Boyd-Cantenac is one of the smallest of the 1855 classed growths, some eighteen hectares scattered in parcels across the Margaux commune. The name comes from Jacques Boyd, an Irish merchant who assembled the vineyard in the eighteenth century; the Guillemet family have owned it since 1932 and were farming it in 1970.
Margaux is the most perfumed of the Médoc communes, and Boyd-Cantenac works in that idiom rather than as a heavyweight: Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated, scented, slighter in frame than its Pauillac neighbours to the north. The 1970 vintage was warm and abundant, which suited an estate of this size well — enough ripeness to give the wine the flesh it needed to keep.
Bottles from a property this small were never made in great numbers and very few were kept. What arrives is a modest, properly classified Margaux from a good year, which is a more interesting thing to hand over than a famous label from a bad one.
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Producer: Château Boyd-Cantenac
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Vintage: 1970
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Appellation: Margaux AOC
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Format: 75cl
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Region: Bordeaux, France
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Style: Red
Where it is likely to be now. Margaux of this age tends to be perfumed and fragile; expect a pale, scented wine that fades within an hour of opening, if it is still drinking at all.
Who it suits. Good for a fifty-sixth birthday or a 1970 wedding anniversary when you want a proper 1855 classed growth rather than the obvious famous name.
Condition. Graded good by the holding merchant, with no defect noted on the label, capsule or fill.
Provenance. Bought to order from a professional European merchant. We check fill, label and capsule when the bottle reaches us and photograph it before it ships.
Delivered in 7 to 10 working days, tracked. Transit cover can be added at checkout.
Sold as a collectible item, as seen. No guarantee is given on drinkability.
