2022 Chateau Cantenac Brown Margaux

Winemaker Notes:  The quality of the wines is no accident: the predominantly gravelly slope in the village of Cantenac produces some of the best wines in the world and is location of many Crus Classes of Margaux. The soils, poor and generous at the same time, added to deep rooted vines and the vintners’ know-how lead to fine, elegant and perfectly balanced wines. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc produce subtle wines with an intense bouquet, well-suited for laying down. Merlot makes up the remainder of the vines and contributes to color, richness and roundness.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM


Decanter - "Juicy and lively, cool and crisp with concentrated but cool tannins that give the structure and density. It's massy, full, upfront, but retains a charm in that nothing is harsh or austere or too spiced. It's full but there's something very captivating about this, has excitement and vibrancy and will be totally delicious and moreish when the time is right. Lovely acidity, beautiful red fruits, crisp and tense yet layered and ripe, mineral too. Gives you the emotion! Harvest 7-27 September. Ageing in French oak, 60% new, 40% one year old."


Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - "A few years ago, this estate purchased 22 additional hectares in the heart of the plateau of Margaux, including old vine Cabernet Sauvignon that is now making an appreciable contribution to the blend, and that helps to explain why the 2022 Cantenac Brown is so good. Unwinding in the glass with notes of dark berries, plums, charcoal, pencil shavings and violets, it's medium to full-bodied, rich and elegantly muscular, with a layered core, refined tannins and a penetrating finish. The finest wine that José Sanfins has produced to date, the 2022 only improved during the several weeks I spent in Bordeaux. It's a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon and 31% Merlot. (94-96pts)"


Vinous - "The 2022 Cantenac Brown has an elegant nose, showing pure black cherry, wild strawberry, blackcurrant pastilles and cedar aromas. I appreciate the mineralité here. The palate is medium-bodied with supple but firm tannins, nicely structured. There's a crescendo of fruit toward the mineral-driven finish. Cohesive and full of character, this is another superb Margaux from an estate in the ascendant under winemaker José Sanfins. (94-96pts)"