Château Cantenac Brown 2018

Shows a touch of dark earth up front, with a mix of smoldering tobacco, espresso crema and singed alder notes before the core of warmed plum and blackberry reduction flavors finally starts to unwind. Just a touch burly for a Margaux, but certainly lots to like here and ample range and length. Time will likely add that last bit of refinement. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2036. 10,000 cases made.

Although this wine shows more evident breadth than either the 2020 or the 2019, there is no sense of heaviness despite the heat of the vintage. The palate feels “thicker” compared with both 2019 and 2020, but brisk sea-salt freshness on the finish reassures, leaving an impression of classy poise, with ripe red and black fruit, aniseed, white flowers and wet stone. The overall impression of velvety-smooth tannins, better than in 2019, carries through to a long finish.

Rich and polished aromas of blueberry, lavender, dark chocolate, hazelnut and sweet tobacco. It’s full-bodied with firm, velvety tannins. Creamy layers of ripe fruit and wood. Long and caressing. Lovely ripe fruit at the mid-palate. Try from 2024.

69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc; 60% new oak. Barrel sample. Deepest black-cherry colour. Sweet small black berries, blackcurrant and elderberry. Pretty chewy on the palate, the freshness accentuating the tannins at the moment but the components are well matched if not yet integrated. (JH)

The 2018 Cantenac Brown is fabulous. Dark, rich and expansive, the 2018 wraps around the palate with stunning depth. Dark red/black fruit, iron, cedar, chocolate, dried herbs and a whole range of earthy notes are pushed forward as this ample Margaux shows off its considerable allure. The 2018 is a big, rich wine. Give it at least a few years to fully come together.

Concentrated, lush, voluptuously textured, perfectly ripe, deep, dark, opulent fruits are everywhere on the nose and palate. Full-bodied, velvet-textured with intensity, length and richness, give this at least 7 or more years of aging and it will be a gorgeous wine for the following two decades. The wine is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot.

Dark ruby with purple reflections, brightening at the rim. An attractive bouquet of cassis and liquorice, with pleasant oak, a hint of Valrhona chocolate, and sweet oriental spices. It is juicy and complex, with dark cherries, blackberry confit, silky, fully-integrated tannins, and mineral freshness on the finish. It comes across as light on its feet, has good grip, and shows great promise for the future. (2020-2050).

A classic, elegant Margaux based on roughly 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot (I don't know the exact blend), the 2018 Château Cantenac Brown offers up a pretty perfume of red and black currants, sandalwood, dried flowers, and cedar pencil. It's not the most powerful or concentrated wine in the vintage, yet it has fine tannins as well as a wonderfully balanced, classical style. I suspect it will benefit from just short-term cellaring and keep for 20-25 years.

Kunz barrel sample 19: Herbs, medium-intensity bouquet, red blackberries, blueberries, old wood, smoke. Slender palate with delicate fruit, finely sandy tannins, medium aromatics, dry finish. Can still improve.

Herbs, medium-intensity bouquet, red blackberries, blueberries, old wood, smoke. Sleek palate with delicate fruit, finely sandy tannins, medium aromatics, dry finish. Can still improve. 16/20 2025 - 2038

This is a powerful wine, but it delivers a lilting elegance and freshness that ripple through blackberry and damson fruit. A flash of heat echoes the warmth of the summer, but this is a confident wine from an increasingly impressive estate. New owner Tristan le Lous arrived in late 2019, for the final ageing and bottling of this vintage, working with long-time director José Sanfins. 60% new oak barrels.

The 2018 Cantenac Brown is deep garnet-purple in color. It sashays out with flamboyant notes of chocolate-covered cherries, warm cassis, and dried mint, with hints of clove oil and cedar chest. Full-bodied, firm and grainy on the palate, with a lively backbone lifting the opulent fruit, it has a long finish.

Rich yet balanced and fresh, without excessive extraction, fairly straight in its tannins, good persistence, excellent but without a particularly assertive character.

With an intense nose of black fruit and a lovely structure, it asserts its fine core and stays true to its style, with a silky touch of fine tannins.

Cantenac Brown 2018 shines for its ability to let intensity and delicacy coexist so well. It reveals a touch of its élevage, a hint of freshness, and plenty of fruit. On the palate, its slender profile is the first surprise. This is entirely appropriate and pairs well with subtle tannins that unfold slowly. The fruit intensity is omnipresent, from the attack through to the finish. A promising, inviting, and convincing wine.

Logo on the cork: CB