2012 Château Cantenac Brown, Margaux 3rd
Earthy, inky, tobacco, fresh, bright, crisp. Blackcurrant and dark cocoa, with a tannic, energetic, smooth finish. Medium bodied, balanced, good alcohol strength. Start drinking well now. Decanting suggested.
Composition is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon , 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, so we feel it it pretty complex. Good extraction. Intense palate and nose: the average age of the vines are 35 years of age and the oldest ones are of 60 years of age. Also, planting is like 8,500 vines per hectare for the old vines, and up to 10,000 vines per hectares!
The wine of Chateau Cantenac Brown is then aged in 60% new, aged in mix of French oak barrels for 12 to 15 months. Vinified in 28 Celcius, temperature controlled, stainless steel vats that vary in size from 50 hectoliters to 190 hectoliters in on the most technological vat house in Bordeaux.
Malolactic fermentation takes place in a combination of French oak barrels and vats. 48 Ha of vines on gravels, sand and limestone.
Notable comments and score are:
93 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Cantenac Brown, one of the most impressive Margaux I tasted, is the complete package -- from the initial attack to the layered, rich finish. Dense ruby/purple-hued with notes of licorice, mulberries, black currants, asphalt and spring flowers, this medium to full-bodied, concentrated, rich effort does not reveal an excess of rusticity or astringency. It should drink well for 10-15 years. (RP) (4/2013)
