2021 Vintage,
Good things come to those who wait …
Harvest
The first vats are very aromatic with notable hints of raspberry. The Merlots are softer than usual and the Cabernets more concentrated. The blend of the two varietals should give a round and full-bodied wine, with fine and elegant tannins. Typically, Bordeaux. The blend confirms our choice. Very good conditions also came together for the harvest of the whites. The balance is excellent between acidity and roundness.
Informations
Varietals
73% Cabernet Sauvignon
27% Merlot
Aging
French oak barrels
60% new oak barrels
40% one-year-old barrels
Harvest proportion
51% Château Cantenac Brown
Harvest dates
Merlots: Sept.23-24, Sept. 27 – Oct. 4
Cabernet Franc: Oct. 1
Cabernet Sauvignon: Oct. 4-12
The 2021 vintage will remain in our memory as a year that constantly tested our ability to adapt to varying weather conditions.
Particularly for this vintage, the Cantenac Brown team’s experience and the benchmarks achieved over time, have allowed us to adjust quickly to each scenario.
After a year on deck, from the cold front at the end of April to the humid early summer, our hard work over the year will have finally paid off.
Technical decisions had to be made, and the most important investment made in recent years, early leaf removal by hand, was performed at sunrise, along with a second leaf removal at sunset in August, to guarantee the best exposure of light and air to the grape clusters to achieve the best maturity. We performed a green harvest in the month of August with two passes on several plots during harvest.
The good weather (except for a few scattered showers), accompanied the harvest, cold and dry, perfect for the Cabernets. The know-how of our team was a determining factor for this harvest, pick the plots at the right time, be patient for several days as the weather reports were changing day to day, even hour to hour.
The weekend of October 2nd was predicted to be very rainy, disrupting our plans to harvest, and worrying the entire team. Finally, there was only light rain the 3rd and 4th of October, only slightly disrupting the last Merlot harvest.
The following days are extraordinary for the much-anticipated Cabernet. From October 5th to the 12th, the Cabernet harvest continued under the sun, with cold mornings and radiant afternoons (6 Celsius in the morning up to 20 Celsius by the end of the day).