2018 BriO de Cantenac Brown Margaux

Aromas of dark plum, black cherry, dried violets, and cedar lead into a supple, medium-to-full-bodied palate. Flavors of cassis, cocoa powder, and pencil shavings mesh with a core of ripe forest fruit. The texture is velvety, supported by fine-grained tannins and balanced acidity that carries into a smooth, savory finish.

Farmed using sustainable viticultural practices without herbicides, using cover crops between rows and traditional mechanical tillage. Hand-harvested grapes undergo careful plot-by-plot selection before temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks. The wine ages for 12 months in French oak barrels (approximately 20% to 25% new) to soften the tannins while retaining fresh varietal fruit.

Grapes are grown on the estate's gravelly terraces in the Margaux appellation on Bordeaux's Left Bank. The blend (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc) comes from vines planted in deep, well-draining quartz gravel topsoils over clay subsoils, which retain daytime warmth and provide natural drainage.