2015 Clos Cantenac
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Tasting notes
Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2015 Clos Cantenac delivers pronounced notes of blackberry preserves, crème de cassis and red currant jelly with touches of garrigue, lavender, smoked meats and Indian spices. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with expressive red and black fruit preserves, framed by velvety tannins and wonderful freshness, leading to a very long, spicy finish.
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
100% Merlot, just a day's cold soak before fermentation. 10 days' post fermentation maceration. Malo and 14 months in barrel, of which 40% new. Unnecessarily heavy bottle and deep punt. Deep crimson. There's some similarity to the Petit Cantenac in its dark earthiness, an almost dusty quality, but here the dark fruit is more evident in the aroma, deep and dark and spiced with pepper. Firm, compact, almost chalky tannins but fully ripe and rounded with a cool fresh core. Refined texture and some notes of graphite, with an unexpected succulence on the finish. Accomplished and elegant already, if not expressive. With time in the glass, that graphite quality becomes more marked but it's balanced by a light sweetness of chocolate on the finish. I think this is the best vintage of Clos Cantenac I have tasted. (JH)