Chateau Cantenac Brown 2015
-
Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator -
Jeb
Dunnuck - Decanter
-
Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Deep color and fruit, some florality, depth, a little four-square but good fruit.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Beautiful dusty tannins permeate this ripe wine. It has a smooth and rich texture, with bright blackberry flavors and a refreshing, vibrant close. Barrel Sample: 94-96
-
James Suckling
Instantly appealing ripe dark berries and plums with graphite and other dark stony notes. Very well-integrated wood here. The palate has a plush, suave and supple feel to it. Great concentration and energy. Really intense yet fresh finish. Try from 2022.
-
Wine Spectator
This brims with voluble plum cake, boysenberry and blackberry compote flavors, embedded with brambly structure while keeping a polished feel overall. Alluring black tea, roasted alder and licorice details line the finish. You’ll want to jump on this one. Best from 2022 through 2035.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Readers who need more proof that Margaux was the place to be in 2015 just need to taste the 2015 Château Cantenac Brown. Based on roughly 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot it offers an extraordinary nose of crème de cassis, caramelized cherries, flowers, and spices. This medium to full-bodied effort has plenty of tannins, as well as toasty oak, yet is perfectly balanced and has a great mix of both freshness and richness. It’s a tour de force that will be drinkable in 4-5 years and last for 25-30 years!
-
Decanter
Good depth of fruit and a well-expressed, quite broad Margaux style which gets more classic each year.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Cantenac Brown is medium to deep garnet-purple in color with a nose of cherry cola, cassis and warm plums with touches of spice box and pencil shavings. The medium-bodied palate sports a lot of oak, with very firm and chewy tannins and a woody finish.
Rating: 90+
Other Vintages
2022-
Robert
Parker - Decanter
-
Jeb
Dunnuck -
James
Suckling
-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling - Decanter
- Vinous
-
Wine
Enthusiast -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
James
Suckling - Decanter
-
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
-
Wine
Enthusiast - Vinous
-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling - Decanter
-
Wine
Spectator -
Jeb
Dunnuck
-
Wine
Enthusiast - Decanter
-
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck
-
Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling - Decanter
-
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
- Decanter
-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Spectator -
Connoisseurs'
Guide
-
Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator - Decanter
-
Wine
Enthusiast - Decanter
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator -
James
Suckling -
Wilfred
Wong
-
Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
-
James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
-
Wine
Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker -
Connoisseurs'
Guide
-
Wine
Spectator
-
Wine
Enthusiast
-
Robert
Parker
The Cantenac Brown soil is typical Medoc gravel. This beautiful, brilliant quartz, formerly called "Medoc diamonds" reflects the sun's rays onto the grapes by day and then releases the heat stored during the day to warm the grapes by night. Cabernets, in particular Cabernet Sauvignons, do well in this soil. They produce fine wines, with an intense bouquet, which are suitable for aging. Merlot, with which they are blended, provides color, richness and smoothness.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Silky, seductive and polished are the words that characterize the best wines from Margaux, the most inland appellation of the Médoc on the Left Bank of Bordeaux.
Margaux’s gravel soils are the thinnest of the Médoc, making them most penetrable by vine roots—some reaching down over 23 feet for water. The best sites are said to be on gentle outcrops, or croupes, where more gravel facilitates good drainage.
The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification but it is nonetheless important in regards to history of the area. In 1855 the finest chateaux were deemed on the basis of reputation and trading price—at that time. In 1855, Chateau Margaux achieved first growth status, yet it has been Chateau Palmer (officially third growth from the 1855 classification) that has consistently outperformed others throughout the 20th century.
Chateau Margaux in top vintages is capable of producing red Cabernet Sauvignon based wines described as pure, intense, spell-binding, refined and profound with flavors and aromas of black currant, violets, roses, orange peel, black tea and incense.
Other top producers worthy of noting include Chateau Rauzan-Ségla, Lascombes, Brane-Cantenac, and d’Issan, among others.
The best wines of Margaux combine a deep ruby color with a polished structure, concentration and an unrivaled elegance.