glad you liked it, Jim. I thought it was great...I hate to say it Jim - "I told you so..."

Here was my preliminary impressions on this...Since then, I have sourced some...

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.

[Blanquito]

Awesome stuff. I got my bottles from WineX.

You need to try the 2015 d’Issan next Jim!

[felixp21]

Jim,
as I said in the Giscours thread, Brane Cantenac is the wine to buy from Margaux. A stunner. Back up the truck. Glad you enjoyed.

[JimHow]

It truly was stellar. Great balance.

[jckba]

Glad to hear that you finally found a 2015 to your liking so the real question becomes, with 19 btls of Giscours in the cellar which you liked less, how much more Brane Cantenac are you going to buy?

[AlexR]

Brane Cantenac used to be "stalwart" and not much else.

But the wine is something else altogether starting with the 2010 vintage, which I very much like.

Alex R.

[JimHow]

I do intend to buy more, JC, although the Winex inventory says it is low.

[Frederico]

How does it compare to Rauzan Segla?

Up here in my city in the Great White North, Brane is selling for $115 and Rauzan is $140, all Cdn dollars (equiv. of $90 and $108 respectively.

[JimHow]

I haven’t tried the Rausan Segla, Frederico.
I have 3 bottles in my cellar.

[Frederico]

I already bought 4 of Brane-Cantenac. After reading your note, I might go get more

[marcs]

So just how good is Margaux 2015 (the region not the first growth)? I got that it's good compared to the usual Margaux level, but how much should I be spending that I would normally spend on other Bordeaux like Paulliac or Pomerol? usually I think of Margaux as a step down from even St Julien.

So far I have gotten myself a sampler case of 2015 Margaux that I plan to let sit for a decade:

3*Brane Cantenac
3*d'Issan
4*Malescot
2*Giscours

[JimHow]

It’s a beauty!
I wish the NH liquor store carried it.
They usually do, for some reason not this year.

[AlexR]

FWIW, these are my en primeur notes for 2015 Brane Cantenac:

Brane Cantenac
70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Carménère
N: soft, very pure sublimated cherry – and cherry vanilla ice cream! – aromas.
P: lovely balance between fruit, sexy texture, and acidity. Good sappy fruit. Clearly a boring wine no longer.

Alex R.

[Gerry M.]

It’s a beauty!
I wish the NH liquor store carried it.
They usually do, for some reason not this year.

Jim, yes they are. It just showed up with a lot of others. Nets to $70/btl on the sale. Just picked up 4 more bottles. I'm going to PM you on another bottle there.

[JimHow]

Thanks for the tip Gerry.
I think I know what you’re gonna tell me.
I’m tied up with a medical procedure tomorrow but hope to get down there over the weekend.

[Blanquito]

I think Brane Cantenac has been at least very good to excellent since the 2000 vintage. The 2005 is wonderful.

[JimHow]

Yeah, I have five bottles of the 2005 in my cellar, it is great.
I was really stunned by the 2015, it was such a balanced wine, strength and finesse.
It had everything... nose, structure, not overdone with the alcohol, the wood was beautifully integrated.
And the price is rational.
Mmmm. Looks like I'll be picking up another dozen on sale in NH.

[danzur]

This wine was our favorite Margaux at the UGC tasting. I have 6 coming, may need to locate 6 more....thanks for the notes Jim.

[JimHow]

Highly recomend you do, danzur.
This wine gave me the "wow" that I expected from the Leoville Barton but didn't quite achieve.
And it is an 11 on the dial to the Giscours 10.
An instant BWE favorite for 2018 Wine of the Year.
The hallmark for me was the incredible balance. It has that 2015 boldness but was defined rather by a class and elegance that is just quintessential to the region of Bordeaux.

[Nicklasss]

I also thought it was a great wine that 2015 Brane-Cantenac. My palate being "blanquito alike", i'm with him saying that this estate rock since the 2000 vintage.

JimHow, not a bad rating for a wine from a non JimHow vintage...

Nic

P.S BD, do you think you would have really fooled us? 2015 is excellent, and you would have been converted, one way or another.

[AKR]

I think Brane Cantenac has been at least very good to excellent since the 2000 vintage. The 2005 is wonderful.

I'd give them credit starting in 1999

http://www.bordeauxwineenthusiasts.com/ ... 85&p=60197