Chateau Cantenac Brown (Futures Pre-Sale) 2012
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Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine - Decanter
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Suckling
James -
Wong
Wilfred
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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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 -
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 -
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.
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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.
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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 -
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)
The Cantenac Brown soil is typical Medoc gravel. This beautiful, brilliant quartz, formerly called "Medoc diamonds" reflects the sun's rays onto the grapes by day and then releases the heat stored during the day to warm the grapes by night. Cabernets, in particular Cabernet Sauvignons, do well in this soil. They produce fine wines, with an intense bouquet, which are suitable for aging. Merlot, with which they are blended, provides color, richness and smoothness.