Château Cantenac Brown

Château Cantenac Brown is a wine estate in Margaux on the Left Bank of Bordeaux. The estate takes its name from its Scottish founder, John Lewis Brown. A distinctive Tudor-style château was built in 1806. Cantenac Brown is a Third Growth in the 1855 classification of Bordeaux wines.

The property has had several owners throughout its history, including the Browns as well as insurance group AXA. In 2019, it was acquired by Tristan Le Lous, who quickly initiated the construction of a new, eco-friendly wine cellar. Built from raw earth and untreated timber, with metre-thick walls, the cellar has no need for air-conditioning. The space has 70 stainless-steel vats, varying in capacity from 50 to 120 hectolitres. The first vintage produced in the new facility was 2023. The estate is run by managing director José Sanfins, who joined in 1989 as a trainee before taking charge in 1998.

Cantenac Brown has 75 hectares of vines. Cabernet Sauvignon is the primary grape variety, supported by Merlot and tiny proportions of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The soils range from deep Günzian gravels to smaller gravel deposits and clay-limestone. There are two red wines produced here: Château Cantenac Brown itself and a second wine, Brio de Cantenac Brown. A further five hectares of vines are planted with white grape varieties. Alto de Cantenac Brown, the estate’s dry white wine, is a blend led by Sauvignon Blanc along with Sémillon and Sauvignon Gris.

Photograph: Luc Boegly