2020, A sensory interlude
Blend :
62% Merlot
29% Cabernet Sauvignon
9% Cabernet Franc
Tasting notes :
2020 is a winemaker's vintage. The maturity is surprising, the color dark, the aromas refined, complex and spicy, the tannins elegant and racy, with the sensation of balanced power. It easily meets the challenge set by the 2018 and 2019, with a nice touch of extra freshness. 2020 is also a window to the future.
Harvest dates :
Merlot: September 10-11, 14-18, 21
Cabernet Franc: September 21
Cabernet Sauvignon: September 24-25, 28-30
A fresh wind of enthusiasm blows through the team at Château Cantenac Brown with the arrival of the Le Lous family. From pruning to bottling, the process is taken one step at a time, with the ambition of forging one of Margaux's finest wines.
The vines woke up very early, in mid-March. After some very fine weeks at the beginning of spring, regular and sometimes very heavy rainfall dominated the Médoc sky until mid-June, interspersed with periods of sunshine. Flowering of both Merlot and Cabernet took advantage of one of these windows to take place rapidly and under the best conditions.
Particularly hot Sec weather then set in until mid-August, when short spells of rain gave the vines a chance to breathe a little and boost ripening under more moderate water stress. In September, the wind accompanying a new heat wave in the last phase of ripening finally led to an unprecedented concentration of grape berries.
The generous sunshine above the harvest continued this work, resulting in a very fine vintage, the corollary of which was lower yields. With the rather atypical constitution of the grapes, the final phase of processing still had to be successful. Fermentations were carried out at temperatures 4 to 5°C lower than usual in order to maximize the magnificent fruit aromas without exaggerating the tannic structure.
2020 also marks the entry into the blend of great Cabernet Sauvignons from the Margaux plateau and the Cantenac Brown enclosure.
