Hugh O'Riordan

9.4

Ok , I drank too early . My excuse, I’m staying in place. 14 day up Monday. Dark, chewy traditional cab.I liked it a lot. Will age. — 6 years ago

Geoff Troup

Sales Eder Brothers, Cellar Fine Wines

9.3

Ripe raspberry, dramatic spice, dynamic acidity somehow, herbaceous, forest floor, soothing tannin. A little robust and all over the place but quite complex also. — 8 years ago

Anthony Lombardi

9.5

Still life ahead, but absolutely in a beautiful place right now. Black Currants and cloves coat the palate with some herbal notes hitting the nose. Brilliant stuff, a real treat. — 8 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

Earthy mineral cherry smokey notes. Slight hints of violets and Tar. Beautifully balanced with M- silky tannins. In a wonderful place right now. After an hour this wine had an intoxicating beautiful aroma. Good Brunello is a thing of beauty! — 9 years ago

David Wanek

9.6

In a great place right now. Plenty left in the tank but drinking really well. — 9 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.8

If there were ever an archetypical Syrah, Jamet's Cote-Rotie would be a strong candidate. To me this is a pure expression of a classic Northern Rhone Syrah. It is not a single site, but a blend of terroirs, encompassing over 20 sites mostly from hard rock schist bedrock with little to no topsoil. There is NO Viognier in this wine like one might expect from most Cote-Rotie that might have 1-5% co-fermented.

Importantly, there is also a lot less of the oak character that can dominate and overwhelm many Northern Rhone wines. The oak maturation, while not short at 22 months, only uses 15% new oak with no trace of it on the palate as it is perfectly integrated. Grape bunches are whole cluster fermented and macerated for up to 3 weeks.

The 2007 we have here was drinking superbly for a young wine, showing lively and racy layers of peppercorn spice, roast beef, and warm blackberry and currant fruit from the hot 2007 vintage. While from a warm vintage, not a hair is out of place. Density and purity exude from the nose and hint at what a brilliant future this wine has. Perfect acidity and fleshy ripe tannin provide the backbone structure for father time to peel back the layers of this beauty. I will be chceking back in 5 years at the earliest. — 9 years ago

James Parker Huston, CWE

Sommelier Charlie Palmer

9.5

This wine was singing tonight! In a great place. 1994 is a classic vintage for me. — 10 years ago

Chris MacLean

9.3

In a nice place right now. Chalky, herbal and refreshing. — 10 years ago

with Marta, Federico and 4 others

Bethany D'Meza

9.4

1999 cdc is just in a great place ... bright and lemony... just hitting all spots — 11 years ago

Marc Stubblefield

Wine Sales at Vino Carta and Kogod Wine Merchant

9.2

In a beautiful place for a young LS. Everything in harmony, if a little reserved. You could even call it elegant if you have it with barbecued pork tenderloin. — 11 years ago

Magno González

9.2

'09 shed most of its baby fat and is at a good place right now. Pure Joy! — 12 years ago

Kimberly Anderson

9.2

Place plum and lavender aromas on open. Raspberry jam, dried herbs and leather. Medium firm tannins. Soft, lush and plush. — 7 years ago

with Chad

Ed Tostanoski

9.5

Killer. Red fruit, minerality, earth, and just the smallest hint of funk. In a great place now but years to go easily. — 7 years ago

Chris England

9.3

The 2001 Barton @ £67 is in a lovely place right now - any Barton fan (I’m one 😉) will love this chewy mouthful of alluring nasal sensual tease 😉

🏵 93-4 points

🍇 70% Cab S, 20% Merlot & 10% Cab F

🍷 Opaque ruby

👃 Char smoked oak, liquorice, mocha, minerals, flint, pencil lead, gravel, tar, soggy earth & leaves through blackcurrant & dark plum w/ herbs

👄 Med body of silky smooth mocha loaded ripe dark currant/berry & plum fruits w/ a mineral loaded backbone & liquorice tones

🎯 Med+ earthy dark fruit, mocha, liquorice & mineral boom 💥& a touch of dryness
— 8 years ago

Conrad Green

9.4

Lovely and soft with raspberry, tobacco and leather. Delicate and resolved. Nice soft and delicious middle. Finish not profound but a really enjoyable wine in a great place. — 9 years ago

with Walker and David

Rob Moose

9.0

A nice debut for my case of 2011. This is in a happy drinking place for sure. No fireworks, but a great example of an approachable Nebbiolo that you can drink during summer! — 9 years ago

Mark Rosse

9.3

In a good place right now. — 9 years ago

Lehshel Kolter

9.1

Organic earth dominates with mushrooms, wet leaves, and "sweet manure." Complimented with pomegranate, cranberry, savory spices, and black tea. ❤️ — 10 years ago

Josh Kretchmer

9.5

Just gorgeous, so Bordeaux like it's crazy. Big beautiful earthy tones backed up by fruit. Love this wine... — 10 years ago

Christian Barion

9.0

In a good place right now — 10 years ago

Joe Paradise

9.5

This wine reminds me why i fell in love with wine in the first place. Developed dried fruit and leathery aromas. Cherry and subtle perfectly integrated oak on the palate. Deliberate, careful oxidation adds layers to it. This ultra traditional rioja has the finesse and nuance of a great piece of art. One of my favorite producers — 10 years ago

Emily Smith

9.3

Lovely, dry — 11 years ago

Nicole Gabrielle

9.0

Thanksgiving at Bruin Woods — 11 years ago

Michael Egan

9.2

2012 in a great place right now — 7 years ago

Ed Chin

9.3

In a good place — 7 years ago

Gregory Fulchiero

9.4

What a gem. Sweet integrated tannins, with stewed fruits and coconut. Button mushrooms on the finish. In a really nice place right now. Better than I remembered :) out of Coravin — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

I have a six-pack of this 05. I thought after 10 years in bottle, it would be interesting to check in on its evolution. While tasty, I’ll wait another 8-10 to open another. Even after 2-3 hours in the decanter, it’s still a very young adolescent. On the nose, slightly sour blackberries & dark cherries, dark currants, baked black plum, haunting blue fruits, anise, whiff of spice, steeped tea, dry stones, dry crushed rocks with dry top soil, caramel, vanilla with fresh & dry red florals. The body is thick & full. Tannins are starting to round out. It’s velvety on the palate. The fruits are; bright, fresh & ripe and really show the greatness of the 05 vintage. Dark currants, blackberries, dark cherries, baked black plum, haunting blue fruits, baked strawberries, cherries, raspberries on the long set, dark spice, clay & loamy dry top soil with crushed rocks, dry stones, cigar with ash, graphite, dry stems, slight herbaceous character, mint, used leather, clove, caramel, vanilla, fresh & dry red florals with violets. The round acidity is about perfect. The structure and length are still strong. The balance is in harmony. As for the long finish, it’s lush, ruby, rich and well polished. Photos of; Chateau Brane Cantenac, large wood vats, Henri Lurton and Estate vines. Producer notes and history...Chateau Brane Cantenac began in the early 17th century. At the time, the estate was known as Domaine Guilhem Hosten. Even that far back, wine was produced from the property. In fact, the wine was so highly regarded it was one of the more expensive wines in Bordeaux. It sold for almost as much money as Brane Mouton. This is interesting because of who went on to buy the vineyard in the 1800’s. The Baron of Brane, also known as “Napoleon of the Vineyards”, purchased the Chateau in 1833. At the time of the sale, the estate was called Chateau Gorce-Guy. To get the funds needed to purchase the Margaux vineyard, the Baron sold what is now called Mouton Rothschild, which was at the time of the sale, known as Chateau Brane-Mouton. Not such a good move with hundreds of years in hindsight! In 1838, the Baron renamed property taking his name and the name of the sector where the vineyards were located and called it Chateau Brane Cantenac. The Chateau later passed to the Roy family, who were well-known in the Margaux appellation in those days, as they owned Chateau d’issan. Moving ahead to 1920, the Societe des Grands Crus de France, a group of merchants and growers that owned several chateaux located in the Medoc including; Chateau Margaux, Chateau Giscours, and Chateau Lagrange in St. Julien, purchased Chateau Brane Cantenac. Five years later, M. Recapet and his son-in-law, François Lurton, took over Brane Cantenac along with Chateau Margaux. Lucien Lurton (the son of François Lurton) inherited Brane Cantenac in 1956. Today, the estate is still in the hands of the Lurton family. Brane Cantenac is owned and run by Henri Lurton. After being given the responsibility of managing Brane Cantenac, it was under the direction of Henri Lurton that large portions of the vineyard were replanted. Vine densities were increased, the drainage systems were improved and the plantings were also, slowly changed. The vineyard of Brane Cantenac is planted to 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc and .5% Carmenere. Carmenere was used for the first time in the 2011 vintage. The only other Chateau I know that still uses Carmenere is Clerc Milon. The 75 hectare Left Bank vineyard of Brane Cantenac is essentially unchanged since it earned Second Growth status in the 1855 Classification. At least that is the case with the 45 hectares used to produce the Grand Vin of Brane Cantenac. Those 45 hectares are planted surrounding the Chateau. Those vines are located just in front of the Cantenac plateau and are the best terroir that Brane Cantenac owns. They have other parcels, which are further inland and much of those grapes are placed into their second wine, Le Baron de Brane. Those additional hectares can be divided into 3 main sections. Behind the Chateau, they have 15 hectares of vines on gravel and sand, 10 hectares across the road with sand, gravel and iron and a 13 hectare parcel with gravel called Notton, which is used for their second wine. The vineyard is planted to a vine density that ranges from 6,666 vines per hectare on the plateau and up to 8,000 vines per hectare for the vines located behind chateau, in their sandier soils. The higher levels of vine density are always found in the newer plantings. The terroir of Brane Cantenac consists of deep gravel, sand and clay soil. Experiments in the vineyards are currently looking at becoming more organic in their vineyard management. Today, more than 25% of Brane Cantenac is farmed using organic farming techniques. It is expected that over time, the amount of hectares farmed with organic methods will be increased. Brane Cantenac has gone through 2 relatively recent modernization’s in 1999, when they added began adding the first of their smaller vats to allow for parcel by parcel vinification and then again in 2015 when they completed a much more complete renovation of their cellars and vat rooms. While Brane Cantenac is a traditional producer, they are no stranger to technology as they were one of the first estates to embrace optical grape sorting machines. In very wet vintages, they can also use reverse osmosis. To produce the wine of Chateau Brane Cantenac, the wine is vinified in a combination of temperature controlled, traditional, 22 oak vats, 18 concrete tanks and 20 stainless steel vats that vary in size from 40 hectoliters all the way up to 200 hectoliters, which allows for parcel by parcel vinification. 40% of the fermentation takes place in the oak vats. The oldest vines are vinified in vats that are selected to allow for separate parcel by parcel vinification. The younger vines are vinified more often together in the same vats. However, the Carmenere is entirely micro-vinified, meaning that those grapes were completely vinified in barrel, using micro-vinification techniques. This can also happen because the amount of grapes produced is so small. Some vats can be co-inoculated, meaning they go through alcoholic fermentation and malolactic fermentation simultaneously. At Chateau Brane Cantenac, malolactic fermentation takes place in a combination of French oak tanks and barrels. The wine of Brane Cantenac is aged in an average of 60% new, French oak barrels for 18 months before bottling. The initial 2 months of aging is done with the wine on its lees, which adds more depth to the wine. There second wine is Le Baron de Brane. Le Baron de Brane is not new. In fact, previously, the second wine went under the name of Chateau Notton, which took its name from one of the main parcels where the grapes were planted. During the late 1950’s and into the 1960’s, having a second wine was important as the estate declassified 3 vintages, due to extremely poor, weather conditions in 1956, 1960 and 1963. Production of Chateau Brane Cantenac is about 11,000 cases per year. — 8 years ago

Jaume

9.4

29 years old and drank incredibly well. What a treat. The big fruits have softened but in their place is now a brooding torrent of notes which evolved from sip to sip. Quite a remarkable wine. — 10 years ago

Jordan Salcito

Sommelier/Wine Director Momofuku, Vintner Bellus Wines

9.7

1996 Vintage is in a beautiful place at the moment. — 11 years ago

Todd Alexander

9.2

In a great place now. Not the longest drinking window but very nice. — 12 years ago