This is delicious, silky in texture and filled with luscious black fruits, exotic spiced liquorice and sweet blackberry. Touches of grilled cedar and just a trace of heat appear at the final furlong, along with a hint of menthol. The tannins close their fist around the fruit, reflecting the small berry size in the Cabernets, the percentage of which is slightly up this year as new plantings have come on line. It`s an impressive construction, a little less elegant than the 2016 but with a ton of personality and a sense of bursting out of its borders, not yet fully tamed - and hugely appealing as a result. 60% new oak barrels. Harvested 18 September to 11 October.Drink 2027 - 2042. 94 points

69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc; 60% new oak. Barrel sample. Deepest black-cherry colour. Sweet small black berries, blackcurrant and elderberry. Pretty chewy on the palate, the freshness accentuating the tannins at the moment but the components are well matched if not yet integrated. 16 points

The 2018 Cantenac Brown is deep garnet-purple in color and a little coy to begin and then, with coaxing, opens out to lovely red roses, black tea, violets and underbrush scents with a core of warm red and black currants and chocolate-covered cherries. Full-bodied and laden with perfumed red and black fruit layers, it has a firm frame of fine-grained tannins and a long, fragrant finish. 91-93 points

The 2018 Cantenac Brown is powerful, deep and super expressive, with striking persistence and terrific overall balance. The interplay of fruit intensity, aromatic depth and structure is compelling. In the 2018, the Grand Vin has a bit more Cabernet Sauvignon than in the past, plus drops of Franc, that give an added touch of energy. There is plenty of density and richness, but my impression is that the wine is also a bit less extracted than it has been in the recent past. The blend is 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Mer lot and 3% Cabernet Franc. Tasted three times. 93-96 points

We have here a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 3% Cabernet. I find some really forward, confidently expressed fruits on the nose, reminiscent of crushed red cherry and redcurrant, with a rose petal fragrance. A very complete and charming integration on the palate, a pretty style, polished and medium-bodied, with a ripe and elegantly knit bed of tannins underneath, which combined with the fresh acidity gives it a real sense of energy. It is fresh, cool, nicely polished but fading in the oak-wrapped finish. This is a touch more modern in style these day, but it is so much better than the Cantenac-Brown of old. Well done. The élevage will be in 60% new oak and 40% second-fill oak. 93-95 points