Chateau Brane Cantenac 2000

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2000 Brane-Cantenac is a blend of 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 55% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. It has a really wonderful bouquet that is coming into its own: potent with black truffle and gravel infusing the red berry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a saline tang on the entry. It is not a powerful or huge wine, but there is impressive length here and genuine complexity on the finish, with black truffle, cedar and tobacco notes vying for attention. Henri Lurton oversaw a really quite fabulous, almost aristocratic Brane-Cantenac in this millennial year. Tasted April 2015."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "The 2000 Brane-Cantenac is composed of 55% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Cabernet Franc. Medium to deep garnet-brick in color, it sashays out of the glass with flamboyant scents of stewed black plums, boysenberry preserves, tobacco, and leather with wafts of incense and fruitcake. Light to medium-bodied, the palate is mature, chewy, and with compelling freshness supporting the spicy flavors through the long finish."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Medium-bodied, elegant, fresh, and soft in texture, the wine opens with its blend of flowers, truffle, tobacco leaf, and currants. The wine is vibrant and fresh with an edge to the red berries in the finish. This is clearly in its drinking window. Drink 2022-2035."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "With a developed nose, tobacco, truffle, cassis and earthy scents are easy to find. Medium bodied and elegant in style, the wine ends wine a sweet cherry and cassis filled finish. This is close to full mature and should be enjoyed over the next decade for maximum freshness."

WEINWISSER: "Sattes Rubin-Purpur. In der Nase intensives Waldhimbeeren- und Maulbeerenbouquet, Cassis und Kakao, Fliedernoten, sehr parfümiert und delikat. Im Gaumen eine tolle Frucht zeigend, fein gewobenes Extrakt, sich wiederholendes, rotbeeriges Spiel, gute Säure, auch eine tolle, feine Adstringenz, wunderbare Länge."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Mid ruby. Lots of solid development even if not an ethereal heart-stopping moment on the nose. Neat and well balanced and perhaps at its peak already. Fresh fruit and a bit of lusciousness. Certainly no hint of underripeness."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Rather open, with a briary backdrop to the core of juicy plum, blackberry and black currant confiture notes. There are fresh anise and lilac flavors too, with the finish showing a cedary echo while staying supple in feel overall.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2020."

FALSTAFF: "Kräftiges Rubingranat, zarte Randaufhellung. Zart animalische Nuancen, dunkles Beerenkonfit, etwas Nougat, feinwürzig, einladendes, reifes Bukett. Saftig, rund, frisch strukturiert, reife Kirschenfrucht, zitronige Nuancen, perfekt ausgereift, harmonisch."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "A solid, chunky structure is the hallmark of this big wine. The fruit is black, full of dark tannins. Perhaps it lacks subtlety, but that is replaced with great power and potential."