Chateau Brane Cantenac 2012

DECANTER: "An excellent second bottle, showing that this wine needs time to bed down further. It remains extremely well knitted together, showing excellent structure and spice, full of carefully placed, controlled cassis fruits joined by touches of cigar box and grilled almonds. The tannins are still gripping tightly around the fruit, so give it another three or four years. Drinking Window 2022 - 2040"

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "92–94. Barrel sample. With marked acidity as well as black fruits, this is a wine with weight and richness. It has a dark core of firm tannins, although the aftertaste maintains the juiciness."

JAMES SUCKLING: "A red with mineral, oyster-shell and currant character. Full body, chewy tannins and a long and muscular finish. Needs two or three years to soften. A racy 2012."

WEINWISSER: "Extrem dunkles Purpur mit lila und violetten Reflexen. Delikates Bouquet, wenig Druck zeigend, durchaus blau- bis schwarzbeerig. Im Gaumen mit Noblesse aufwartend, feine Tannine, Brombeermark im Extrakt. Ein guter Kauf eines beruhigend grossen Margaux. Ich liebe diese Brane-Cantenac- Art!"

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung, einladendes dunkles Beerenkonfit, zarte Kräuterwürze, mineralische Nuancen, ein Hauch von Orangenzesten. Mittlere Komplexität, rotbeerige Frucht, frisch strukturiert, rote Kirschen im Abgang, rund und harmonisch, ein unkomplizierter Speisenbegleiter."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Licorice, cocoa, forest floor and sweet black cherry aromas lead you to a spicy, fresh, silky, crisp, sweet and tart mouthful of red fruits in an elegant styling."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Tasted at the Brane-Cantenac vertical at the château, the 2012 Brane-Cantenac, now in bottle, has developed a satisfying bouquet of blackberry, tar and tobacco, keeping within the Brane-Cantenac style, but perhaps delivering a little more fruit intensity than it showed out of barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin and well-judged acidity. There is a pleasant fleshiness here with a salinity on the finish that urges another sip. This is commendable for the vintage, although I would suggest it will offer more pleasure in its youth, rather than something that I would insist upon cellaring. Tasted January 2016."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Plush yet focused, with a loam-tinged structure carrying dark plum, blackberry coulis and tobacco notes. Cuts a broad swath through the finish, with an echo of freshly drawn espresso. Solid, with a pleasant old-school twinge."