Freddy R. Troya

9.2

Château Brane-Cantenac 2023 – Margaux, Grand Cru Classé, BDX France 🇫🇷

Overview
A highly aromatic and deeply concentrated Margaux showing impressive layering, polished texture, and outstanding fruit density, with oak integration still prominent in its youth. Built for complexity and long-term evolution.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackberry compote, wild blueberry, cassis, black cherry liqueur, violet petal, sweet cedar, cocoa powder, graphite, subtle vanilla and toasted spice from new oak.

Mouthfeel
Medium-plus to full-bodied with silky, refined tannins, dense mid-palate concentration, seamless flow across the palate, and a long, plush finish. Oak remains slightly forward at this stage but clearly destined to integrate.

Food Pairings
Dry-aged ribeye, rosemary lamb, duck confit, porcini risotto, aged Gruyère or Comté.

Verdict
A seductive, high-concentration Margaux with real depth and aromatic brilliance. Oak currently rides slightly high, but the underlying fruit density and texture suggest excellent aging potential and future harmony.

🍷 Personal Pick
The perfume is intoxicating and the fruit core is massive, this just needs time for the oak to melt into the frame. Big upside once the pieces lock together. — 4 months ago

ESF

9.3

In the pocket w/long life ahead: solid Napa CS - usually priced out of these wines, but I picked this up years ago and decided to see where it was: super inky, not a sign of age, very generous fragrant nose right away, lots of [chambord] liqueur like blackberry, black cherry, black raspberry, cassis, and well integrated oak. Rich luscious viscous on palate, finely grained tannins, loads of fruit from nose and a lengthy finish. Perfect w/ribeye — 3 years ago

Andrew Schirmer

9.3

Cherry liqueur/eucalyptus nose. Palate is high altitude, great purity & elegance. Summer fruit, gentle tannins. Lovely now and good for the long haul. 😍 — 4 years ago

with Alsu

Brandon Boesch

9.1

Light bodied, flowers and herbs, cherry liqueur, lingering wood and cherries and leather finish. Dry. Overall I like it and would drink again for the price. — 5 months ago

Roman Ochocki

9.4

Never disappoints. Deep nose: liqueur cherry & plum. But "deeper": caramel brownie - caramel, dark chocolate & gingerbread note. — 2 years ago

Adam Gäfvert

9.5

A full bodied and really rich old vine Grenache (with 20% mourvèdre). Ripe with a great concentration of flavours. Plums, cherry liqueur, garrigue, crushed rock, violets, melted liquorice, pepper corns and so much more. This has seen mostly concrete and really confirms to me my preference on how a great southern Rhône wine should be made. — 3 years ago

Will Stanley

9.4

From the get-go, the 2016 Brunello from Fattoria dei Barbi is an attractive, forthcoming wine showing all the hallmarks of a great vintage, which of course 2016 was - in Montalcino as in Tuscany, Italy, Europe, indeed the world so it seems. It is oaked in a barrel

Quite pale garnet in colour, the wine has pretty aromas of rose petal, dry cherry, cranberry, with some lavender, dark chocolate, and coffee bean.

The palate is firm, juicy, with a well of macerated cherry and kirsch liqueur to go with savoury characteristics of aged meat and herbs. Acidity is high, but this is enjoyable now with a good decant - it will of course age very well too.
— 4 years ago

Ming L

9.3

The fruit has retreated, leaving somewhat a muted nose on the first day. But subtle of sweet cherry and black currants came back on the 2nd day, making for a complex bouquet along with leather, dried herbs, date, steeped red tea, and chocolate cream liqueur. The palate is savory, and silky smooth, with resolved tannins supporting a lean, earthy finish. A fully evolved, contemplative wine. — 7 months ago

Byron Hewett

9.1

Cherry liqueur, mineral spine. Vibrant acidity. You can smell the stem inclusion here. Quite nice. The cork smelled of TCA, but the wine was sound. Whew! Got lucky! — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; consumed over a three hour period. No formal notes. The 2015 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco pours a deeper garnet color with a translucent core. Medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. No signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is currently bursting with red and dark fruits: blackberries, Luxardo cherry, pomegranate, green herbs, red flowers, green herbs, and tar. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. The notes on the nose are confirmed. The finish is long and savory. Really compelling stuff in the context of the night. I think the 2015’s are drinking so well right now. Unfortunately, this is my last bottle of the “classico” but I’ll be on the hunt for more if I can score at a good price. Drink now if you’re going to allow for some evolution in the glass or enjoy through 2035. — 3 years ago