The Story
A distinguished Margaux with aromas of cassis, blackberry, violet, cedar, graphite, and sweet spice. Richly layered yet elegant, it offers silky tannins, vibrant freshness, and exceptional balance, delivering remarkable depth and long-term aging potential.
Food Pairing: Pair with beef Wellington, roast lamb, duck breast, venison, aged Comté, truffle dishes, or wild mushroom risotto.
97 Points - Vinous
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 a move towards lower toast levels in the barrels. Cantenac Brown remains a potent, opulent Margaux, but the 2020 has a measure of classicism as well. Superb. – Antonio Galloni
96 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
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 Points - James Suckling
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.
95 Points - Wine Enthusiast
From its magnificent château, this estate is powering ahead. The wine is full of dark chocolate flavors and concentrated tannins. A richly structured wine, there is good potential. Drink from 2029.
Cellar Selection
94 Points - Decanter
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+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
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.
94 Points - Wine Spectator
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.
Description
A distinguished Margaux with aromas of cassis, blackberry, violet, cedar, graphite, and sweet spice. Richly layered yet elegant, it offers silky tannins, vibrant freshness, and exceptional balance, delivering remarkable depth and long-term aging potential.
Food Pairing: Pair with beef Wellington, roast lamb, duck breast, venison, aged Comté, truffle dishes, or wild mushroom risotto.
97 Points - Vinous
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 a move towards lower toast levels in the barrels. Cantenac Brown remains a potent, opulent Margaux, but the 2020 has a measure of classicism as well. Superb. – Antonio Galloni
96 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
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 Points - James Suckling
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.
95 Points - Wine Enthusiast
From its magnificent château, this estate is powering ahead. The wine is full of dark chocolate flavors and concentrated tannins. A richly structured wine, there is good potential. Drink from 2029.
Cellar Selection
94 Points - Decanter
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+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
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.
94 Points - Wine Spectator
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.
