Château Cantenac Brown - Margaux 2015 6b11bd6ba9341f0271941e7df664d056

Vinous

95 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe2/27/2018

A rich, exotic wine, the 2015 Cantenac Brown is simply stunning. Dark cherry, plum, mocha, espresso, licorice and leather all flesh out in this ample, voluptuous Margaux. A rush of super-ripe dark cherry, plum, violet, lavender and sweet French oak builds as this plush, explosive wine shows off its bold personality. The 2015 is quite concentrated and extracted in style, and yet all the elements are wonderfully fused together. I would give the 2015 at least a few years to assimilate some of its new oak.

Wine Advocate

90 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe2/22/2018

The 2015 Cantenac Brown is medium to deep garnet-purple in color with a nose of cherry cola, cassis and warm plums with touches of spice box and pencil shavings. The medium-bodied palate sports a lot of oak, with very firm and chewy tannins and a woody finish.

Wine Spectator

94 / 100

byJames Molesworththe2/15/2018

This brims with voluble plum cake, boysenberry and blackberry compote flavors, embedded with brambly structure while keeping a polished feel overall. Alluring black tea, roasted alder and licorice details line the finish. You'll want to jump on this one. Best from 2022 through 2035. 9,583 cases made.  –JM

Jamessuckling.com

94 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/12/2018

Instantly appealing ripe dark berries and plums with graphite and other dark stony notes. Very well-integrated wood here. The palate has a plush, suave and supple feel to it. Great concentration and energy. Really intense yet fresh finish. Try from 2022.

Decanter.com

95 / 100

byJane Ansonthe1/26/2018

I love the fruit here, with pure´ed damson and deeply focussed, bitter dark chocolate. It has lovely grip and persistency, a wine that you want to take your time with and watch as it develops. It is poised and balanced, with lots of impact and well-extracted, not afraid to push things, but pulls back at the end. 60% new oak.

Jeb DUNNUCK

94 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe11/30/2017

Readers who need more proof that Margaux was the place to be in 2015 just need to taste the 2015 Château Cantenac Brown. Based on roughly 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot it offers an extraordinary nose of crème de cassis, caramelized cherries, flowers, and spices. This medium to full-bodied effort has plenty of tannins, as well as toasty oak, yet is perfectly balanced and has a great mix of both freshness and richness. It’s a tour de force that will be drinkable in 4-5 years and last for 25-30 years!

Vinifera

4 / 5

the5/31/2016

Jolie intensité aromatique sur les fruits mûrs. Corps stylé, précis, avec une très jolie dimension séveuse etun tanin savoureux. Belle finale.

The Wine Cellar Insider

94-96 / 100

byJeff Levethe4/30/2016

Deep, rich violet-ruby in color with a complex array of scents ranging from espresso, violets, truffle, boysenberry, cassis and black cherry, this wine is sensuous, concentrated, opulent and balanced with a long, intense, mouthful of fresh, pure berries. The finish is impressive and lingers with a flurry of sweet, dark, red fruits and even darker chocolate. Easily the best wine since 2009. From 61% Cabernet Sauvignon and 39% Merlot, this wine reached 13.9% alcohol with a pH of 3.7 and is aging in 60% new, French oak barrels. The harvest took place from September 17 to October 8. Only 51% of the harvest was used in the Grand Vin.

Wine Advocate

92-94 / 100

byNeal Martinthe4/29/2016

The 2015 Cantenac Brown follows their excellent 2014 with another great Margaux. Here, a nuanced nose that does not come racing from the blocks, but keep your nose in the glass and it reveals detailed blackberry, cranberry and strawberry aromas that are neatly embroidered with the new oak. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, quite tensile tannin. There is breeding interwoven into this Margaux, palpable sophistication, and it finishes with panache, fanning out with lightly spiced red and black fruit. It is not the most ostentatious Margaux in what is a fecund season for the appéllation, but I suspect it will surprise a few wine-lovers as its ages.

Bettane & Desseauve

17,5-18 / 20

the4/28/2016

Couleur et corps de grand millésime, chair et texture magnifiques, parfaite vinification, encore une fois un vin irréprochable, avec le charme aromatique propre à l’année à Margaux.

Vinous

93-96 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe4/27/2016

The 2015 Cantenac Brown is superb. Translucent, weightless and totally finessed, the 2015 offers outstanding purity and exceptional overall balance. Sweet plum, tobacco, cedar, licorice and new leather are some of the many nuances that take shape in the glass, but it is the wine's purity that is most impressive. Hints of lavender, iron and smoke add shades of nuance on the tightly wound finish. Over the two weeks I followed it, the Grand Vin put on considerable depth and power. It will be interesting to see where things end up here, but the 2015 was superb all three times I tasted it. Cantenac Brown is one of the great still affordable wines of the year. Don't miss it.

Decanter.com

90 / 100

bySteven Spurrierthe4/27/2016

Good depth of fruit and a well-expressed, quite broad Margaux style which gets more classic each year. 2021-2034

Jean-Marc QUARIN

16,75 / 20

byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/20/2016

Ma meilleure note donnée à ce cru en primeur.Couleur sombre, intense, profonde, belle. Nez au fruité pur et mûr. La bouche n'a jamais été aussimargalienne, jamais autant tramée de cette façon, douce et parfumée. Le vin fond et s'étire dans unelongue finale difficile à cracher. Bravo ! Assemblage : 69 % cabernet sauvignon, 31% merlot.

timatkin.com

91 / 100

byTim Atkin MWthe4/20/2016

Wine Enthusiast

93-95 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/15/2016

Barrel Sample. This wine is rich and opulent, with dense tannins and a smooth texture. Blackberry fruit flavors are coupled with ample acidity to balance the wine's ripeness. 94 points

Jancis Robinson

16,5 /

byJancis Robinsonthe4/15/2016

Bright crimson. Very competent representative of the vintage with marked ripeness on the nose but then rather chunky and bitter on the finish - like Oxford marmalade. Not much lift. A tad stodgy. Drink 2023-203516.5-

René Gabriel

18 / 20

the4/10/2016

Tiefes Purpur, satt in der Mitte, Granatschimmer am Rand. Ein Traumbouquet, absolut faszinierend, viel Süsse und auch eine hoch reife Frucht im Nasenbild vermittelnd. Im Gaumen aussen cremig innen mit einer gehörigen Fleischration aufwartend. Gehört zu den besten Jahrgängen von Cantenac-Brown und davon gab es bisher nicht besonders viele. Vergleichbar mit 2000 und 2010! 18/20 2022 – 2044

Jamessuckling.com

93-94 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/5/2016

Very structured and muscular with black currant, chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Full body. Yet polished and intriguing.

Wine Spectator

91-94 / 100

byJames Molesworththe4/3/2016

Very fresh, with well-defined red currant and raspberry coulis flavors that stream through, enhanced by a violet note on the mineral-edged finish.—J.M.