Margaux · third growth (3e grand cru classé) in 1855
Château Cantenac Brown: available vintages, prices and pairings
The grand vin and its second wine, Brio de Cantenac Brown, vintage by vintage, with the format, the indicative price and what to expect from it today: ready to drink, or to keep. Tick what interests you, and the quote goes out with your selection.
Vintages on the price list
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Two wines, one estate
Same estate, same team, two uses.
Château Cantenac Brown
The grand vin. Mostly cabernet sauvignon, merlot. Firmer than the average Margaux, ready at around eight years, it holds for twenty-five.
Brio de Cantenac Brown
The second wine, ready at around three years, at less than half the price: the Margaux for a wedding meal.
The name comes from John Lewis Brown, a Bordeaux wine merchant of Scottish origin, who had the brick château built in the 19th century, in an English style rare in the Médoc. The Le Lous family has owned it since 2019. The appellation's other châteaux are on the Margaux wines page.
The 75-hectare vineyard is split between the Margaux and Cantenac plateaus, on clay and gravel soils: cabernet sauvignon ripens on the gravel, which gives back the day's heat at night, merlot on the cooler clays. The château describes 2015 as a bright, fresh year, and 2016, when the mid-September rains restarted ripening, as a rare vintage. In 2018, the contrast between hot days and cold nights gave thick skins and a lot of colour. 2019 was harvested over four weeks. In 2020, cabernets from the Margaux plateau and the walled vineyard went into the blend.
What to serve it with
- Château Cantenac Brown: rib of beef (wine with beef), lamb (wine with lamb).
- Brio: duck breast (wine with duck), roast poultry (wine with poultry).
- With cheese: hard cheeses (wine with cheese).
Which vintage for which occasion
For a wedding, Brio on the tables, the grand vin at the top table (which Bordeaux for a wedding). For a birthday, the year of birth, if the table has it (birth-year vintage).
Is Château Cantenac Brown a classified growth?
Yes. It is a third growth (troisième grand cru classé) in the 1855 classification, in the Margaux appellation. Brio, its second wine, is not classified.
Cantenac Brown or Brane-Cantenac?
Two classified growths in the commune of Cantenac, in the Margaux appellation, unconnected with each other. Brane-Cantenac is a second growth; Cantenac Brown, a third.
When should you drink a Cantenac Brown?
Allow eight years before opening it and twenty-five years of good form, a little more in a great year, a little less in a weak year or in half bottle; for Brio, three to ten years. The table applies this rule to each line; it isn't a tasting note, and a badly stored bottle ages faster.
Are the prices shown the prices on the quote?
They are the indicative prices from the price list, incl. VAT, per bottle of the format, excluding delivery. The quote confirms the price, the availability of each vintage and the shipping; the delivery grid gives lead times. For a vintage not in the table, the quote request is still open.