Chateau Cantenac Brown 2020

  • 97 Vinous
  • 97 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 96 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 95 James
    Suckling
  • 94 Robert
    Parker
  • 94 Decanter
  • 94 Wine
    Spectator
4.2 Very Good (18)
Sold Out - was $58.99
OFFER Take $20 off your order of $100+
Ships Thu, Apr 4
You purchased the 2020 12/22/23
0
Limit Reached
You purchased the 2020 12/22/23
Alert me about new vintages and availability
Chateau Cantenac Brown  2020  Front Bottle Shot
Chateau Cantenac Brown  2020  Front Bottle Shot Chateau Cantenac Brown  2020  Front Label

Product Details


Varietal

Region

Producer

Vintage
2020

Size
750ML

Features
Collectible

Your Rating

0.0 Not For Me NaN/NaN/N

Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

The ripeness is outstanding, dark in color, the aromas are refined, complex and spicy, the tannins are elegant and sexy, with the sensation of a balanced power. It stands up the challenge of the 2018 and 2019 vintages, with a pretty dash of supplementary freshness. 2020 is also and open window to the future.

Blend: 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot

Professional Ratings

  • 97
    The 2020 Cantenac Brown is a knock-out. A Margaux of towering intensity, the 2020 is dense and vertical at the same time. It’s a combination that works so well. Dark cherry, plum, chocolate, new leather, licorice and cloves all saturate the palate. There's real depth and concentration here from the summer heat and small size of the berries, but at the same time the 2020 has more freshness and energy than some recent years. There have been quite a few changes here in recent years, starting with a new parcel on the Margaux plateau that entered the blend in 2019 and move towards lower toast levels in the barrels. Cantenac Brown remains a potent, opulent Margaux, but 2020 has a measure of classicism as well. Superb. –Antonio Galloni
  • 97

    This grand estate that recently changed hands has produced a seriously promising wine. Bold black fruits and dark tannins are just beginning a fine interplay, reinforced by the wine's acidity. Expect a good future for the wine.

    Barrel Sample: 95-97

  • 96
    The 2020 Château Cantenac Brown showed beautifully and is a serious, concentrated, powerful Margaux that's going to need bottle age. Ripe blackcurrants, toasty oak, ripe tobacco, and dried flower notes all define the aromatics, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a layered, balanced mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. It shows the more focused, slightly understated style of the vintage, yet everything is in the right place, it has terrific purity, and it’s just a brilliant Margaux. I followed this bottle for multiple days, and it never put a foot wrong. It will hit its prime drinking window in 7-8 years and evolve for two decades.
  • 95

    Plenty of blackberry, spice, iron and crushed lead pencil aromas follow through to a full body with chewy, velvety tannins and a rather cool side to it. Crushed stone and slate undertones.

  • 94

    A fine follow-up to the excellent 2019, the 2020 Cantenac Brown incorporates newly acquired holdings of Cabernet Sauvignon from the plateau of Margaux. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of cherries, cassis, burning embers and pencil shavings, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with good depth at the core, supple tannins and terrific purity of fruit. Concluding with a long, penetrating finish, it underlines the fact that this is the appellation's fastest-improving estate. Rating: 94+

  • 94
    Juicy, succulent and supple, this has lovely bright energy and impact straight away. Tannins are on the chalky mineral side, mouthcoating, but with a salty tang so they don't appear too ripe, heavy or rustic, but give width and structure. Feels quite powerful, with an underlying concentration and a tight clove and cedar tang to the tannins. Energetic, definitely more bright and pulsing right now. Purity of fruit is there, as is the acidity.
  • 94
    Ripe, rounded and suave in feel, with alluring waves of cassis and dark cherry reduction laced with sandalwood, black tea and violet notes. Broad, velvety and perfumed through the finish, with a subtle sanguine hint echoing late. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Other Vintages

2022
  • 96 Robert
    Parker
  • 96 Decanter
  • 95 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 94 James
    Suckling
2021
  • 93 Robert
    Parker
  • 93 James
    Suckling
  • 93 Decanter
2019
  • 97 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 96 Vinous
  • 94 Decanter
  • 94 Robert
    Parker
  • 94 James
    Suckling
  • 93 Wine
    Spectator
  • 93 Jeb
    Dunnuck
2018
  • 95 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 94 Decanter
  • 94 James
    Suckling
  • 94 Wine
    Spectator
  • 92 Robert
    Parker
  • 92 Jeb
    Dunnuck
2017
  • 95 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 93 James
    Suckling
  • 92 Decanter
  • 92 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 92 Wine
    Spectator
  • 92 Robert
    Parker
2016
  • 95 Decanter
  • 94 Robert
    Parker
  • 94 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 94 James
    Suckling
  • 93 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 93 Wine
    Spectator
  • 91 Connoisseurs'
    Guide
2015
  • 96 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 94 Wine
    Spectator
  • 94 James
    Suckling
  • 94 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 90 Robert
    Parker
  • 90 Decanter
2014
  • 94 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 93 James
    Suckling
  • 92 Robert
    Parker
  • 91 Wine
    Spectator
  • 90 Decanter
2012
  • 94 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 93 Decanter
  • 93 Robert
    Parker
  • 93 Wine
    Spectator
  • 92 James
    Suckling
  • 90 Wilfred
    Wong
2010
  • 95 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 94 James
    Suckling
  • 94 Robert
    Parker
  • 92 Wine
    Spectator
2009
  • 93 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 93 James
    Suckling
  • 92 Wine
    Spectator
  • 90 Robert
    Parker
2008
  • 92 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 90 Connoisseurs'
    Guide
  • 90 Robert
    Parker
2005
  • 91 Wine
    Spectator
2004
  • 89 Wine
    Enthusiast
1998
  • 88 Robert
    Parker
Chateau Cantenac Brown

Chateau Cantenac Brown

View all products
Chateau Cantenac Brown, France
Chateau Cantenac Brown Winery Image
Today, the Chateau Cantenac Brown vineyard covers 42 hectares in the south of the Margaux appellation, mainly in the Cantenac commune. Located in the communes of Arsac, Soussans, Margaux, Cantenac and Labarde, the Margaux appellation terroirs are terraced groups of gravel, ensuring good natural drainage. Each terroir is different and produces a unique wine.

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.

Image for Bordeaux Blends content section
View all products

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.

Image for Margaux Wine Bordeaux, France content section

Margaux Wine

Bordeaux, France

View all products

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.

FCA748136_2020 Item# 748136

Internet Explorer is no longer supported.
Please use a different browser like Edge, Chrome or Firefox to enjoy all that Wine.com has to offer.

It's easy to make the switch.
Enjoy better browsing and increased security.

Yes, Update Now

Search for ""