A new wine for the new century: BriO de Cantenac Brown was born in 2001. Through the style of its label, but also through the quality of their work from the selection of the lots to the bottling, it aims at expressing the modernity of Château Cantenac Brown. The lots supposed to be the main part of BriO are pre-selected because of their evolution all through the year, which means that that focus on each different lot of the winery, from the budburst through the flowering to the ripeness control. A meticulous attention The lots for BriO often need more work: more leaf pruning, some green harvest, for example on the young vines, to help them to deal with the weather conditions. Their two labels are made from vines located on a terroir of gravelly soils, and the vinification of BriO to leads to an elegant wine with lots of flavours, a compromise between strength and finesse. So, if you like the fruit, you can start to drink it from 2 to 5 years after the harvest. The blend between Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot is different for each vintage but the Merlot percentage is usually more important than the one in the Château Cantenac Brown. The 12 months aging in 20% to 25% new oak barrels is traditional; racked every 3 months. Before the bottling they fining with egg whites. It is on purpose if the bottles of BriO are different from the ones of Cantenac Brown: they want BriO to become a brand on its own, and it’s true that they talk much more about “BriO” than about “BriO de Cantenac Brown”. 2020 is a winemaker’s vintage. The ripeness is astounding, dark in color, the aromas are refined, complex and spicy, the tannins are elegant and sexy, with the sensation of a balanced power. It stands up to the challenge of the 2018 and 2019 vintages, with a pretty dash of supplementary freshness. 2020 is an open window to the future. 62% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc