| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
When I tasted this wine a week before it was bottled in July, I thought it was utterly glorious, and out of bottle, my high opinion was confirmed. From cask, this wine was decadent, with an almost confected nose of ripe mulberries, black cherry, mocha, spice and espresso. In bottle the wine has become more classically taut, though it could only be described as reticent by contrast with that wonderful cask sample. The impression is of amazing richness and amplitude without any sense of aggressive extraction. One of the wines of the vintage, and one Mitjaville believes numbers among his greatest hits.
Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. The Tertre-Rôteboeuf has an exquisite bouquet: very intense with well defined black fruit, touches of cooked meat and dried herbs and what feels like a touch of Cabernet Franc even though there is none in the blend! The palate is smooth and silky, voluptuous and sensual to the touch with lush Merlot dominating the finish. This textbook Tertre-Rôteboeuf is a joy from start to finish. Tasted January 2014.
Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Le Tertre Roteboeuf reveals notes of leather, cedar and balsamic with a core of raisin cake and unsmoked cigars. Full-bodied, the palate is firm and chewy with a lively line cutting through the dried berries and savory layers, finishing just a little warm. 2020 - 2032
15% Cabernet Franc, 85% Merlot. Picked 12 Oct. Very rich and sweet. Much bigger and more brutal than the Roc. Very sweet start, then chewy. Quite awkward at the moment, with rich undertow. Funky, completely unlike anything else! Not as much freshness as the Roc. Just a bit too sweet... A statement but very atypical for 2010. Where's the freshness? Dense and drying on the end. A bit thick and too sweet to match food? 15.6%
True to style. Suave, exotic with smooth, caressing tannins. Owner François Mitjavile, has, as usual, pushed the ripeness to the confit stage but the terroir and vintage give the requisite lift and freshness. His fans won't be disappointed. Drink 2018-2030.
Bottled in August, the Le Tertre-Rôteboeuf has a deep garnet colour. The nose is tightly coiled, much more laconic than the 2009 at this stage, but offers a pixelated bouquet of brambly black fruit (rather than the more usual red), blood orange and orange sorbet, with just a touch of crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. It is very well balanced, quite understated and perhaps subtler than either the 2008 and 2009 Le Tertre-Rôtebeouf(s), with a great deal of tension towards the finish. Like a person about to utter something profound...but prefers to keep you waiting several years. Cellar this wine and perhaps broach the 2009 before considering the follow-up. Tasted November 2012.
Tasted at the chateau directly from barrel, the Le Tertre-Roteboeuf has wonderful definition on the nose, much more composed and controlled than the 2009 when tasted last year. Pure black cherries, bilberry and crushed stone, great precision here, much more control of the Merlot than I was anticipating. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins, superb acidity, layers of crisp ripe berried fruits suffused with tension and mineralité. Focused and linear towards the Burgundy like, silky finish in keeping with the vintage, this is an outstanding Le Tertre-Roteboeuf for long-term ageing. By the way...it has 15.7% alcohol (and a pH 3.64.)! Tasted April 2011.
