CHATEAU CANTENAC-BROWN
The château at Margaux’s Cantenac-Brown is unique in Bordeaux with distinctly English Tudor features. Classified as a third growth in 1855, it is presently owned by a British real estate magnate and is under the management of José Sanfins. Under his management Cantenac-Brown has seen its reputation rise as he pushes an agenda of quality consciousness.
The 48-hectare estate sits on classic Margaux gravelly soils topped with scatterings of white stones that act as reflectors and radiators of heat stored during the day. Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Merlot (30%) and Cabernet Franc (5%) make up the plantings for the flagship reds, with an average age of 40 years.
The vines are individually tended, separately hand-harvested parcel by parcel according to ripeness, sorted on a vibrating table and vinified separately, by varietal and age. The wine then spends 12 to 15 months in oak, 50% to 70% new depending on the vintage and is racked off the lees every three months. A second wine, Brio de Cantenac, introduced in 2001, has helped to improve the first wine.