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84 By Robert Parker
82 By Wine Spectator
82 By Wine Spectator
I liked Cantenac Brown's 1997, a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc. Whether it is the estate's terroir or the winemaking style, Cantenac Brown tends to be a stern, tannic wine, but the softness of the 1997 vintage has given this effort plenty of charm and precociousness. The color is a dark ruby/purple, and the wine offers up sweet black raspberry/cassis fruit intermixed with licorice, underbrush, and oaky aromas. The wine is medium-bodied, with a supple texture, good purity, and a low acid, plump finish. It could turn out to be one of the better Cantenac Browns from recent vintages, as well as a candidate for an upper eighty point rating if it continues to develop well. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2014.
Producer
Château Cantenac-Brown
John Lewis Brown, an animal painter from Scotland, purchased this vineyard in the early 19th century and commissioned the construction of a Tudor-style château. A bon vivant, he soon acquired a reputation for hospitality thanks to the brilliant celebrations he hosted at his château. He sold the estate in 1843 to a banker named Gromard who was the owner in 1855 when Cantenac Brown was included among the third growths in the famous classification of Médoc wines. One hundred fifty years later, the Simon Halabi family have given a new impetus to the estate, which they are determined to raise to the very highest level. Winegrowing methods have been changed accordingly. Work in the vineyard has become much more respectful of the environment and yields are kept quite low. A return to more natural practices at Cantenac Brown includes ploughing to enhance the vineyard's intrinsic physical, chemical, and biological properties.