2019 Cantenac Brown
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Tasting notes
The 2019 Cantenac Brown has a fragrant and pure bouquet with blackberry, raspberry and wild heather scents, very winsome. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fleshy, and fine acidity. One of the more elegant and understated Margaux with a precise finish. I probably overlooked the nuances of this wine, which would explain my lower score than before, but I am convinced that bottle age will ensure its melioration. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Savoury, lightly toasty and ripe nose with some real interest. Sweet start and a little bit of oak showing – also on the sandy, drying finish. Just a little flashy. But long. (JR)
The 2019 Château Cantenac Brown is terrific, surpassing the 2018. Lots of ripe black and blue fruits as well as scorched earth, leather, and crushed stone notes define the bouquet, and it's a rich, medium to full-bodied, juicy wine that has the fresher, lively style of the vintage yet still brings beautiful fruit. It doesn't have the tannin quality of the top wines in the appellation, but as I wrote after tasting it from barrel, it's one sexy Margaux. Give it just a few years and enjoy over the following 20 years.
The 2019 Cantenac Brown is a brilliant wine from José Sanfins and his team. Unwinding in the glass with deep aromas of wild berries, licorice, loamy soil, burning embers and violets, it's medium to full-bodied, seamless and layered, with terrific concentration, beautifully refined tannins and a seamless, elegant profile. Given its quality, this remains somewhat under the radar and is well worth a special effort to seek out.
About the producer
Tristan le Lous purchased this Third Growth in 2019, keeping on José Sanfins on as director. There has been significant work in the vineyards here, with a sustainable, organic approach across the 48 hectares.