Chateau Cantenac Brown, Grand Cru Classé from 1855, in Margaux was founded 200 years ago by a Scottish John Lewis Brown. Recognizable by its spectacular Tudor-style chateau, Cantenac Brown is still family owned today and has announced the construction of a new, unique winery made entirely of raw earth.
Château Cantenac Brown is a Grand Cru Classé from 1855, and has long been accompanying the greatest tables. Regardless of its history or prestige, Cantenac Brown is also a label, a fundamental marker by which the first encounter with a wine, small or large, is made. As the first impression is often decisive, the label leaves nothing to chance.
Do you know what is behind the label of Château Cantenac Brown?
History of the label of Chateau Cantenac Brown
The history of Château Cantenac Brown goes back several centuries and of course, the same goes for its label. Several times altered over the centuries, one element has however remained unshakeable: the architecture of the Château in the Tudor style, which makes it one of the most remarkable in the Médoc area. A true nugget and distinctive sign, this extraordinary construction has stood the test of time and still appears on the Château’s label.
On the other hand, did you know that the label of Château Cantenac Brown was different a few years ago? In fact, it showed trees around the Château. These have not yet disappeared from the cases. As you can see on this picture of our 1978 vintage, the trees and the park of the Château occupy an important place on the label. Highlighting the exceptional natural environment of the property and suggesting its exceptional terroir. Over time, the design has been refined to show only the castle.
In addition, the label of Cantenac Brown wines is of course golden. A particularity shared with a very small number of grands crus, gold has been suggesting for over 200 years the rarity of the vintage and the quality of Cantenac Brown wine.
This is a distinctive sign that you will easily recognize in the darkest corners of your wine cellar and that will embellish your table during your various meals or receptions.
Finally, changes to the Château Cantenac Brown label are not only aesthetic. Throughout its centuries-old history, the Château has had different names. At the beginning of the 19th century, it was traditional for the owners of Grands Crus to associate their family name with the locality of the Château, proud to inscribe their surname for all eternity in the 1855 classification. Cantenac Brown was no exception. Indeed, Cantenac is a locality in Margaux where the Château is located and Brown was the surname of John Lewis Brown who became the owner of the Château in 1806. Thus, first “Brown-Cantenac” then “Cantenac-Brown” to end up, after a subtle disappearance of a hyphen, at “Cantenac Brown”: this is the identity of the Château since 1860. This identity resonates today as the patronymic of an illustrious person since the disappearance of the hyphen which would suggest that the Château has a name, but also a first name. Cantenac Brown’s label now has a human face associated with its Tudor Castle.
The back label of Château Cantenac Brown
As time went by, the law imposed the obligation to affix multiple mentions on wine labels. The space remaining on the back label no longer allows us to fully tell you the history and particularity of Cantenac Brown. Nevertheless, you will find valuable information on the grape varieties used in Cantenac Brown’s wines, the vintage and, of course, some information about the Château.
We are currently studying other ways to give you more information about our wine and to fully tell you the story of the vintage you are about to taste. The addition of a QR code could give you access to new, richer and more complete content.
The label of Brio de Cantenac Brown
Brio is the second wine of Château Cantenac Brown. However, its golden label scrupulously respects the same codes as the label of Château Cantenac Brown. Recognizable among all, the label of Brio highlights an extremely large O within which you can find the name of the Château. One thing is certain: this is a bottle of wine that will not go unnoticed on your table.
Making the trees reappear on the label of Château Cantenac Brown
The Château has a magnificent park with rare tree species. You can also visit this park and enjoy a superb tasting of the wines of Château Cantenac Brown. All you need to do is book your visit to the Château.
In addition, having trees appear again on our label would be an opportunity to materialize our deep respect for nature and for this unique terroir that allows us to make such great wines at Margaux. This commitment can be seen, for example, in the design of our new raw earth wine storehouse, a model project in terms of eco-responsible architecture.
We, thus, ask you a question: do we have to make trees reappear on the label of the Château?