Chateau Brane Cantenac 1996

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: 90 THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Fully mature, elegant in style, medium bodied, and slightly more focused on the perfume, with its blend of tobacco, cigar box, cherries, flowers and herbs. The strong floral and herb character comes from the large amount of Cabernet Franc in the blend. There is some dryness in the finish, but the nose is so pretty and ripe has ripeness, I gloss over that. But that issue will increase with more cellaring as the fruit fades. There is no reason to age this wine any longer. The wine was produced from blending 47.6% Merlot , 35.4% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Cabernet Franc."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Aromas of blackberry and hints of licorice and light wood. Full-bodied, with juicy tannins and cedar, plum and coffee aftertaste. Give this time.--´95/´96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2008. 10,800 cases made."