Chateau Cantenac Brown 3eme Cru Classe, Margaux

An opulent wine with lovely dark chocolate and cedar notes on the palate, textured and intensely flavoured.

Producer Note

"Château Cantenac Brown is without doubt one of the most original buildings in the Médoc. John-Lewis Brown, bought a vineyard in the village of Cantenac at the beginning of the 19th century and built a traditional Tudor style château to remind him of his Scottish origins. The estate quickly passed out of his family but his name is forever linked to the château. Today Cantenac Brown has 42 hectares of vineyard is in the heart of the Margaux appellation, principally in the commune of Cantenac in the South of the appellation. The Margaux appellation terroirs are terraced groups of gravel, ensuring good drainage. The Cantenac Brown soil is typical Médoc gravel. Cabernets in particular do well in this soil, they produce fine wines with intense bouquets which are suitable for ageing. José Sanfins, the technical director and Hervé Martin, his vineyard manager, have installed a vineyard management system known as La Lutte Raisonnée which aims to limit chemical treatments and use natural products as much as possible."

Vineyard

The Double Guyot trained vines are meticulously cultivated throughout the year, with pruning, removal of buds, leaves and secondary shoots; thinning out and controlled yields. The vineyard is managed using sustainable agricultural practices and only plant-based fertilisers are applied in moderation. The Cantenac Brown team uses traditional soil maintenance techniques to enhance the structural, chemical and biological properties of the soil. The soil is predominantly gravelly soil, with clay and sand.

Winemaking

The grapes were harvested by hand, manually sorted and de-stemmed. A pre-fermentation maceration took place for 15 to 20 days; followed by fermentation in temperature controlled stainless steel vats at 29° to 30°C, lasting for two weeks. Malolactic fermentation took place in oak barrels and vats. The wine was aged in French oak barrels, of which 60% were new and 40% one year old, for a period of 15 to 18 months. Racking took place every three months. The wine was fined by egg white, prior to being bottled.

Tasting Note

This wine shows a freshness of ripe black fruit from the Merlot perfectly complemented by a rich depth of colour, lovely aromas and soft, velvety tannins from the Cabernet. Classic Margaux.

Serving Suggestion

Serve at room temperature with roast meats or a juicy pan-fried steak.

Grape

Cabernet Sauvignon 65%, Merlot 35%