The Boyds were an important family of Belfast traders originating from Scotland. All along their history they retained a tradition of commerce and international relations as well as emigration. They were present in Bordeaux as early as the 17th century and it was Jacques Boyd who gave his name to the vineyard in Cantenac when he acquired it in 1754.
The estate was subsequently purchased, in 1806, by John Lewis Brown, of Château Brown, who was related to the Boyd family by marriage.
The 1855 classification consecrated the Cru of Boyd-Cantenac and its capacity to produce, over more than one century, wines of international class.
Since 1932, Château Boyd-Cantenac has belonged to the Guillemet family.
With aging, for which they have a remarkable aptitude, each vintage affirms its personality and becomes a stirring testimony to the past.
All along the vegetative cycle, the best possible conditions are created in which to obtain ripe, well-constituted and healthy grapes.
Pruning, performed manually in winter, determines the number of shoots each vine will produce the following growing season. It is the first important act in the cycle and has a bearing on the future harvest, as well as the long-term health of the plant.
Manual operations employed in spring and summer remove unnecessary shoots, placing in better position those that will produce the harvest. This also assures better distribution of leaves and grape clusters, which then find themselves aerated, well-exposed to the sun, well-spaced on the row, and in controlled quantity.The greatest care is brought to each different operation : the number of workers is doubled from May to July, and quadrupled during the harvest period.
Concerning the fight against parasites and pests, as modernisation has always been considered with circumspection, chemicals used in the 1960s and 1970s were never used in excess at Château Boyd-Cantenac, leaving the vineyards with a remarkable biological equilibrium.Likewise, chemical fertilisers are unknown. Compost is used to maintain a moderate degree of richness in the soil, and in particular, to maintain the soil's natural biodiversity and level of organic matter.
The harvest, done manually to allow rigorous selection, begins with the Merlot because it is the earliest-ripening varietal. The harvest lasts anywhere from 10 to 25 days, depending on the ripening rate of each varietal as well as the differences resulting from vineyard location.
🏅 James Suckling 93 pts
Aromas of minerals, currants and berries follow through to a full body, with juicy fruit and a long finish. Lovely depth of fruit and mouthfeel to this. Top Boyd for a long time. Better in 2017.
🏅 Wine Spectator 91 pts
Features a solid core of steeped plum and currant fruit, with singed apple wood stitching, a tangy mineral backdrop and finely beaded acidity that carries the finish.
🏅 Vinous 90 pts
The 2010 Boyd-Cantenac feels a little muddle on the nose compared to its peers, although it improves with aeration to reveal lovely raspberry, cedar and tea leaf aromas.The more you nose this wine, the more you like it. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a rather incongruous minty note on the entry. It feels like it wants to impress and it does to a certain extent, though I would like more terroir expression and tension on the finish. That might come with time.
🏅 Wine Advocate 88 pts
Deep garnet colored, the 2010 Boyd-Cantenac features pronounced notions of black cherries, stewed plums and crème de cassis with hints of sautéed herbs and tobacco. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is just a little lean in the middle with a chewy texture and stewed tea finish.
