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
Great red - especially for the price. — 3 years ago
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
Love this unfiltered red blend, gallivanter, nice acidic start and berry finish, light to medium bodied, really tasty and easy drinking, — 6 years ago
Very rich but very good — 7 years ago
Berries. Lots of berries — 8 years ago
Easy drinking, like it! Would buy again at the right price. Blackberry / bold tannins — 9 years ago
This is a 61 and albeit not great in Sauternes that year this wine was in perfect balance of fruits, acids with lengthy backbone. Not as intense as 67 or 59 of course but beautifully elegant. Color as dark golden with touch of hazelnut brown. Neck fill. Perfect cork. — 10 years ago
Great way to warm up on a 20 degree night! 🍷 — 12 years ago
Shiraz (70%), Cabernet Sauvignon (23%), Merlot (7%)
2009
Padthaway, Australia — 14 years ago
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
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


Oldest wine I’ve ever had and an impressive showing at 50 years. Bit brown and leathery but the fruit, acid, and tannin are all still showing. Notes of Nixon and moon landing. — 5 years ago
Mmm. . . The family picked this up at a tasting at our new favorite butcher shop. More on the sweet side for a pinot but still flavorful. Hmmm may have to check my Napster for an accompanying Zac Brown hit for ambience. — 7 years ago
Not a “Bordeaux guy” but that may be because I don’t/can’t get my hands on the real stuff. This was pretty revelatory. More floral and delicate and sensuous than I could’ve imagined for a broad category our server called “cigar-box.” — 7 years ago
Probably my favorite all-around wine to drink. Well balanced. Smells swampy, has a little spice at the end and nice round tang to it. — 9 years ago
Excellent blend I had one from Napa many flavors and smooth silky finish. — 10 years ago
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
WS rated this 91 - criminal!
We think this rocks, and it’s structured for long-term cellaring. Beautiful whiff of tobacco, meat, spice-box and oak on the nose. Deftly balanced palate displays black briar fruits and polished tannins. Prominent minerality is balanced by just the right amount of acid. Yummy now, but is destined to further improve. — 7 years ago
Interesting profile: dried cherries, granny smith, cedar box, with a hint of a big red wine (AUS Shiraz, etc.). Not a lot of carbonation, would have liked to have opened a bottle a year ago to see what role aging has played (bottled 1/16/15). — 8 years ago
Surprisingly dope — 9 years ago
Solid, good food wine, could be outstanding in a couple years — 11 years ago
Not great at first, tight....open for 2 hours, completely different, fantastic — 11 years ago
Great with Thanksgiving dinner! — 12 years ago
Pinotman /// Andreas
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