CHÂTEAU CANTENAC BROWN 2016

Château Cantenac Brown 2016

“Poised and precise, this is excellent quality with well-defined black fruits. It feels like the fruit is ripe but not overly so, carefully delineated by great freshness and touches of slate, rosemary and dark chocolate. The extremely precise nose slowly reveals itself, gaining in power. I loved this en primeur and it’s even more striking today. A great job by the Cantenac Brown team, it lives up to the quality of their 2015. 49% of production went into the grand vin, matured in 60% new oak.” – 95/100, Decanter

VARIETIES: 68% Cabernet Sauvignon and 32% Merlot, Average age of the vineyard – 35 years
REGION: Margaux, Bordeaux, France
AGEING: 16 months in French oak barrels, 60% new oak barrels, 40% one-year-old oak barrels
GUARDING POTENTIAL: Enjoy now or will cellar well up to 15 years +
SERVE: Serve at 16 – 18ºC
FITS TO: Pair well with rack of Lamb in fresh herbs shell, Tournedos Rossini or with Fillet of Duck Breast and Pepper Sauce. This wine will be the perfect partner for a good selection of cheeses
CRITICS SCORES: D/95, JS/94, WE/94, RP/94

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3ᵉ Grand Cru Classé in 1855, Margaux Appellation | Range | Château Cantenac Brown 2016

At the beginning of the 19th century, John-Lewis Brown (1769-1851), bought a vineyard and designed in the village of Cantenac, a traditional Tudor style château, reminding him of his Scottish origins. After the 1855 Grand Cru Classification, Louis Armand Lalande (1820-1894), Bordeaux wine merchant and owner of several estates in Médoc, extended the building. In 2006, the Simon Halabi family has given new impetus to the estate with the ambition of raising it to the highest echelons. José Sanfins presently manages Château Cantenac-Brown. He does his utmost to make the best of the magnificent terroir, lavishing the greatest of care on the soil and the vines, with great respect for the environment.

After a rather dry and warm winter, the beginning of the growing season is rainy through June, giving way to a dry and hot summer. Bud-break took place in mid-March, and this slow, yet stable growth allowed us to forecast a late harvest. Thankfully, June revealed itself as perfect for a complete and rapid flowering on the Merlots, a little slower on the Cabernets, but with beautiful ripening overall on all varietals. June through September proved beautiful weather, almost too hot, but never reaching heatwaves. Also, even if some of the younger vines may have suffered, the older, more estbalished ones continue to ripen, thanks to high water tables.

Balance is there, this slight «block» at the end of August reduced alcohol content. However, rain in mid-September along with beautiful sunny days and cool nights, allowed us to maintain great freshness with exceptional polyphenolic richness.