TN: 2016 Chateau Capbern, St. Estephe

Smoky nose of dark cassis, tobacco leaf and number 2 pencil. A Pauillac quality showing with this Cab-dominate blend and woodsy note. More than medium-weight on the palate but I would not call this heavy. Has excellent acid lift with a blood-red citrus note. Dark fruits, musky wet earth, seared meat. Some plummy notes. Really polished, clean fruits leaning on the modern side but I would not use modern pejoratively here. Chewy, chalky tannins with a bitter-sweet finish.

An excellent value. I paid $29.99 at Total Wine then got 20% off. Decided to pop this after Martin Zwick raved about the approachability of the 2016s. I’ve only had the Lanessan in this vintage, which did not impress. This Capbern is solid, and with its structure, it’s a wine worth allowing to mature. That said, very happy to have opened it now. I’ll grab more.

(91 pts.)

I had this about a month ago. Similar note. I will let it age a bit as it is too young for me right now.

They had this at the Iwilei Costco in Honolulu so I picked up two. 23 bucks. Read some reviews and went back for 4 more. Notice they still have some today. Back for more?

Try one first, Mark.

I’d love to see this wine with just a little bit less new oak. But I’m digging it.

1. also love the ‘16 Capbern. ‘14 isn’t too shabby either, both slightly ahead of ‘15. Polished style makes this quite approachable—and agree a little less oak would be nice.

2. surprised on the ‘16 Lanessan comment. I really liked this one. Maybe a bit more forward but wasn’t “polished” or modern to me. I thought it was a bit stronger than the ‘14 which I’ve had recently.

For my palate, the 2014 Lanessan is a fantastic QPR. I’ve bought over two cases, including some more today.

Aha! When a Riesling-aficionado raves about Bordeaux than you know what you have to do. BUY


P.S. regarding 2014 I strongly recommend Ch. Labegorce from Margaux. What a value for 25€ and 93/100 by Neal Martin. Just had it last week, such elegant.

Fully agree with your note. I’ve gone through 3 bottles of this already because it’s very approachable and a pretty good QPR at ~$27. I intend to tuck a few away for the future though as I’m sure it’ll age well for a few years. My only wishes are that it had just a touch more fruit and a little less oak.

Be careful Alfret, 16 Capbern got a good score from me. You might be coming around without even knowing it.

Thanks for the note, but even moreso for the oak comments. The one time I tried a Capbern (the 2009 a couple years ago) I found it oakier than I prefer. I thought the oak would melt away with time in a positive manner, but I didn’t find the wine compelling enough to ever buy another bottle. Perhaps a lighter vintage would tickle my fancy …

Thanks for the note!

Interested in the comments here on the 2016 Capbern and also on the 2016 Lanessan on another thread recently. Thanks for the note(s) (I especially liked the vivid specificity of the No 2 pencil). Somewhat off topic, where do you find the 20% off coupons for Total Wine?

They email them out if you sign up for their @More rewards and opt in to the email offers. Most of the coupons are only for winery direct but these two and Calon Segur count. The code is good for anyone but the current one expired yesterday so you need to wait for the next offer code.

I drank the 2015 in January and thought it was well structured and balanced with aromas of cassis, forest floor, tobacco, and pencil shavings. It had nice acidity from start to finish that added life into the long finish. I thought this was one of the best Bordeaux’s I’ve had. But then I am a teacher who can’t afford Premier Cru.

I finally tasted this also, in a head to head to that 2014 Lanessan Alfert loves. A few impressions here:

1. The Capbern was a darker colored wine, dark ruby to the rim. Pronounced black (cherry?) fruits, maybe a hot of camphor I think, and a hint of tannins and some tartness. I like this a lot, but I like St Estephe generally. Decent length. Good by for about $25.
2. The 2014 Lanessan is $10 less expensive. Lighter colored and even lighter at the rim. I get some bell pepper on the nose, and in the profile. Longer finish than the Capbern. After an hour, this smooths out some more and is a very nice drink. Strikes me as older school than the Capbern.
3. More on the Lanessan- I agree this is a more interesting and better wine than both the 2015 and 2016. But it is not the 2000, or if I recall correctly, the 2005, both of which really i pressed me a lot. And both long gone.
4. The two wines are very much different, but I like ‘em both.

Well said, Jim - point 4 is spot on for me as well. Different wines/styles, but I like them both, and BOTH are tremendous values, overperforming their pricepoint no matter what

Thanks for the comments and reference points, Jim. Really well said. I have not had a 2005 in quite some time. Have had tons of 2000 and 2001. Both excellent. I think 2009 and 2014 will be comparable. In time.

Tons? At an average weight of 2.65lbs per (full) bottle of wine, that means you’ve had something like 1,500 bottles of 2000 and 2001 Capbern??

Lanessan! Pay attention, Frenchie!