2021 Ch Cantenac Brown 3ème Cru, Margaux

DUE OCT 2024

Deep crimson. A little shy. Blackcurrant, smoky vanilla aromas. Intense blackcurrant pastille cedar favours, some smoky malt notes, fine brambly tannins and underlying mineral notes. Works well. 16 months in roughly 60% new French oak.

91-92 points Andrew Caillard MW

Perfumed black cherries and raspberries on the nose. Lovely sculpting, you get waves of juicy, bright, red summer berries and just-ripe red cherries with creamy, chalky edges. Tannins are present and linger on the tongue, gently gripping the flavours. This has great character, not too dense nor expansive, but good definition, energy and classicism with slate and crushed stone. Touch of bitter black chocolate marks the finish which is extremely attractive. Excellent job from winemaker José Sanfins.

Drinking Window 2025 - 2045

93 points Georgina Hindle decanter.com

Ruby red depth to the colour with violet edging. Not as luxurious as the past few years of Cantenac Brown have been, but excellent quality, well put together, finessed and powerful with black cherry fruits and raspberry puree, with tiny pulses of lemongrass acidity. 60% new oak barrels for ageing.

93 points Jane Anson janeanson.com

The 2021 Cantenac Brown is another fine effort from a Margaux estate that's been on something of a roll of late. Unwinding in the glass with notions of cassis, wild berries, loamy soil and cigar box, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and seamless, with good concentration, lively acids and a nicely defined finish. José Sanfins and his team opted to wait to pick the estate's Cabernet Sauvignon between the fourth and 12th of October, and that appears to have paid off. The blend is 73% Cabernet Sauvignon and 27% Merlot, and just over half the estate's production went into the grand vin.

"We've never had so many people put in so many man-hours in the vineyard," observed José Sanfins, who has directed this Margaux château since 1989. Deleafing right after flowering, a green harvest of fruit that was likely to be tardy to ripen, and then taking the risk to wait to harvest the estate's Cabernet Sauvignon late were, in Sanfin's eyes, the key to the vintage; and the results in the glass are persuasive. The grand vin itself incorporates an unusually high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as fully 10% of carefully selected press wine, and it's very impressive. It's likely to number among the sleepers of the vintage, as has often been the case in recent years.

92-94 points William Kelley robertparker.com

A firm and chewy red with notes of currants, bark, tea leaves and walnut husk. Medium-bodied, firm, ripe and compact. Pretty, clear fruit. Blackcurrants. 73% cabernet sauvignon and 27% merlot.

92-93 points jamessuckling.com