2010 | Château Cantemerle | Haut-Medoc

Deep garnet colored, the 2010 Cantemerle gives up notes of cassis, baked plums and fragrant earth with hints of pencil shavings and bay leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is chock-full of bright, juicy fruit with a lively backbone and a bit of chew to the finish.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The wine needs a good 7-10 years of cellaring and should keep for 30 more years, but this is the finest Cantemerle I have encountered in my professional career of tasting young vintages (dating back 34 years now). Stunningly deep ruby/purple, with a beautiful nose of spring flowers intermixed with perfumed raspberry and blueberry notes, it exhibits a sort of cool-climate character. Broad, rich and intense on the palate, the wine has plenty of tannins, but they are sweet and well-integrated. Everything is delicately entwined into this beautiful, medium to full-bodied, dense purple wine, which shows stunning character and a prodigious potential for development. This is definitely a major sleeper of the vintage and even better than I thought from barrel. Drink 2020-2050.

• James Suckling: Layered and rich with lots of blueberry character and ripe velvety tannins. Lovely texture. Best wine from here in years.

Producer Information

Château Cantemerle is a wine estate in the Haut-Médoc region north of Bordeaux city on the left bank of the Gironde estuary. The estate is ranked a fifth growth in the 1855 classification of the Médoc and Graves. The château's grand vin is Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant, with smaller amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, and is made in a structured but fruit-driven style. Château Cantemerle can be enjoyed young but can also age for a decade or more. It is one of only two estates in the 1855 Classification to be subject to an amendment. The other – Château Mouton-Rothschild – was famously promoted to the first growths (from a second growth) in 1973, following much political lobbying on the part of owner Philippe de Rothschild. Cantemerle, on the other hand, did not immediately figure in the original list of 1855 but was added that year as a fifth growth following pressure on the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce by then-owner, Caroline de Villeneuve (for more, see the Château Cantemerle story here). The estate has a long history dating back to the Middle Ages, with the first mention of wines from the property coming in the 14th Century. The modern history of the château began in 1892 with Théophile-Jean Dubos' purchase of the estate, and it was passed down through the family until 1981 when it was acquired by French insurance group Societe Mutuelles d'Assurance du Batiment et des Travaux Public (SMABTP). Many of Cantemerle's vineyards were pulled out during the two world wars, and were replanted in the 1980s. This expanded the vineyard area from 20 hectares (50 acres) to 90 hectares (220 acres) by 1999. The soil in Cantemerle's vineyards is a mixture of silica and gravel. This is reasonably poor, and causes the vines to struggle, resulting in grapes with high levels of aromatic concentration. The vines, the majority of which are Cabernet Sauvignon, are on average 30 years old. A rigorous selection in the winery ensures only the best fruit is fermented, and then aged for 12-16 months in French oak, about half of which is new. Château Cantemerle's second wine, Les Allées de Cantemerle, is produced in a more approachable style than the grand vin.

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