Chateau Boyd Cantenac Margaux Bordeaux, Complete Guide

Learn everything about Chateau Boyd Cantenac Margaux Third Growth with wine tasting notes, and wine with food pairing tips. Learn the best vintages, a history of the property, information on the vineyards, and winemaking. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles

Chateau Boyd Cantenac History, Overview

What we know of as Chateau Boyd Cantenac today was formed in 1754 by Jacques Boyd. Almost five decades passed before the chateau changed hands. At that time it was bought by John L. Brown. The property remained in the family because Brown was a relative of Boyd through marriage. It was that relationship that helped increase the size of Boud Cantenac, with vineyard land purchased from Chateau Cantenac Brown.

For a period of time, starting in the late 1800s, the wines of Chateau Boyd Cantenac ceased to exist, as the harvest was placed into other wines that the new owner, Abel Laurent already controlled. Chateau Boyd Cantenac came back into existence in about 1921, under the direction of Marcel Laurent.

Chateau Boyd Cantenac eventually became the property of the Ginestet family, a well-known and established family in the Bordeaux wine trade who was famous for owning numerous top Bordeaux estates including Chateau Margaux.

Due to the 1929 depression, they were forced to sell several of the facilities and other structures to their neighbor Chateau Margaux.

This left Boyd Cantenac without a proper cellar in the Medoc to make their own wine. For a time, they ended up making their wine at Chateau Lascombes. In 1932, the Ginestet family finally sold the remainder of Chateau Boyd Cantenac to Pierre Guillemet.

Guillemet was already an experienced winemaker and vigneron, as he was the owner of another Bordeaux property in Margaux, Chateau Pouget.

The Guillemet family continues to own and manage both Left Bank chateaux today. Lucien Guillemet is currently managing things at Chateau Boyd Cantenac as well as at Chateau Pouget.

Chateau Boyd Cantenac Vineyard, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The 17-hectare vineyard of Chateau Boyd Cantenac is planted to 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot.

Historically, this was not always the case. As a point of reference, prior to the 1855 Classification, there was also a healthy percentage of Tarney Coulant planted.

The vineyard is planted to a vine density of 10,000 vines per hectare. The terroir is mostly gravel and sand soils. The vines are old, with an average age of 40 years. Much of their vineyards are located in the commune of Cantenac, as the name implies. The vineyard is situated close to both Chateau Kirwan and Chateau dAngludet.

To produce the wine of Chateau Boyd Cantenac, vinification takes place in a combination of temperature-controlled, stainless steel vats and concrete tanks. The vats range in size from as small as 50 hectoliters up to 150 hectoliters.

The maceration period varies from 2 to 5 weeks, according to the characteristics of each vintage. Malolactic fermentation takes place in vat.

The wine of Boyd Cantenac is aged for 12 to 18 months in French oak barrels. The amount of new oak varies from 60% to 80%, depending again on the character of the vintage.

There is a second wine, Jacques Boyd, which takes its name from the original founder of Chateau Boyd Cantenac. The second wine is also sold under 2 more labels, Josephine de Boyd-Cantenac and La Croix de Boyd-Cantenac.

The best vintages of Chateau Boyd Cantenac are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2009 and 2005.

In addition, the estate also produces Clos Maucaillou, a Bordeaux Superieur. On average, the annual production for Chateau Boyd Cantenac is between 5,000 and 5,500 cases of Margaux wine per year.

When to Drink Chateau Boyd Cantenac, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Boyd Cantenac can be enjoyed on the young side with decanting. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 1-2 hours, give or take. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Chateau Boyd Cantenac is usually better with at least 5-9 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Chateau Boyd Cantenac offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 10-20 years of age after the vintage

Serving Chateau Boyd Cantenac with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Chateau Boyd Cantenac is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Chateau Boyd Cantenac is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Boyd Cantenac is a perfect match with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta as well as a wide variety of hard and soft cheeses.

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