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History
The origins of this the Cantenac-Brown vineyards lie in the 18th Century when, in 1754, Jacques Boyd, who was of Irish descent, acquired the estate. The Brown in question was none other than John Lewis Brown, who also owned Chateau Brown in Pessac-Léognan, and he acquired the Boyd property in 1806 when he married into the Boyd family. Many authors describe Brown as a wonderful artist; our John Lewis Brown was active in Bordeaux from the late 18th Century onwards.Classifications subsequent to Brown's purchase, such as Lawton's in 1815, and Wilhelm Franck's in 1845, reveal the presence of a Chateau Brown, which is not his property further south near Pessac, but rather it is his Cantenac estate, to which he gave his name in place of Boyd. Brown's career was not entirely successful, however, as he was declared bankrupt in 1843, and he lost ownership of his estate. It was purchased by a banker named Grommard, and the Brown name temporarily disappeared from the doorplate. It is for this reason that, come the1855 classification, the only such system that seems to have lasted the years, the estate, which was ranked as a troisième cru, was named Boyd, harking back to the family that did so much to establish the estate in the 18th Century.At the point of the 1855 classification, the estate was undivided and several decades passed before there was a clear distinction between Cantenac-Brown and its parent estate. What was classified as Boyd in 1855 largely became the Boyd-Cantenac of today, whereas Cantenac-Brown seems to have originated from a few vineyards cleaved off from the original property. It was only accorded third growth status in the latter years of the 19th Century after a successful legal battle in which its origins as part of the Boyd-Cantenac estate were accepted. In the meantime, it was acquired in 1860 by Armand Lalande, who also owned Leoville poyferre. It was he that chose the name Cantenac-Brown, in honour of Brown's tenure there, and he was also responsible for the construction of the chateau, one of the most distinctive of the Médoc. Whereas most of the region's chateaux were built using local stone, which gives them a pale and creamy elegance, Cantenac-Brown was constructed of a brown brick. Easily visible across the vineyards from the D2, it is quite unique in the area.From Armand the estate passed to the next generation of the Lalande family, a daughter, and then again to her son. Unlike modern times, when Bordeaux seems to be in the ascendant, perhaps entering the early years of might one day be regarded as a golden era, during the latter years of the 19th and early 20th Centuries it was a very different story. There was phylloxera, oidium, war and depression, and many estates floundered. Cantenac-Brown was no exception. By the time the vineyard was acquired by the du Vivier family in 1968 it had contracted considerably, and the buildings were in a poor state. They commenced a program of improvement and replanting, but the revitalization of Cantenac-Brown only really looked a realistic possibility with its acquisition in by AXA Millésimes in 1989. The AXA team, led at that time by the since semi-retired Jean-Michel Cazes, with the help of Daniel Llose and under the direction of Christian Seely, began to turn the estate around. The team had a history of success in Bordeaux, not least at Lynch Bages but at other estates such as Pichon Baron, Suduiraut and Quinta do noval. It came as somewhat of a surprise, then, to find the estate sold in early 2006, the new owner being a British businessman by the name of Simon Halabi, who has no shortage of funds to invest, plans for Cantenac-Brown.The Brown-Cantenac vineyards cover 54 hectares in all, mostly around Cantenac, although there are other plots in Arsac, Soussans, Margaux and Labarde. José Sanfins, who was installed as technical director under the aegis of AXA Millésimes, but has stayed on at the property after the arrival of Halabi, has improved vineyard practices including the reduction in use of chemical fertilizers and the installation of new drainage. According to José Sanfins, it will be business as usual for the foreseeable future. The vineyards are in great condition--thanks to the hard work over the years. And their overall aim now is to see Cantenac-Brown recognized as one of the best wines in Margaux.
Nowadays’ Owner: Simon Halabi family
Technique Information
Location: Château Cantenac Brown is located in the commune of Cantenac (Margaux).
Appellation: Appellation Margaux Controlee
Neighboring Chateau: Château Margaux (1st Growth of Margaux in1855)
Acreage: Totally 54 hectares, vineyard takes up 42 hectares(104 acres)
Soil: typically gravelly soil
Grape Varieties: 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc.
Average age of vines: 35 years
Cultivation density: Chateau Cantenac-Brown(First Label): 8,500 to 10,000 stocks/ha
Brio de Cantenac Brown(Second Label): 8,500 to 10,000 stocks/ha
Sijac de Cantenac Brown: 8,500 to 10,000 stocks/ha
Viticulture: Double Guyot Pruning Method. De-leafing, the removal of secondary shoots and green harvesting take place in midsummer. Harvesting occurs in the early autumn.
Winemaking:
Chateau Cantenac-Brown (First Label): The grapes are hand-picked and screened on site before being transported in trays to stainless steel temperature controlled vats. Between the destemming and crushing procedures, the grapes are screened once again on a vibrating table before being taken into the vathouse.
Alcoholic fermentation lasts for around ten days and is followed by the Malolactic fermentation in the barrels and vats. The plots are vinified separately according to grape variety and age, which allows for great precision in selection when Chateau Cantenac Brown is finally blended. After blending, the wine is aged for 12 to 15 months in oak barrels (made of split oak staves from the forests of central France). 50% of the barrels are new whilst the remaining 50% are 1 year old. Racking is carried out every 3 months. Fining is carried out with egg whites.
Brio de Cantenac Brown (Second Label): almost the same as the first label, but aged in oak barrels for 12 months, 20% new, 80% 1 year old.
Sijac de Cantenac Brown: almost the same the first label, but aged in oak barrels for 12 months, 20% new, 80% 1 year old.
Yield: Chateau Cantenac-Brown(First Label): 4,500 litres per hectare
Brio de Cantenac Brown(Second Label): 45000 litres per hectare
Sijac de Cantenac Brown: 45000 litres per hectare
Brand: Chateau Cantenac-Brown(First Label)(A.O.C.Margaux)
Brio de Cantenac Brown(Second Label)(A.O.C.Margaux)
Chateau Canuet(Cru Bourgeois/Second Label)(A.O.C.Margaux)
Sijac de Cantenac Brown(A.O.C.Margaux)
Chateau Brown Lamartine(A.O.C. Bordeaux Supérieur)
Annually production: Chateau Cantenac-Brown(First Label): 11,000 cases
Brio de Cantenac Brown(Second Label): 7,500 cases
Sijac de Cantenac Brown: 2,500 cases
Character:
Chateau Cantenac-Brown (First Label): For those who like an affable style of wine that is easy to drink, this offers generous amounts of soft, easygoing blackcurrant fruit, medium body and a soft finish.
Award: 3rd Grand Cru Classe in 1855 Margaux
Best vintages: Chateau Cantenac-Brown(First Label):1989, 1990, 1995, 2000
Website: http://www.cantenacbrown.com/
Serving Suggestion
Cellar Humidity and Temperature: 75-85%, 15 ℃
Serving Temperature: 18 °C
Optimum Drinking and Ageing Potential: 10-25 years
Food match:
Chateau Cantenac-Brown (First Label):
Western Food: Beef stroganoff with a puff pastry topping. Beef, poultry, cheese, pasta with cream sauce, hearty stew, pizza, pork, veal, game. Beef stroganoff with a puff pastry topping.
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