Chateau Cantenac Brown

In 1754 Jacques Boyd acquired the estate, and later John Lewis Brown, who also owned Chateau Brown in Pessac-Leognan, acquired the Boyd property in 1806 when he married into the Boyd family. His career was not entirely successful, having to declare bankruptcy in 1843, losing the ownership of the estate to a banker named Grommard.

During the 1855 classification, the estate was ranked as a troisieme cru, but was named Boyd to honor the family who established the estate. But there was a clear distinction between Cantenac-Brown and its parent estate, with what was classified as Boyd in 1855 largely became Boyd-Cantenac of today, whereas Cantenac-Brown seems to originate from a few vineyards cleaved off from the original property.

The third growth status was awarded after a successful legal battle arguing its origins as part of the Boyd-Cantenac estate was accepted. In 1860 it was acquired by Armand Lalande, who also owned Leoville-Poyferre, who had chosen Cantenac-Brown as the name of the estate to honor Brown’s tenure. The chateau was also built under his time, very distinct in the Medoc as it was built using a brown brick instead of the local stone which are pale and creamy color.

From Armand the estate was passed to the next generation, his daughter and then again to her son. In the difficult period of phylloxera, oidium, war and depression, the estate floundered just like the others, and by 1968 when it was acquired by the du Vivier family it had contracted considerably. With new ownership, a program of improvement and replanting commenced, but the revitalization was mainly after the acquisition by AXA Millesimes in 1989.

The AXA team was then led by the semi-retired Jean-Michel Cazes, and with help from Daniel Llose and Christian Seely, turned around the business. To the surprise of many, the estate was sold in 2006 to a British businessman Simon Halabi. The vineyards now cover 54 hectares in all, mostly around Cantenac. The soils are typically gravelly and planted with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc at a density of 8500 vines/ha.

There is reduced use of chemical fertilizers, installation of new drainage under Jose Sanfins, the technical director. Manually harvest, the grapes are fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks, with maceration about two weeks. The wine is then transferred to oak barrels for up to 18 months, with 60% barrels being new. The wine is fined and filtered prior to bottling, with the grand vin Chateau Cantenac-Brown of annual production around 15000 cases. A second wine called Brio du Chateau Cantenac-Brown is also produced.

I have recently tasted the 2005 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Appearance

Bright and clear, it has deep ruby color, with paler rims and legs.

Nose

Clean, with medium intensity aromas of black fruit such as blackberry, plum and dark cherries, floral notes of violet, oak notes of cedar, sweet spice of cinnamon and cloves, pungent spice of licorice, maturity notes of savory, mineral notes of lead. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry with medium acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin of ripe and silky texture. Medium in alcohol, medium (+) body and medium intensity flavors of black fruit such as cassis, blackberry, plum and dark cherries, sweet spice of cloves, floral notes of violet, animal notes of meaty. The wine has a medium (+) finish.

Conclusion

Very good quality high-priced Margaux with typical characters, the nose is reasonably intense with good complexity, with the palate demonstrating the famous elegance of the wines of the commune, though the flavors are simpler comparatively. Good balance and in harmony, the wine has structured and fair concentration, plus a fairly long finish. It is ready to drink now though can further develop for another 3-5 years.