Chateau Cantenac Brown 2022

DECANTER: "Juicy and lively, cool and crisp with concentrated but cool tannins that give the structure and density. It's massy, full, upfront, but retains a charm in that nothing is harsh or austere or too spiced. It's full but there's something very captivating about this, has excitement and vibrancy and will be totally delicious and moreish when the time is right. Lovely acidity, beautiful red fruits, crisp and tense yet layered and ripe, mineral too. Gives you the emotion! Harvest 7-27 September. Ageing in French oak, 60% new, 40% one year old."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Feines dunkles Beerenkonfit, reife Kirschen, Brombeeren, etwas Lakritze, Edelholz und Orangenzesten. Saftig und seidig, rotbeerige Nuancen, finessenreiche Säurestruktur, mineralisch-salzig, vom Scheitel bis zur Sohle ein delikater Margaux, wie er im Buche steht."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "A few years ago, this estate purchased 22 additional hectares in the heart of the plateau of Margaux, including old vine Cabernet Sauvignon that is now making an appreciable contribution to the blend, and that helps to explain why the 2022 Cantenac Brown is so good. Unwinding in the glass with notes of dark berries, plums, charcoal, pencil shavings and violets, it's medium to full-bodied, rich and elegantly muscular, with a layered core, refined tannins and a penetrating finish. The finest wine that José Sanfins has produced to date, the 2022 only improved during the several weeks I spent in Bordeaux. It's a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon and 31% Merlot."

WEINWISSER: "69 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 31 % Merlot. Feingliedriges blaubeeriges Bouquet, zartes Flieder- und Veilchenparfüm und Heidelbeergelee. Am kompakten, geradlinigen Gaumen mit mehligem Extrakt, verlangendem Tanningerüst und perfekt trainiertem Körper. Im konzentrierten, sehr präzisen Finale mit dunklem Graphit, frischem Schattenmorellensaft und feinkörniger Adstringenz. So gut wie nie zuvor! 2030 – 2050."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Deeply colored, the wine shows off its violets, lilacs, licorice, black cherry, and currant character with a single swirl. On the palate, the wine is rich, lush, polished, creamy, and loaded with black, red and blue fruits. There is length, opulence, and layers of ripe, sweet, pit fruits that linger. The wine is a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon and 31% Merlot. 13.8% ABV, 3.64 pH. Yields were 30 hectoliters per hectare. The Grand Vin was produced using only 52% of the harvest. Picking took place September 7 - September 27. Drink from 2027-2055."

VINUM: "Zurückhaltende, viel versprechende Ausbauwürze; voller Ansatz, fleischige Entwicklung über erstklassigem Tannin, ideale Länge; stilvoll und absolut empfehlenswert."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The dense purple-hued 2022 Château Cantenac Brown is based on 69% Cabernet Sauvignon and 31% Merlot. A beautiful Margaux, it offers lots of smoky red and black fruits intermixed with violets, graphite, and lead pencil-like nuances. With medium to full-bodied richness, a vibrant spine of acidity, and nicely integrated tannins, it plays in the more focused, elegant, pretty end of the spectrum. It's going to reward a solid 5-7 years of bottle age."

JAMES SUCKLING: "A solid Margaux with creamy and fine tannins that spread across the palate. Medium-bodied, layered and already delicious. Hints of dried citrus at the end."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: „Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2022 Cantenac Brown spills from the glass with expressive scents of cassis, blueberry pie, and Morello cherries, followed by touches of lavender and cinnamon stick. The medium to full-bodied palate has an impressive amount of vibrant red and black fruit layers with fine-grained tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and perfumed."