A little bit lighter than some of the 2014 Margauxs, but this is quite and elegant wine with a long, dry finish of some sophistication.

The 2014 Brane-Cantenac is similar to the bottle poured blind at the Southwold tasting just a few weeks earlier. It has a crisp red currant and cranberry bouquet laced with tobacco, cedar and chalk. The palate is well defined and beautifully balanced, delivering crisp acidity and fine tannin. This is unashamedly taut and linear, but it displays commendable energy on the mineral-driven finish.

The 2014 Brane-Cantenac has a very classy bouquet, very well defined with blackberry, cedar and tobacco scents, that trademark graphite scent emerging with a few swirls of the glass. It is exactly what you expect from this Margaux estate. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, well-judged acidity, graphite and cedar towards the linear finish that will clearly need several years to unfold. Classic Margaux really, but wise owls will cellar it away for several years.

This is a complete wine, full of both tannins and great swathes of ripe fruit. It has a serious side as well in its solid structure and concentration. The juicy blackberry fruits are beginning to calm down and meld into a fine dense wine that will age very well.