Chateau Cantenac Brown (Futures Pre-Sale) 2012

Professional Ratings

• 94 Wine Enthusiast
  A solid effort, this is a wine with great fruit and firm structure to support it. Ripe and full in the mouth, it's a firm and complex wine with a delicious juicy aftertaste.
  Barrel Sample: 92-94 Points
• 93 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  The 2012 Cantenac Brown, one of the most impressive Margaux I tasted, is the complete package – from the initial attack to the layered, rich finish. Dense ruby/purple-hued with notes of licorice, mulberries, black currants, asphalt and spring flowers, this medium to full-bodied, concentrated, rich effort does not reveal an excess of rusticity or astringency.
  Barrel Sample: 90-93 Points
• 93 Wine Spectator
  This offers beguiling aromas of bergamot, roasted sandalwood and black tea, before giving way to a well-endowed core of plum, blackberry and raspberry reduction notes. The structure is remarkably fine-grained, showing seamless integration through the long finish. A really great showing. Best from 2017 through 2025.
• 93 Decanter
  Still austere at this point, it is certainly serious for a 2012. It's extremely young, silky and polished, opening beautifully in the glass to reveal rich chocolate, gourmet damson and cocoa-dusted edges. An impressive wine that needs time. 60% new oak. 53% of production.
• 91 James Suckling
  Solid core of berry and dried fruits on the palate with chocolate, coffee bean and spices. Full body, with chewy tannins and a long finish. Intense.
  Barrel Sample: 90-91 Points
• 90 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
  The 2012 Château Cantenac Brown is spot-on for the vintage. The wine exhibits a pleasing balancing of the elements—ripe fruit, creamy oak, and layered textures. Drinks nicely now with a simple grilled steak, topped with diced shallots. (Tasted: January 30, 2015, San Francisco, CA)