Life is too short to drink bad wine

Despite 2007 not being the best of vintages in Bordeaux, this Margaux by Ch. Brane Cantenac is just delicious. Spring was wet and summer cold. The harvest was rescued by a warm September. The blend that year was 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc. The harvest took place late September to 12 October. Only 25% of the grapes were used to make the Brane Cantenac. 18 months maturation in French oak with 60% new oak. Superb medium dark red colour. Delightful nose of dark fruit, chocolate, tobacco and flowers. The taste is full bodied but also "light" with a lovely fresh acidity and perfect soft tannins. Long well balanced aftertaste. A very nice Bordeaux indeed. Brane Cantenac 2007 Margaux Ca 40€ but now more like 70€

Brane Cantenac is one of my favourites from Margaux in Bordeaux. Part of the 1855 classification as a second growth it has managed to keep and improve their standards since Henri Lurton took over in 1992 (very bad vintage btw). The harvest of 2014 took place between 22 September and finished on 17 October (my birthday :)) and approx 38% of the grapes were used for the Brane Cantenac. The mix this year was 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. 70% of the wine spent 18 months in new french oak. Two elements helped the Cabernet Sauvignon to reach the level of a great vintage in 2014 : the grapes grew less after the rain in the summer and they began ripening earlier. The extension of the ripening cycle, due to their growth stopping earlier than the Merlot, allowed them to benefit magnificently from the sunny late summer season. The high quality Merlot from the plateau, incorporated in smal...

Bordeaux 2017 – harvest and weather report Bordeaux 2017 will be a ‘fascinating’ vintage to taste, according to Gavin Quinney (@ GavinQuinney)  of Chateau Bauduc. In the article below, he summarises everything you need to know about this year’s harvest. Bordeaux 2017 will go down as the year of the frost. But now that the harvest is complete, it’s clear that this really is a vintage of haves, have-nots and somewhere-in-betweens. For those growers and châteaux with vineyards that weren’t hit, there has been every chance of making very good wine. Here is a look at how the weather stamped an indelible mark on the vintage, along with numerous images of the harvest. Contents and highlights Introduction – a small crop 45% down on last year due to April frost The growing season Pretty good – rain end of June, dry summer, hot August, damp start to September, fine finish The harvest – a view from the top 80% of top wines from 150 leading châteaux not impacted by frost T...

With increasing wine prices and especially for Bordeaux wines it can be favourable for your bank account and turn to the second wines that many of the Chateau in Bordeaux make. This one by Ch. Giscours has all the elements that you desire from a Medoc and cost around 20€ pending the vintage. It is drinking perfectly now with a great balance and lovely dark fruit, earthy flavours, ripe plum, spices and pencil sharpening. Long smooth taste. La Sirene de Giscours 2003 Margaux Ca 20€

This Margaux from 2004 is drinking really well right now. The 2004 was not a top year but still some very decent wines were produced that year. This version has 67% Cabernet Sauvignn, 28% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The wine has spent 18 months in oak out of which 60% is new oak. Intense purple colour with a red rim. Delicious nose of dark fruit like blackcurrant, plum with some oak and floral notes of violet. Smooth and velvet taste dominated by dark fruit and gentle tannins. Brane Cantenac 2005 Margaux High price

Could not resist to try this mature Bordeaux from Margaux with the fried Arctic cod. Dark ruby colour with a ruby rim. No signs of aging at all… Deep bouquet of dark berries, cherries, chocolate and pencil case. Text book stuff. Lovely long and well balanced taste. The tannins have softened and are well integrated. The wine is drinking perfectly now. Only two bottles left now…. Perfect with the cod... Ch Siran 2000, Margaux Purchase price 20€ , now do not really know

This is a big wine that takes time to open up and time was not our side but we waited patiently up to several minutes. Once it got going there was plenty of Bordeaux flavours with the exception of the classical pencil case, but still a great wine still developing. The tannins were very smooth for such a young wine so the balance was elegant with medium acidity and a medium + body. Overall a very good wine with can drink now but has potential for aging. Ch. Palmer Alter Ego 2007 Margaux, Ca 70€ PLanet Wein, Berlin

Margaux is emergin as one of my favout´rites from Bordeaux. Maybe because the smell can remind you of Burgundy? This is cru Bourgeois from the odd 2007 vintage, but it still makes the trick. Lovely smell of red berries and flowers with a balnced velvety taste. Not too expensive and good value at restáurant La Boutarde in Neuilly, Paris. Ch.Mongravey 2007, Margaux Reasonable Margaux for once...

Alter Ego is the second wine by Ch Palmer in Margaux (Bordeaux). It's also a 50/50 mix of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Medium dark red colour and a wonderful elegant bouquet of velvety dark berries and flowers. The taste is superbly balanced with soft seductive tannins and a long lingering finish. Simply a truly great wine that is drinking very well indeed right now. Found this in a restaurant in Stavanger at a price that was not scary taking into account the current sales price of around 40 to 50£. Alter Ego 2000, Margaux Stairways to Heaven.....

Then after the confusing styles of St.Julien it was tiem for three wines from Margaux. First out the second wine of Palmer called Alter Ego with a price tag of 40£. Marguax is furthest to the south and more gravel leading to lighter wines. This one had sensual and elegant aromas of red berries and  flowers. A brilliant light body taste with a wonderful balance. Great stuff!

This a 5eme cru classe of good quality and a reasonable price. The 2002 is regarded as a bad year in Bordeaux but Tertre has managed very well. For 32£ you will get a wine with a lovely perfumed smell of pencil case and red berries. The taste is surprisingly light bodied and elegant. A very good 2002 and absolutely worth buying.

If you have 132£ to spare then this 2001 vintage from Palmer could be an idea to try. With 40% Merlot this wine from Margaux has a Burgundy floral perfume mixed with pencil case and rose water. Stunning! The taste is very long and big with firm but delicate tannins and a lovely balanced aftertaste. A truly great wine!

Lavinia in Paris is a wineshop that also has a wine bar/restaurant where you can buy wine in glass or whole bottles of wine at the sale price. Could not resist trying this Margaux the other day. 2007 is not a great Bordeaux year but good chateau's produce good wines every year and Brane Cantenac is one of those. Big dark dense color, lovely seductive smell of delicate red berries, wood and hints of chocolate and coffee. It all fitted well with the long velvety taste with firm but oh so soft tannins. Perfect with steak, duck or red meat. Brane Cantenac 2007, Margaux. 40€. A great wine from a great fotballing year

Ok so wine for has pencil case and wonderful dark berries. Get on with it we are in Bordeaux. Some advanced sole even claimed it could be Margaux... Lovely stuff! Ch Palmer 2008, Margaux Score 19.00 ca 40€ well worth every penny

This is a lovely cru bourgeois from Margaux that is drinking perfectly right now. Available direct from producer, in the l'Ecluse restaurants in Paris or perhaps in some shops near you. Deep dark red colour and a very attractive nose of red berries and minerals. Long velvety taste with elegant soft tannins. A lovely glass of wine. 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot 30%,Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Ch Pontac Lynch 2007, 15€ or 260 NOK A great and reasonable Margaux.

Bought a case of this one some years ago and brought it back to Norway. Still some bottles left and the wine is doing great. The colour is medium deep red with no signs of aging. Great "Bordeaux nose" of earth, blackcurrant and minerals. The taste is wonderful complex and heavy with a long finish. Drinking beautifully now but should last another 5 to 10 years. Merlot 54%, Cabernet Sauvignon 28%, Cabernet Franc 6% et Petit Verdot 12% Ch Siran 2000, Margaux, a reasonable and very good Margaux, ca 25€ (recent vintages)  Château Siran

This is the second wine of Ch.Giscours and is normally a very good buy and quality price ratio. 2003 is a hot and big year in Bordeaux. The wine, normally obtainable for around 15 € in France, is in my experience not far off the same quality as the Ch Giscours itself. It is certainly more approachable in the early years. Beautiful aromas of black fruit, cedar and new oak. Lovely well balanced taste, although I must admit that I find some of the new Bordeaux hot years (2003, 2005 and 2009) slightly "cooked", a bit like the Californian wines. Parker loves these vintages and are expensive due to his high scores.  I am not sure these wines are actually the best wines in terms quality price ratio due to their high prices. Sirene de Giscours 2003, 15€, a good second wine from Bordeaux

The great 2005 vintage is now coming to the shops. This is a very good vintage which means the wines need time before it is drinkable. Baron de Brane is the second wine of Brane Cantenac (2 Grand Cru Classee from Margaux) and the price has gone up no less than 10€ since the previous good vintageand now costs 24€ at Nicolas. Its a lovely wine with rdéd berries vanilla and smooth integrated tannins thanks to the high Merlot content (48%) but it is way to expensive dspite the charcteristics in french below.... Robe pourpre à l’intensité colorante soutenue, présence de reflets violacés  Forte intensité aromatique. Nez dominé par des arômes de fruits rouges, enrichi de notes fraîches  (menthol) florales et de réglisse.  Attaque souple et beaucoup de fraîcheur et de concentration en milieu de bouche.  Un vin très équilibré et à la longueur généreuse qui offrira un potentiel de garde important.    Brane Cantenac

This is a second wine of the Grand Cru Classee Ch.Giscours in Margaux. We bought half a case of the 2000 vintage some time back for 13€ per bottle. The 2000 vintage drinks beautifully now and show no signs of ageing. La Sirene de Giscours 2000 is dark deep red with a beautiful nose of dark berries, burnt wood and coffe with a long great well balanced taste. Magic stuff! and its only one bottle left! If you come across 2003 or 2005 you should buy buy! The big question is why bother with a first wine? The second wine here is actually better........ Chateau Giscours

I had this wine recently at a wine tasting and had it again the other day when I visited a restaurant in St Germain en Laye outside Paris. Its a 2nd Grand Cru Classee and 2003 is an excellent year. The colour is deep dark red with elegant wonderful boquet of flowers, vanilla, chocolate,dark berries. The wine which is still very young has a solid, big well balanced tannic taste (merlot in perfect harmony with cabernet sauvignon).  This is simply a great wine from a great year and would probably peak from 2010 and onwards....It is also reasonable for the quality and classification as its half the price at 28€  compared to others at the same level Le Manege restaurant in St Germain had a very good selection of wines at prices at a more reasonable level than their equivalent in Paris. Excellent food as well. Le Manege Brane Cantenac