Château Cantenac Brown is a 3rd Grand Cru Classé located in the commune of Cantenac, in the appellation Margaux. The winery is well known to wine lovers as being a good and reliable value for Médoc!
The property which extends over 95 hectares consists of a charming and unique Tudor castle, an English garden, a nature reserve of 14 hectares and a vineyard of 53 hectares. It was created in 1806 by John-Lewis Brown, a Scotsman who immigrated to Bordeaux for the wine trade. He decided to give him this architectural style to remind him of his native Scotland. Château Cantenac Brown was bought in December 2019 by Tristan Le Lous. He recently unveiled an ambitious plan for the future: a unique winery designed by architect Philippe Madec, which will push back the boundaries of current standards for ecological and environmental responsibility.
“We are aware of nature’s generosity and its importance for our terroir. Château Cantenac Brown stands at the heart of parkland that has conserved its remarkable biodiversity for more than two hundred years. It is our duty to respect that legacy.
Our entire approach is uncompromisingly based on an ecologically responsible philosophy.” Tristan Le Lous
A overview of the Château and terroir
The origin of this chateau is strictly linked to the character of John-Lewis Brown; His father selected the amazing vines surrounded by a park in the small town of Cantenac not so far from Bordeaux. Here he decided to build a magnificent castle
which is still today one of the most beautiful all of the Medoc area.
Since December 2019, the property is owned and managed by the french family Le Lous. Tristan Le Lous is helped by José Sanfins, the one who has led the winery into modern life in the last decade. The land is around sixty hectares and the aim, since the beginning, was to enhance the terroir with parcels for winemaking. So the Le Lous family hopes is thatpeople may be thrilled to visit and drink Cantenac Brown wines and to discover the different terroir. Cantenac Brown’s new goals are based on quality and sustainability. All the wines are made by careful selection in the vines. In fact some hectares bought recently ended up in the first white label. These wines were born after years of soil study and tastings. The estate can be divided into three zones, 5 to 6 hectares of clay-limestone terroir, 16 hectares of small gravel deposits and finally 34 hectares of deep Günzian gravels on the Margaux and Cantenac plateaux.
A new eco-friendly and sustainable cellar…
In 2020 was time for a big challenge: work to gain the highest quality level possible starting by the construction of a new cellar. Le Lous hired Philippe Madec, an emblematic french architect who had set up the concept of eco-responsible architecture. To achieve this, all the components of the building honor to the resources among which it stands: earth, air, heat, water, wind, shadows, organic and sourced materials. The objective is to take advantage of what nature brings us to limit the use of complex technologies.
A zero-carbon footprint cellar
In order for the new winery to blend into its ecosystem, it will be fully integrated within the current buildings, with the triple objective of making use of existing infrastructures and preserving unspoiled landscapes and unadulterated soil. All the materials, which are bio-based, natural and untreated, will be sourced from the Aquitaine region with the objective of achieving a zero-carbon footprint. There will be no use of cement. The reason why is to increase the connection to nature
and preserve the biodiversity of Margaux Grand Cru Classé 1855 estate In the cellars there are 70 stainless steel tanks,
recyclable materials and wooden barrels truncated into cones. This raw earth cellar is one of a kind, with one meter thick rammed earth walls providing a steady temperature. This thermal inertia will provide a perfect atmosphere for
the stability and ageing of the wines, without air conditioning and therefore without energy consumption. Cantenac Brown hopes to open doors to visitors who want to understand the whole process from the vine to wine.
Château Cantenac Brown
Cantenac, 33460 Margaux – France
www.cantenacbrown.com