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Château Cantenac Brown
Classified as a third growth in the (in)famous 1855 appellation, Château Cantenac Brown is located smack bang in the middle of Margaux. Specialising in deeply coloured, award-winning wines, the Grand Vin is one of the most sought after Bordeaux reds of the region.
The French estate with the Scottish heritage
For those who are lucky enough to visit the grounds, the pretty castle will probably strike you as being a bit out of sorts with the rest of the region’s architecture. That’s because the founder (and artist) John Lewis Brown was a Scot, and wanted to remind himself of home in his adopted country. He had the castle built in the Tudor style at the beginning of the 19th century and today, the castle is easily the most standout building in the region.
Moving past the bricks and mortar, the 48-hectares of the estate is planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Vines are an average of 35 years old (although some are up to 60), while terroir is predominantly gravelly. Château Cantenac Brown is blessed in that its terroir is slightly hilly with peak elevation reaching 18 metres.
Moving past the bricks and mortar, the 48-hectares of the estate is planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Vines are an average of 35 years old (although some are up to 60), while terroir is predominantly gravelly. Château Cantenac Brown is blessed in that its terroir is slightly hilly with peak elevation reaching 18 metres.
Robert Parker’s seal of approval
Today the estate is owned by the British property tycoon Simon Halabi, who purchased it from French insurance giants AXA. Halabi immediately put Portuguese native José Sanfins, (previously the winemaker at Château Belgrave) in charge. Sanfin’s careful low-yield management style has seen both Château Cantenac Brown’s stocks and quality rise, with vintages 2009, 2010 and 2015 being superb examples of what a Bordeaux red should be. It should be noted that while the wines might have been chunky and lacklustre in the past, since Sanfin’s involvement, Robert Parker and Wine Advocate have become huge fans of recent vintages. Naturally, investment opportunities will follow suit.
Notable facts and vintages
- 2015 marked the first run of kosher wine for Château Cantenac Brown and is considered the highlight of several high-end producers offering their first kosher wines in this particularly stellar vintage.
- 2018 Château Cantenac Brown offers attractive investment value with release price only +10% over the previous year combined with generous critic scores in a vintage considered one of the priciest in recent history for Bordeaux reds.
- Since 2011, the Château also produces white wine Alto de Cantenac Brown made from 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Semillon.