Château Brane-Cantenac - Margaux Grand Cru Classe 2016 (750ml)
Price: $135.99
| Producer | Château Brane-Cantenac |
| Country | France |
| Region | Bordeaux |
| Subregion | Margaux |
| Varietal | Bordeaux Blend |
| Vintage | 2016 |
| Sku | 8313 |
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A beautiful, deep, limpid garnet color. On the nose, this wine reveals great freshness, with notes of black fruits such as blackberries and delicate hints of white flowers. The nose is complex, with notes of clove and eucalyptus. The attack is frank and generous. The tannins are supple and silky, of great quality. On the palate, the wine is dense and complex, with aromas of black fruit, spices and a hint of menthol for a very nice balance. The finish is long, with the characteristic notes of Cabernet Sauvignon adding a lovely freshness. A true success for this vintage!
Wine Advocate: 98 Points
The 2016 Brane-Cantenac is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Carmenere picked from 22 September until 17 October (the tiny parcel of Carmenere picked three days later). The yields came in at 51 hectoliters per hectare and it is matured in 75% new oak and 25% one-year-old barrels, the final alcohol level 13.3%. It has a beautifully defined, very detailed bouquet with mineral-rich black fruit laced with cedar and graphite notes, living up to its nom de plume as the "Pauillac of Margaux." The palate is simply the best that I have ever tasted at the estate, without question. This has presence, but also weightlessness, filigree tannin and perfectly pitched acidity, with real intensity and drive. The tension here is outstanding and the persistence is incredibly long. It is not the showiest of all the 2016s by a long stretch, and yet it is everything you could possibly want from a Margaux. Like Beychevelle this year, the 2016 Brane-Cantenac puts recent vintages in the shade, thanks not only to the growing season, but also a new punching down system in their gravity-fed winery that was completed in 2015. The 2016 is a benchmark against which future vintages will be compared.
James Suckling: 96 Points
So much ripe and sweet tobacco on the nose with currant and blackberry character. Full body, intense tannins with density and beauty. It’s a wine with great structure and panache for this estate.
Wine Enthusiast: 95 Points
This firm, structured wine is solid with tannins and with the weight associated with the vintage. The fruitiness is as important, an explosion of rich berry flavors that will give pleasure as the wine matures.
Vinous: 95 Points
The 2016 Brane-Cantenac has a wonderful bouquet. Pure blackberry, cedar and graphite scents blossom in the glass with exquisite delineation and harmony. The palate is medium-bodied with sculpted tannins and a sense of symmetry that the estate had not seen before.
Wine Spectator: 93 Points
Shows a coffee edge, along with tobacco and bay notes that meld steadily into the core of steeped plum and black cherry fruit. The fleshy finish lets the bay element take an encore. A touch old-school.
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