Brane-Cantenac Margaux 2016

96-98 points Neal Martin (Wine Advocate): "The 2016 Brane-Cantenac is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Carmenere picked from 22 September until 17 October (the tiny parcel of Carmenere picked three days later). The yields came in at 51 hectoliters per hectare and it is matured in 75% new oak and 25% one-year-old barrels, the final alcohol level 13.3%. It has a beautifully defined, very detailed bouquet with mineral-rich black fruit laced with cedar and graphite notes, living up to its nom de plume as the "Pauillac of Margaux." The palate is simply the best that I have ever tasted at the estate, without question. This has presence, but also weightlessness, filigree tannin and perfectly pitched acidity, with real intensity and drive. The tension here is outstanding and the persistence is incredibly long. It is not the showiest of all the 2016s by a long stretch, and yet it is everything you could possibly want from a Margaux. Like Beychevelle this year, the 2016 Brane-Cantenac puts recent vintages in the shade, thanks not only to the growing season, but also a new punching down system in their gravity-fed winery that was completed in 2015. The 2016 is a benchmark against which future vintages will be compared. Drink: 2026-2060. (Apr 2017)"

96 points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 2016 Brane-Cantenac has been on a roll of late, under the watchful eye of Henri Lurton. This latest bottled vintage is superb. The divine, pure blackberry and bilberry bouquet develops touches of graphite in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, silky-smooth texture and a superb bead of acidity. This is not a powerful Brane-Cantenac, and it is perhaps less austere than I suspected en primeur, but it should drink beautifully over the next three decades. If you have a penchant for traditional claret, it really doesn’t come better than this. Drink: 2028-2056. (Jan 2019)"

96 points Panos Kakaviatos (Decanter): "Racy aromatic nobility, with cassis, white flower, graphite and blackberry. A second growth for a rather friendly price (in context), this wine displays subtle density, power, freshness and elegance. It has the tannic structure for the long haul, but is already silky in its elegance. Best to wait just a few more years however for a more optimal drinking window. Drinking Window: 2025-2050. (Apr 2022)"

96 points (18/20)/'Le Coup de Coeur,' La Revue du Vin de France: "The 2016 will be a landmark here, with an intense wine of great uprightness on the palate, carried by notes of fresh fruit and an oaky touch that blends well. Very long-lasting. (2020)"

96 points James Suckling: "So much ripe and sweet tobacco on the nose with currant and blackberry character. Full body, intense tannins with density and beauty. It’s a wine with great structure and panache for this estate. Try after 2024. (2/3/19)"

95 points Jeb Dunnuck: " A tremendous Margaux, the 2016 offers the quintessential elegance of the appellation as well as plenty of density, concentration, and ripe tannins. Beautiful notes of blackcurrants, tobacco leaf, cedarwood, and flowery incense all emerge from the glass, and it builds nicely with air, offering medium to full body, flawless balance, and a great finish. This is classic Margaux as well as a classic 2016. It’s already approachable, and I doubt it will close down, yet it’s going to develop additional nuances with another 4-6 years of bottle age and have 25-30 years of prime drinking. Drink: 2023-2048. (11/14/19)"

95 points Wine Enthusiast: "This firm, structured wine is solid with tannins and with the weight associated with the vintage. The fruitiness is as important, an explosion of rich berry flavors that will give pleasure as the wine matures. Drink from 2025. Alcohol 14%. (May 2019)"

94 points Chris Kissack (Winedoctor): "This wine opens with a note of wild hedgerow fruits, a very pretty style, with floral elements, really rather cool and stylish. The palate is very fresh, pure, bright, ripe and nicely composed. This is all underpinned by a seam of tightly grained tannins, along with fresh acidity, these elements working together to give the palate a long grip and sense of balance through into the finish. This is a very impressive Brane-Cantenac which seems to show purity and typicity without veering into simple leafiness. It has fine potential. (Dec 2018)"