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.
The year 2019 is memorable for the Château Cantenac Brown in many ways. First, this year marks the arrival of the Le Lous family. This event, spectacular in a grand cru classé from 1855 with such an ancient history, is a true historical moment for the property. On the vineyard side, the 2019 vintage was just as spectacular. The clement climate combined with the work of the men made this vintage the perfect expression of the power of the earth.
Weather and climate: the perfect conditions for Château Cantenac Brown 2019
The year 2019 was particularly mild for the Château. This year began with heavy rainfall. Accompanied by rather high temperatures for the season, these lead to a rapid budburst. If such a fast budburst is often synonymous with anxiety, this was not the case in 2019. As the year progresses, temperatures increase. The summer is extremely hot and sunny. However, rain showers punctuate the few days before the harvest, allowing the grapes to hydrate and obtain the perfect maturity that we are looking for every day.
The harvest of Château Cantenac Brown 2019
Once the perfect maturity has been reached, the grapes must be harvested. However, the alternation of dry and wet periods has led to uneven ripeness on all the plots of the Château. It was therefore necessary to cover the latter for weeks to obtain the grapes as we wished. The clement weather continues to accompany us during this period and therefore allows us to harvest the plots at the exact moment when we identify an ideal maturity.
White Cantenac Brown : Alto 2019
Harvested over two mornings, the white of Cantenac Brown is synonymous with freshness and fruit. The 1.8 hectares of Sauvignon and Sémillon, on a clay-limestone soil, offer a wine of incredible liveliness. Undoubtedly one of the greatest whites of the Médoc, this rare wine is characterized by the meticulous work we put into it, made necessary by its small volumes. Aged in barrels, 10% of which are new and 90% of which are one year old, until the day before bottling, the white of Cantenac Brown is ready to join the greatest tables and the most precise cellars.
The 2019 vintage, as seen from Château Cantenac Brown
The greatest vintages are sometimes the easiest. In this case, 2019 seems to be the perfect answer to this maxim. A vintage with so few problems truely carries the sole expression of nature. It is nature that drives the maturity of the grapes and invites us to harvest our plots when it is perfect.
This vintage is also synonymous with the expression of the earth. The latter has considerably contributed to the success of the wine and its strength is about to join our bottles. The Merlots are dense while the Cabernets are fine and delicate. The incredible blend of these grape varieties prefigures a fantastic vintage. It also prepares its successor: the 2020 vintage which will be the first complete vintage of the Le Lous family.