Brane Cantenac 1996

Tasted at the Brane-Cantenac vertical at the château, the 1996 Brane-Cantenac is a blend of 35.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47.6% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Franc. It has a fresh, mint-tinged bouquet with blackberry, raspberry, cedar and damp tobacco scents, a mintiness that becomes more pronounced with aeration. The palate is well balanced with grainy, slightly dry tannin. There is adequate depth and substance to this 1996 (more so than the subsequent three vintages), with black pepper and leather notes on the finish. Probably at its peak now, though I can envisage this offering another decade of drinking pleasure. Tasted March 2016.