2023 Chateau Cantenac Brown - Grand Cru Classe Margaux

Decanter.com – 94 pts – PK: *Subtle floral aromatics which made me write - on both occasions that I tasted this 'pretty wine'. When you think of Margaux, you wants floral - and you get that in spades here. The attack is all finesse and elegance, with rather racy tannins and subtle depth expressed in ripe dark and red fruit, but understated. This is the first vintage the estate made wine with its new cellar facilities, which have played a role in both selection and tannin extraction: very important in 2023. The finish is marked by a fruit with more floral elements, albeit I note a touch of rawness in the tannins. In a more successful vintage, one would not have that sense, along with superior mid-palate depth and less restraint, but overall, a lovely Margaux and barrel ageing will smoothen all edges. With just over 38hl/ha, a decent yield for the appellation.* - 04/2023

Falstaff Magazin – 94 pts – PM: *Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Frische Waldbeeren, feines Cassis, floraler Touch, einladendes Bukett. Saftig, elegant, frische Herzkirschen, feine Tannine, gute Frische, mineralisch und gut anhaftend, ein delikater Speisenbegleiter.* - 05/2024

Vinum Magazin – 95/100 pts: *Zurückhaltend, sehr nobel, tiefgründig, dunkelfruchtig, verspielt; knackig, wie ein Biss in einen Korb frischer Beeren, massig Tannin, seidig verwoben, baut Druck auf, bleibt hochelegant; hat dank neuen Kellereinrichtungen an Präzision dazugewonnen.*

WeinWisser – 18,5/20 pts – GL, TW: *71.5 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 27 % Merlot, 1.5 % Cabernet Franc, 13.5 Vol.-%, 52 % Grand Vin. Delikates tiefgründiges blaubeeriges Bouquet, dunkles Edelholz, Baumnuss und edle Cassiswürze. Am komplexen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, kakaoartigem engmaschigem Tanningerüst, balancierter Rasse und perfekt trainiertem Körper. Im konzentrierten, schwarzbeerigen nicht enden wollenden Finale, dunkle Mineralik und erhabene Adstringenz. Viermal verkostet, so gut wie noch nie und damit eine sichere Kaufempfehlung!* – 04/2024

JancisRobinson.com – 16,5/20pts – JL: *71.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and 1.5% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample. Restrained nose with a slight inky edge. Juicy and gourmand on the palate with firm tannins behind. More elegance than in the past.* - 04/2024

Vinous.com – (93-96) pts – AG: *The 2023 Cantenac Brown is concentrated, ample and generous right out of the gate. Blackberry, incense, new leather, tobacco, menthol and chocolate are all amplified to the maximum. As is often the case, Cantenac Brown is one of the more extroverted wines in Margaux. It's a style that works so well. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2023 needs time to shed some of its baby fat.* - 04/2024

Vinous.com – (91-93) pts – NM: *The 2023 Cantenac Brown, now with its new eco-friendly winery under the helm of winemaker José Sanfins, has a lot of fruit intensity on the nose: blackberry and wild strawberry, with touches of melted tar and /sous-bois/. It's quite forward and more fruit-driven that expected. The palate is medium-bodied with rounded, very pliant tannins. It's impressively weighty and notably focused, though maybe not quite delivering the complexity and terroir expression on the finish as I found with the previous vintage.* - 04/2024

Thewinecellarinsider.com – (94-96) pts – JL: *2023 is the first vintage produced in the new, state-of-the-art gravity cellars, which really made a difference this year. Sporting a dark hue, the intense aromatic profile shoots out its blackberry, espresso, flowers, cherries, and truffle with only a single swirl. On the palate, the wine is opulent, powerful, rich, and intense, yet, it is also light on its feet due to its complementing acidities. The finish is long, intense, energetic, and rich, with layers of sweet, polished, luscious fruits, with just a hint of spice, and peppery cocoa on the back end. The wine is a blend of 71.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, and 1.5% Petit Verdot. 13.6% ABV, 3.64 pH. The Grand Vin was produced using only 52% of the harvest. Picking took place September 7 - October 6, making this the longest harvest in the history of the estate. Drink from 2029-2055.* - 05/2024