Garen Staglin

9.3

Beautiful nose and mid pallet. Years to go — 2 days ago

Rufus King

9.5

Delicious Margaux Bordeaux enjoyed with Red Snapper at Truluck’s, Naples, FL — 3 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Château Cantenac Brown 2023 – Margaux, BDX France 🇫🇷

Overview
Shockingly high-performing 2023 showing precision, finesse, and immediate pleasure well beyond expectation, an outstanding blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, delivering a dangerously complete Margaux that already behaves like a future benchmark while still promising upside with time.

Aromas & Flavors
Explosive aromatics of red cherry, raspberry coulis, wild strawberry, rose petal, subtle vanilla, light cocoa dust, fine cedar spice, and polished mineral tones.

Mouthfeel
Silky, flowing, and beautifully balanced with fine-grained tannins, graceful mid-palate lift, energetic drive, and a lingering yet perfectly measured finish that dances rather than weighs.

Food Pairings
Duck breast with cherry glaze, herb-crusted rack of lamb, filet mignon, mushroom risotto, aged Comté or Gruyère.

Verdict
A stunning overachiever that combines immediate drinkability with elite structure and elegance. Precision, aromatic intensity, and textural finesse place this firmly among the top Margaux performers of the vintage.

🍷 Personal Pick
This wine positively shocked me, had to enjoy few glasses just to believe it. Pure finesse, graceful flow, and championship-level balance already. Will get more bottles of this vintage with confidence. — 5 months ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.1

Baron de Brane Blanc — a year ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

The follow up to the 03 Brane-Cantenac. So good but still youthful now as I mentioned this 97 still is in @Paul T- Huntington Beach recent post of his 2013.

The tannins are round, softened but still meaty & somewhat tarry.

The nose is still brooding. Ripe lush, ruby, fruits of, blackberries, black plum, black raspberries, dark cherries, baked to poached strawberries. Dark, rich, sweet forest floor, mix of Indian & Asian spice with palate piercing heat, notes of Cognac, steeped tea, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, black licorice, tarry notes, day crushed rocks, limestone minerals, grey volcanic minerals, light tobacco with ash, used leather, sandalwood, bright, fresh; dark, red, blue florals with violets.

The palate is ripe, lush, juicy & floral fruits of; blackberries, black plum, black raspberries, dark cherries, baked to poached strawberries, raspberry highlights & pomegranate. Dark, rich, sweet forest floor, mix of Indian & Asian spice, notes of Cognac, steeped tea, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon stick, black licorice, tarry notes, day crushed rocks, limestone minerals, grey volcanic minerals/ash, moist, grey clay, light tobacco with ash, used leather, sandalwood, bright, fresh; dark, red, blue florals with violets, insane, waterfall acidity, woven, layered, structured, nicely tensioned with great length and a incredibly balanced, well polished finish that goes on for two to three minutes.

If you are 15-20 years plus patient w/ these bottling’s, they are one of the very best values in Napa Valley. — 2 years ago

Daniel Clarke

8.9

Gracias el padre — 5 years ago

with Sara

Kurt Schuster

9.4

Silky tanins, elegant understated expression. Warm nose of dried flowers, lavender, dusty hot day. Bright taste, tannins are silky and coat the tongue but also disappear so you can enjoy your food. Sharp rose, pomegranate, dry and bold. Baked mixed fruits. Cuts through lamb chops and short rib heavy flavors and holds it own.  — 4 days ago

with Denise

Stefan Dolhain

9.6

2017 vintage.74 Cabernet Sauvignon, 21 Merlot, 4 Cabernet Franc, 1 Petit Verdot. This is an absolutely brilliant, elegant 2017, with a beautiful balance and impressive length. — 4 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Brio de Cantenac Brown – 2020
Margaux, Bordeaux – France 🇫🇷

Overview
Brio is the second wine of Château Cantenac Brown, offering a more accessible take on Margaux. This 2020 vintage is composed of 62% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9% Cabernet Franc, aged in French oak (25% new) to balance fruit, structure, and approachability. 
Aromas & Flavors
Juicy red fruits—raspberry, red currant—merge with cedar, baking spice, and subtle floral lift. Earthy and graphite tones bring depth.

Mouthfeel
Medium to full body, with soft but persistent tannins. The wine opens smoothly and finishes long with fruit and spice echoing.

Food Pairings
Roast lamb, duck breast, mushroom risotto, or aged cheeses. Also pairs beautifully with charcuterie.

Verdict
A concentrated, value-driven Margaux that shows the pedigree of Cantenac Brown. The 2020 Brio balances power and elegance — drink now or cellar for 8–12 years. 🍷 cheers!

Did You Know? 📌
Second wines (like Brio) are often sourced from younger vines or lots not selected for the Grand Vin, yet in 2020 Cantenac Brown treated it with care: the blend leans more Merlot than the Grand Vin to give earlier approachability. — 9 months ago

Thijs Hendriks

9.2

Baron de Blanc, white wine — a year ago

Shizuka Tanoue

9.0

料理を引き立ててくれる！ — 3 years ago

Jeff Kinney

9.0

Very nice- cedar, earthy, blackberries — 4 years ago

Andrew Lohse

9.2

Rich, concentrated red fruit on the nose and something savory, almost herbal. Juicy, well/integrated tannins in the palate; inviting and solidly middle weight. Light roast coffee and a buttery, almost butterscotch note really ringing through on the palate. / super tight at first, especially on the nose, but opens up in the decanter, becoming performed and quite vibrant and positively exuding red fruit and that same butterscotch note. Seriously enjoyable. — 6 years ago

Rob Brobst III

9.4

Yep it’s that good! 13%ABV — 2 days ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.5

2022 vintage. Deep dark red colour. Raspberries, flowers and cedar. Concentrated, intense. Combines power and elegance. Many Crus Classés would be very satisfied with this quality for their grand vin. Henri Lurton stated that he made his best wines ever in 2022 (which is saying a lot given the track record of this Château), and you can see why with this Baron de Brane. One can only imagine the quality of the grand vin in 2022! Anyway, this is one of the finest wines one could encounter for 30 euros. Abv. 14%. — 3 months ago

Isil Bayman

9.0

Uccle, Brussels, Belgiul — 6 months ago

with Hakan

Stefan Dolhain

9.4

2019 Le Hameau. 53% Cabernet Sauvignon and 47% Merlot. First vintage of this parcel selection in the commune of Cantenac, aged for 16 months in amphorae (2/3) and barriques. Le Hameau stands for finesse, whereas Le Plateau (in Soussans) delivers more power. — a year ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.5

2019 vintage. A totally different style compared to the more classic 2019 Cantenac Brown, but every bit as good. A more flashy, opulent style, flirting with overripeness, but every bit as good. — 2 years ago

Tom Garland

9.3

Around the world with cabernet tasting. Jay Fletcher, MS...Donald Patz, winemaker...Ashley Houseman,MS...Gillian Ballance,MS.

2018 Mt. Brave, mt veeder
2019 Daou, soul of a lion, Paso Robles
2018 Deville Cellars, Grand Ciel, Washington
2015 Lapostolle, la Parcelle 8, Chile
2018 Vasse Felix, tom cullity cab, Margaret river,Australia
2014 Xanadu, reserve, Margaret river, Australia
2014 Villa Maria, ngakirikiri, New Zealand
2018 Bindi Sergardi, particella 9, Tuscany
2018 chateau Cantenac Brown, Bordeaux
2018 Secret Door. Sage ridge, St. Helena

2018 Mt. Brave and 2018 Deville Cellars are the BOM. For you Bordeaux fanatics buy Margaret River Australia wines, sooooooo Bordeaux like. Cheers! — 4 years ago

with Brenda

Colin Cahoon

9.2

Red fruit nose. Dark cherry, cola, rhubarb, and spice on the palate. Fine acid in the finish. Smooth, smooth. — 7 years ago