2016 CHÂTEAU CANTENAC BROWN Cru Classé Margaux, Lea & Sandeman

CHÂTEAU CANTENAC BROWN

2023 3ème Cru Classé Margaux

Colour Red
Origin France, Bordeaux
Sub-district Haut Médoc
Village Margaux
Classification 3ème Cru Classé
ABV 13%

First year in the new 100% gravity-fed cellar for this superb estate that is increasingly making its presence felt - helped not just by the new eco-concious winery but by the extra 10ha of excellent Margaux terroir, complete with old vine Cabernet Sauvignon on fine gravel, bought in 2020. It's a clear success in 2023, and you'll find plenty of vibrant fruit, majoring on spiced plum and cassis, sinewy tannins, liqourice bud, tobacco, mint and campfire smoke. Conveys coiled energy and will age well. An excellent example of a 94 point 'buy' signal. José Sanfins director. Drinking range: 2030 - 2044 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2024)


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The 2023 Cantenac Brown is concentrated, ample and generous right out of the gate. Blackberry, incense, new leather, tobacco, menthol and chocolate are all amplified to the maximum. As is often the case, Cantenac Brown is one of the more extroverted wines in Margaux. It's a style that works so well. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2023 needs time to shed some of its baby fat. Drinking range: 2033 - 2063 Rating: 93-96 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2024)

A rather attractive nose here which takes me by surprise, sweet and nicely delineated, with griottes, violets, dark chocolate and dried raspberry, with a fresh and bright overlay. This is deliciously confident while remaining rather Margaux in style. The palate is equally delicious, with a really cohesive substance, a textural core which supports layers of toast, dark chocolate, coffee bean, violets and peony. This has a very attractive composition, with charming texture but also a cohesive panoply of aromas and flavours, and the structure feels ripe, tightly knit and appropriate for the rest of the wine. It finishes with a flourish of tannic grip, which supports a good length. Top work and a strong effort in this vintage, and a bit of a curveball from Cantenac-Brown, which doesn’t have a track record of turning out wines this good. Let’s hope this is maintained when I retaste after bottling. Rating: 93-95 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)

The 2023 Cantenac Brown, now with its new eco-friendly winery under the helm of winemaker José Sanfins, has a lot of fruit intensity on the nose: blackberry and wild strawberry, with touches of melted tar and sous-bois. It's quite forward and more fruit-driven that expected. The palate is medium-bodied with rounded, very pliant tannins. It's impressively weighty and notably focused, though maybe not quite delivering the complexity and terroir expression on the finish as I found with the previous vintage. Drinking range: 2028 - 2048 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2024)

Château Cantenac Brown

Margaux Troisième cru 1855 In 1754 Jacques Boyd, who was of Irish descent, bought the estate that he would call, quite logically, Château Boyd. In 1806 he sold to a John Lewis Brown, of Scottish descent and the owner of Château Brown (in Pessac-Léognan). Some confusion then arises as the Cantenac property was also often referred to as Château Brown. Some grand parties followed at the newly-built tudor-style mansion before bankruptcy forced the sale of the estate in 1843. By the time of the 1855 classification, it was once again known as Château Boyd. Some time during the 19th Century, a portion of Château Boyd was divided off and, under the ownership of Armand Lalande (who also owned Château Leoville Poyferré), the impressive and unusual château that adorns the label was built and the name Cantenac-Brown was settled upon. The remainder of the estate went on to become Château Boyd-Cantenac. The period from the end of the 19th Century to the latter half of the 20th is a familiar story of decline. Salvation appeared when AXA Millésimes bought Cantenac-Brown in 1989, and they made great improvements to the estate, so it was a surprise when they sold to a British businessman Simon Halabi in 2006. The Cantenac-Brown rennaissance continues, however, under the new ownership. The 42ha of vineyard, farmed "in a more environmentally friendly way", are composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The Grand Vin spends 12 to 15 months in wood, of which 50% is new and the other 50% one year old. There is a second wine - BRIO de Cantenac Brown.

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