I had big expectations for this wine, and was saving it for a special occasion so I decided to open it when my mom was visiting us in London. For a wine with such a prestigious reputation,(Classified 3rd Growth) I was thoroughly disappointed. Now I’m not saying the wine was bad, but it is simply not worth the 30+£ I paid for it. I thought maybe it was just because it needed more time to air out, so I decanted it. There was still no improvement, and even the next day, the wine still lacked fruit and the spark I was expecting. There are better wines in Margaux to go for if you want to spend the money. Boyd Cantenac, Lascombes, Malescot St-Exupery are just a couple I would turn to before Cantenac Brown. It could be that this wine is just had its best days already. Available in the UK for 35-40£ a btl and in the US for $50-60. Just because a wine costs more, doesn’t mean its good. I don’t agree with Mr. Parkers 88 score either:
My rating 79 pts
| Wine Advocate # 153 Jun 2004 |
Robert Parker | 88 | Drink: 2004 – 2014 | $49 (25) |
| This estate is finally getting the tannin under control, as previous vintages have always been a bit rustic and astringent. The 2001 offers chocolate, espresso, and sweet black currant fruit characteristics in a medium to full-bodied, charming, structured, well-textured, seductive format. Enjoy it over the next decade. | ||||
Wine Session 
What a shame! Was it unbalanced or had the fruit just dropped off? Totally agree with you that a wine is not necessarily going to be great just because it’s expensive – there are loads of gorgeous wines that are also extremely affordable!
not sure about being unbalanced, but the fruit definitely dropped off….was expecting much more…..no more Cantenac Brown for me