Jim O’Gorman

8.9

Great value for the money. Enjoyed a late night dinner with a grilled rib eye. Deliciously nice. — 3 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Château Cantenac Brown 2023 – Margaux, BDX France 🇫🇷

Overview
Shockingly high-performing 2023 showing precision, finesse, and immediate pleasure well beyond expectation, an outstanding blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, delivering a dangerously complete Margaux that already behaves like a future benchmark while still promising upside with time.

Aromas & Flavors
Explosive aromatics of red cherry, raspberry coulis, wild strawberry, rose petal, subtle vanilla, light cocoa dust, fine cedar spice, and polished mineral tones.

Mouthfeel
Silky, flowing, and beautifully balanced with fine-grained tannins, graceful mid-palate lift, energetic drive, and a lingering yet perfectly measured finish that dances rather than weighs.

Food Pairings
Duck breast with cherry glaze, herb-crusted rack of lamb, filet mignon, mushroom risotto, aged Comté or Gruyère.

Verdict
A stunning overachiever that combines immediate drinkability with elite structure and elegance. Precision, aromatic intensity, and textural finesse place this firmly among the top Margaux performers of the vintage.

🍷 Personal Pick
This wine positively shocked me, had to enjoy few glasses just to believe it. Pure finesse, graceful flow, and championship-level balance already. Will get more bottles of this vintage with confidence. — 4 months ago

Ron R

9.6

Not the best of vintage in Bdx, but the winemaker clearly pulled off some acrobatics here.
Nose displays the usual Cos spice-box signature, along with notes of forest floor, sage and mushrooms. Palate is rich and dense showing no signs of age. Nice mature casis profile links up with brambles and sandalwood. Tannins continue to prop up this outstanding example. — 5 months ago

with Andrew and Rick

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.1

I don‘t know. This has so much oak it overpowers everything. Might need another 10 years to be approachable. Cigar box, black berries. Deep, big and profound. I am not sure I would spend 70$ on this. It needs much much more time. Probably needs to be open for 2 days. Out of the machine at the Wine House in LA. — 7 months ago

Neil Valenzuela

9.3

Deep purple color. Aromas of red and black fruit, floral notes, leather and dusty earth. Plum on the palate, blackberry and herbal notes. Ridiculously good for $65. — 9 months ago

Paul J

9.0

Short decant. Amazed at the quality after seeing an almost black cork and a very low fill level. Wouldn’t be craving a glass, but for a wine this old it was consumable with a few in the party really enjoying it. Garnet, almost brown in color. Leather and stewed fruit dominate. — 2 years ago

with Steve and Brooke

Willem Booij

9.2

Ok it’s not the greatest year, but this wine is very nice. A real classic Margaux with stil some dark forest fruit, some pencil and a box filled with vanilla stuffed Havana’s. Not a full bodied wine but a real charmer. — 5 years ago

Brennan Roy

9.0

Dark berry fruit forward, baking spices, luscious mouth feel, balanced tannins with cherry pie finish. Delightful. — 4 months ago

John Berggren

9.5

Wonderful 2016 bottle. Soft tannins, plum and subtle berries. Delightful finish. — 4 months ago

Doug Powers

9.5

Cigar box, cassis, lovely, complex and layered on the palate, long, lingering, very clean and fresh finish, this bottle is hitting on all cylinders, beautiful old Bordeaux to go with the rib roast!! — 5 months ago

with Jim

Some Dude

9.0

Wonderful lush blue fruit. Moderate tannin and moderate acidity. We had a spicy zaalouk and it was a magnificent pairing. Great winemaking by a historic winemaker. — 6 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Youthful, full bodied that is drinking well showing red, black fruits, spice box, graphite, leather & tobacco — 9 months ago

Scott Kahn

9.2

A beautifully aged ducru that had no cork issues and that was punching above its wait class! Typical tertiary flavors of forest floor, leather and cigar box - with livery dark fruit in the glass. This was the first 70’s Bordeaux that brought a smile! — a year ago

Judi Kruse

8.9

Great red - especially for the price. — 3 years ago

DAL 9000

9.3

Big bold dark fruits plums and blackberries up front. Bold but creamy. Undertones of chocolate and tannins. Long and lush. Layers and complex. — 4 years ago

Timothy Eustis

Wine Director, Red Lion Inn

9.3

2016 out of magnum. Cigar box. Ripe tannins. Beautiful. — 4 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Château Pichon Baron 2023 – Pauillac, Grand Cru Classé en 1855. BDX France 🇫🇷

Overview
A commanding and traditionally styled Pauillac delivering power, precision, and aristocratic structure, driven by a 66% Cabernet Sauvignon–dominant blend with 27% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Semillon support. Dark fruit density, mineral authority, and refined oak integration create a wine that feels impactful today while clearly engineered for long-term evolution and layered complexity.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, cassis, blackberry, graphite, pencil shavings, cedar, cigar box, crushed gravel, subtle dark cocoa and savory spice.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied with firm yet polished tannins, excellent mid-palate density, vibrant structural tension, tightly knit acidity, and a long, authoritative finish that builds rather than fades.

Food Pairings
Dry-aged ribeye, lamb rack, beef Wellington, venison, mushroom-forward dishes, aged hard cheeses.

Verdict
A textbook expression of elite Pauillac: powerful, elegant, disciplined, and deeply age-worthy. The wine delivers immediate presence while clearly signaling even greater complexity and harmony with time in bottle.

🍷 Personal Pick
This is serious wine, fierce yet controlled, deeply impressive without arrogance, and loaded with finesse under the horsepower. A bottle that earns respect with every sip and promises an extraordinary future in the cellar. — 4 months ago

Tom Garland

9.3

2 hour decant. A marvelous medium garnet color (decent fine sediment). On the nose: dark berries, cassis, forest floor, sandalwood, pencil shavings, chocolate, and cigar box. Taste: layered, balanced, still young wine with dark cherry/plum, cedar, dark chocolate, charcoal, and a lingering tobacco/leather finish. YUM! No hurry, a long distance Las Cases. — 6 months ago

with Brenda

Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Brio de Cantenac Brown – 2020
Margaux, Bordeaux – France 🇫🇷

Overview
Brio is the second wine of Château Cantenac Brown, offering a more accessible take on Margaux. This 2020 vintage is composed of 62% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9% Cabernet Franc, aged in French oak (25% new) to balance fruit, structure, and approachability. 
Aromas & Flavors
Juicy red fruits—raspberry, red currant—merge with cedar, baking spice, and subtle floral lift. Earthy and graphite tones bring depth.

Mouthfeel
Medium to full body, with soft but persistent tannins. The wine opens smoothly and finishes long with fruit and spice echoing.

Food Pairings
Roast lamb, duck breast, mushroom risotto, or aged cheeses. Also pairs beautifully with charcuterie.

Verdict
A concentrated, value-driven Margaux that shows the pedigree of Cantenac Brown. The 2020 Brio balances power and elegance — drink now or cellar for 8–12 years. 🍷 cheers!

Did You Know? 📌
Second wines (like Brio) are often sourced from younger vines or lots not selected for the Grand Vin, yet in 2020 Cantenac Brown treated it with care: the blend leans more Merlot than the Grand Vin to give earlier approachability. — 8 months ago

Vanessa

9.2

So delish! Beautiful and holding strong with notes of blackberry, black currant, clove, star anise, licorice, dried orange peel, black olive, potpourri, tobacco, leather, earth, cured meat, pencil shavings, graphite, spice box, forest floor. Complex and balanced with a long, elegant finish. — a year ago

with Deked1