Château Cantenac Brown 2018

2018 A LABORIOUS MIRACLE ...

"Ocean climate". Before 2018, it was a somewhat abstract meteorological notion made up of mildness and nuances.

In 2018, from spring through to early summer, "oceanic climate" invited itself into the vineyards to remind us that its main characteristic is high humidity, well distributed over the season. After this complicated start to the season, no one could have imagined that the harvest would produce such a great vintage.

For several years now, we've been very active in the vineyard, focusing on prophylactic measures such as precise de-budding, foliage thinning in some areas and splintering in others. Everything is well practiced, and the teams are well aware of the requirements. These recurrent interventions are nothing compared to the efforts required in 2018 to stay in the race. Counting the teams needed to thin out the leaves and splinter over 500,000 vines in 8 days.

By mid-July, the grapes were perfect and just waiting for the sun to put on their summer suit. It arrived just in time. The heat from July to August, given the water resources available, allowed the grapes to develop without stress. Veraison took place slowly and evenly, and ripening was gentle.

2018 is an unprecedented vintage of excellent quality, with perfect ripeness for all grape varieties and wines that combine concentration, roundness and balance.