Michael Chelus

9.3

Cherry, raspberry, vanilla, mossy earth, currant and oak. Light-bodied and velvety tannins. — 4 months ago

Ming L

9.1

A deep, rustic nose offers cherry liqueur, cranberry, cedar, dry pine cone, incense, dry mushroom, and hint of rusty iron. Medium body. Soft and silky palate with additional dark espresso, warm spices, and subtle medicinal taste. Soft dusty tannins.

Really good, but this bottle is far more advanced than I expected out of a good 13’ vintage. — 2 years ago

Ming L

9.1

While the nose is deep and brooding with plum, blackberry, pine cone, worn leather, and dried herbs, not dissimilar to the 04 and 05 vintages, this 06 shows the juiciest and freshest palate. Grainy but gripping tannins that will take another 3-5 years to resolve.

Lovely Merlot!

— 3 years ago

Jake Hajer

9.1

It’s close to being stunning, but too young. Too raw. Sour black cherry. Pine cone. Pencil, unripe fig. Background of fresh butchered game. Good acidity. Little oak. — 4 years ago

Bryan Vanderkruk

9.0

Very nice, earthy, red fruit, dry, full bodied. Very nice for $20 — 6 months ago

with Corrie

Peter Sultan

9.3

Da bomb, for sherry lovers: Palo Cortado versión. A shape shifter on the palate & ringing on the higher registers, this Hidalgo checks all the boxes for me, which includes a lightness & freshness heaven made for most food. Burnt pine cone & toffee bits, a subtle mushroom thing (oyster?), & a rather trim beef bouillon broth lurking on the back end. That may all be bs but it’s a wine that inspires….. — 2 years ago

Flora Bokma

9.1

A bolder darker Pinot noir. Smooth but full of feel, flavor, and finish. On this night of 2020 election, we opened a special bottle. This one’s special, not just because cost is higher than we are used to paying, but also because we met the owner of the winery years ago on a cruise...we even bought him an ice cream cone! It was a delight to visit with Eric Wente. We, too, are involved in agriculture and it was so neat to hear his frustrations about the difficulties of farming when so few people in the world understand the challenges and difficulties faced by farmers. We could definitely relate. The nose of this wine suggests cherries but also hints of red hots. The taste is complex, bold strawberries and cherries, but also some cayenne and roasted something or other. Very drinkable in an adult kind of way. Finishes pretty too. — 3 years ago

Tree Kilpatrick

9.0

Label is well done if a bit standard. Like the cone and needle border. Tamarack is my brother’s middle name (aka larch), so I had to buy this one. Dark plum skin color. Aromas are good. Dark fruit juices and sauces mixed with woodsy freshness. Slightest hint of red meat too. Flavors are chewy, fleshy and earthy. Cherry Coke and blackberry pastry. Maybe a purple mulberry too. A little anise/fennel/licorice root. Or maybe that’s sarsaparilla. Plenty of tannin to keep the fruit flavors from running wild. Just enough wood to give it a forestry feel. This is a nice structured Merlot from WA. Not quite as dynamic or complex as the weighty bottle implies, but it’s still a great bottle. — 2 years ago

David Kline

9.3

Leather with a hint of mushroom, pine cone, baked plum and cigar box aromas. Black and red currant inform an abundant palate of oak dust and cedar strip, wet cobblestone, dried rose petal, licorice extract, pencil shavings, eucalyptus, black, ripe plum skin, light pepper, and bitter cinnamon.



#cantenac #cantenacbrown #briodecantenacbrown #margaux #appellationmargauxcontrolée #brio #bordeaux #gironde #frenchwine #vinrouge #frenchred — 2 years ago

Ming L

9.0

The 15’ bottling sees Petit Verdot leading this Bordeaux blend at 32%, with 26% CS, 26% Merlot, 13% CF, and 3% Malbec.
Complex and deep nose of blackberry, cassis, fig, dry pine cone, dark soy source, butterscotch, thyme, black pepper, with hint of violet. The palate, while delicious and smooth, lacks the depth I expected. Finely grained tannins lead to a long peppery finish.
377 cases made. — 4 years ago