Tertre Rôteboeuf 2015

The 2015 Tertre-Rôteboeuf has a sumptuous, decadent and multi-layered bouquet with billowing black cherries, blueberry, crème de cassis and violet aromas that are hedonistic and irresistible. The palate is full-bodied with a lot of extraction: chocolate-tinged black fruit, sweet and candied with veins of peppermint toward the no-holds barred finish. A powerhouse of a Saint-Émilion, I was initially prudent with my score but the manner in which it coalesces in the glass is convincing. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.

The 2015 Tertre Roteboeuf is medium to deep garnet in color. It bursts with a first wave of profound black fruit preserves - prunes, boysenberries, and blackberry jelly - before slowly unfurling to uncover notes of chargrill, tapenade, crushed rocks, and violets with a waft of fallen leaves. Full-bodied, the palate is completely filled with dense, earth-laced black fruit layers, supported by exquisitely ripe, fine-grained tannins and fantastic tension, finishing long and minerally. Very energetic and so singularly powerful, fans of this property will not want to miss this vintage!

Tasted blind. Broad and toasty and charming on the nose. Lovely freshness and vitality and juiciness! You could enjoy this tonight, mind you. Long and layered. The tannins are very well hidden. Just perhaps a little overdone on the oak?
Drink 2024-2040

Francois Mitjavile's brilliant and unique wine has a different character from that of all its Saint Emilion rivals. There is almost a Pinot Noir sweetness and exceptional purity. Only available in very limited quantities. Our visit to the unassuming cellars with their mud floors and dirty walls is always fascinating and a highlight of our visits to Bordeaux. Production is around 2000 cases annually with elevage in 100% new "Radoux blend" fine grain barrels. The south-facing vineyard produces wines that are ripe but never jammy. They frequently remind us of Le Pin and sometimes even of Musigny. A top performer at the annual Southwold blind tastings. Francois told us that 2015 was characterised by warm days and cool nights with an extremely long "hang time" on the vines. He didn't start picking until October 10th. Deep ruby colour with a powerful nose of toasted, charred wood, almonds and very high floral notes of cherry blossom and violet. The palate is powerful and concentrated with blueberry and blackberry fruit structured by refined, smooth and supple tannins. Mouthcoating glycerol provides a full-bodied sweet and ripe perception before lift from refreshing acidity. Extremely intense and long on the palate revealing smoky, spicy barbecue and clove notes. Impressive.

Fresh with bramble, red berries and herbs the nose has fragrance and charm the palate starts sweet supple generous with a ripe mix of fruits. Under the richness the sweet fruit there is freshness lighter at the back style and elegance with length of flavour on the finish. 2022-35

The heat of the year is certainly apparent here - as is the alcohol on the finish - but this is a
wine that has plenty of structure and aromatic complexity too. It’s somewhere between a red
Burgundy and a McLaren Vale Grenache in style. A total one-off. Drink: 2020-28

This is the fourth wine from the estate which I tasted (see L’Aurage, Domaine de Cambes and Roc de Cambes q.v.)
and they all share fruit density and glossiness which must be the envy of the entire region’s wine wizards. That this is
achieved with such sensuality and poise is completely beyond me. This wine is divisible into a million different elements and a large quantity of these err on the dark fruit side of the kaleidoscope (like many Saint-Emilions in 2015). But the range and incidence of other elements in this wine is what makes it such a compelling proposition. To name but a fraction of these sensations is foolish, but I am up for it, so here we go. Each of these is starkly obvious for a moment and then it’s gone into the swirling vortex and every time I go back to the glass I find more. Soft liquorice, hoisin, black Kiwi parade boot polish, homemade cranberry sauce, cinnamon sticks, freshly-sawn wood, barely ripe tiny red plums, William Curley’s raspberry & toscano chocolates and on and on. The vast majority of these flavours come and go so quickly I cannot stand a chance of pinning them down. Many other great wines from this part of the world have three or four standout flavours - this wine has thousands. With stupendously fit tannins and racy acidity allowing this wine to stand proud it is one of the most memorable wines of the vintage.