Roc de Cambes 2011

The 2011 has a wonderful, pastille-like bouquet with unerring intensity, with a Burgundy, Vosne-Romanée-type mineralité. The palate is very pure with filigree tannins, a crystalline composition with wonderful balanced and precision on the finish. This is a stunning Roc de Cambes that makes you wonder why they bothered back in 1855. Tasted March 2012.

The greatest wine of all of the satellite appellations of Bordeaux and often close in quality to the same owner's top Saint Emilion, Le Tertre Roteboeuf. A wine for those "in the know". 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec. This is probably the only wine that we tasted in 2011 that was picked in October. Francois Mitjaville chose to pour it after Tertre Roteboeuf as it is such a sexy, lush and decadent wine. There is very low acidity here for the vintage, it is smooth, juicy, sweet and generous. A sheer delight that will drink young. Pure pleasure.

Ripe fruit black fruits cassis and black cherry fill out the nose and give a rich start to the palate. The rounded tannins gives suppleness a fleshy sweetness but there is enough underling freshness and tannic structure to support the fruit.

This top Côtes de Bourg property has come up trumps in 2011, making a wine with profound colour, very ripe, Christmas cake and blackcurrant pastille fruit, toasty oak and sweet, concentrated tannins. Rich and plush, with fine tannins, this is a testament to terroir as well as to the skills of François Mitjavile. 8+ years.