The 2010 Cantenac Brown has been uncorked....

[JimHow]

Woah little doggie!

[JimHow]

13.5%

[jal]

What are you eating with that?

[JimHow]

We are having it with our Thursday night tenderloins.
This wine is brilliant.

[JimHow]

Seamless. Approaching perfection. Like a Margaux Ducru. Stunning combination of finesse and body. Medium bodied. Best non-BWE-convention wine I've had so far this year. A classically styled wine but tremendous balance and finesse. Stunning Margaux nose. The nose, like the palate, not over the top. This wine will age and develop spectacular complexity over the next 30-40 years. Deep opaque purple/black. A breathtaking effort. At the $65 price at PJs, a no brainer for a case. A stunning Jim How kind of wine. Nothing out of balance. No rough edges whatsoever.
Rating: 97 points. I was thinking of rating it even higher but I don't know much of what else is out there from 2010, particularly from Margaux.

[Nicklasss]

Someone gave me a 2009 Château Cantenac-Brown as a gift, 2 weeks ago. I refused it as I thought it was too much a great gift for the little service I gave to that person. But he insist, and i finally took the bottle with me.

Supposely as good as the 2010... But slightly different.

Nic

[Chateau Vin]

...... Rating: 97 points. I was thinking of rating it even higher but I don't know much of what else is out there from 2010, particularly from Margaux.

WOW Jim, 97 Eh?

I have never seen you give that high for any other wine as far as I can recall...

I loved CB too, but I thought Lascombes and Giscours showed better for me...

[JimHow]

I really liked it CV.
It was very very balanced.
I probably scored it a point or two too high but I thought it was stunning, just went down so seamlessly.
And it was very much Margaux, nothing internationalized here.
Modern in the sense that they clearly got the most out of their fruit, but for me it was a classically styled Margaux with tremendous fruit that will allow it to age "effortlessly," as HWSRN would say, for upwards of 40 years.

[Bacchus]

I don't know, Jim. Ms. JR doesn't share your enthusiasm for this wine:

"Very dark. Heady black cherry aromas. Very, very sweet. And alcoholic. And a bit drying on the end - a sort of right-bank Margaux. What's the point?"

[jmccready]

Nice to see this chateau doing so well. I wonder at what point in time during the ripeness revolution they turned the corner. Along with the other Cantenac (Brane) they were never on their game from the 70's
till the ??? Tell me when? JM

[JimHow]

But if JR doesn't like it that means it must be good, no?

[Bacchus]

I have no idea what to make of her, Jim. When her star first began to rise I was glad to read someone who had a different take on things than RP. She seemed to prefer a more traditional claret than the Man, but it's gotten so that I simply can't figure her notes out. Her taste buds seem to be from another planet sometimes.

[Chateau Vin]

I don't know, Jim. Ms. JR doesn't share your enthusiasm for this wine:

"Very dark. Heady black cherry aromas. Very, very sweet. And alcoholic. And a bit drying on the end - a sort of right-bank Margaux. What's the point?"

Wasn't there another thread somewhere that show how "enthusiastic" everyone feels about her abilities...

[robertgoulet]

If I am not mistaken JHow scored the '09 giscours 97pts....it appears Margaux is Jim's favorite appellation!! Has anyone tasted '11 calon segur?... $66 locally

[Bacchus]

What it means, CV, is that it won't be long before Jim is drinking Barossa Shiraz!

[JimHow]

I have warned you guys.
Buy 2010 Cantenac Brown now at $65 or you will be sorry later when there is none left.
I have done my part. My conscience is clear.

[Tom In DC]

Early line on the BWE 2014 WOTY????

I gotta horse right here, his name is Paul Revere...

[Winona Chief]

Early line on the BWE 2014 WOTY????

I gotta horse right here, his name is Paul Revere...

Great one, Tom.

Chris Bublitz

[Comte Flaneur]

I have no idea what to make of her, Jim. When her star first began to rise I was glad to read someone who had a different take on things than RP. She seemed to prefer a more traditional claret than the Man, but it's gotten so that I simply can't figure her notes out. Her taste buds seem to be from another planet sometimes.

I think there are two reasons. (1) Lack of talent and (2) laziness. At one point she was seen as a welcome counterweight to Parker. I think the reality was that she was hopelessly out of her depth. She is just a hack who writes anodyne articles for the FT, has written a couple of books, one of two of which actually aren't bad, but that was going back quite a few years. I am referring specifically to "Confessions of a wine lover' and 'Vintage Charts.' But these days nobody in wine circles in the UK takes her all that seriously. Her dismal 2010 Bordeaux tasting notes are illustrative of (1) and (2). I think James Suckling has more credibility these days. But the game as moved on and now people like Galloni, Leve and Martin are at the front of the pack.

[Chateau Vin]

I think there are two reasons. (1) Lack of talent and (2) laziness. At one point she was seen as a welcome counterweight to Parker. I think the reality was that she was hopelessly out of her depth. She is just a hack who writes anodyne articles for the FT, has written a couple of books, one of two of which actually aren't bad, but that was going back quite a few years. I am referring specifically to "Confessions of a wine lover' and 'Vintage Charts.' But these days nobody in wine circles in the UK takes her all that seriously. Her dismal 2010 Bordeaux tasting notes are illustrative of (1) and (2). I think James Suckling has more credibility these days. But the game as moved on and now people like Galloni, Leve and Martin are at the front of the pack.

Amen to that....

I can add one more to (1) and (2) to the above....(3) She is Inconsistent... This arises from lack of talent...Agreed that it's hard to be consistent in wine ratings, but even taking this into account she is way off...

Wrt JS, IMO his scores are a bit inflated and discounting his scores by couple of points is a good start...

[stefan]

It is a well established BWE pastime to make fun of The Sucker (as I named him long ago), but he is a pretty good taster of Italian wines and ports IMO. I thought he was at best so-so reviewing Bordeaux, but certainly better than Jancis has been for years. These days if I want a professional report on Bordeaux, I turn to Jeff Leve. My preferences are quite different from his, but he gives accurate descriptions and is consistent.

[brodway]

JIm.

Having re-read your notes, it would seem the 2010 D'Issan would perform superbly in this vintage.

[JimHow]

I would think so Emil.
D'Issan seems to have taken quite a jump in price in 2010, though, going from. $60+ in 2009 to $90+ in 2010.

[brodway]

MacArthur has the 2010 D'Issan for $79, and the 2009 seems to be selling for $10 less than that. A far cry from the days BWE hosted Emanuel Cruse in New York City and bottles could be had for half that. Unfortunately, i don't see prices going down. They will hang around for months if not years until cost of inflation will makes them look inexpensive. I rarely (if ever) find that Bordelais reduce their pricing.