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Cantemerle 2016

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Haut Médoc
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

A popular Classed Growth Château from the southern Médoc, situated just below the village of Margaux, near to La Lagune. Cantemerle always provides reliable quality and value for money. The wines are never heavy or jammy. Good traditional claret that is usually sold at a modest price and with quality on the rise in recent vintages.

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Label

Tasting Notes

The 2016 Cantemerle has a comparatively opulent bouquet of black cherries, boysenberry and light violet scents, touches of cedar and sous-bois emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins. There is a touch of greenness here, although it does come across harmonious and there is a pleasing spiciness toward the finish. Fine. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting. 2022 - 2045

91
Neal Martin, vinous.com, August 2020

Plenty of menthol, blackberry and blackcurrant aromas in this elegant, medium-weight Haut-Médoc that’s got as much freshness as ripeness and a long, clean, mineral and herbal finish. An incredibly food-flexible wine! Drink or hold.

94
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2019

Medium garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cantemerle offers up warm plums, black cherries and mulberries with an earth and bay leaves undercurrent. The palate is medium-bodied with just enough fruit and pleasantly chewy tannins, finishing with an herbal lift. 2019 - 2028

89
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (Interim No), November 2018

For me this is easily one of their best ever wines, totally living up to its fifth growth billing. Lovely and juicy with excellent tension, really walking that line. Menthol, cassis and cedar are framed by well-wrought tannins that bring the whole thing together and lead onto a juicy finish. The blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot is aged in 40% new oak for 12 months, followed by a further four months in vats before bottling.

Drinking Window 2027 - 2040

93
Jane Anson, Decanter.com, April 2017

Tasted blind. Almost jammy it’s so rich on the nose! Very dry finish. A bit austere.
Drink 2024 – 2030

16
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, February 2020

A popular Classed Growth Château from the southern Médoc, situated just below the village of Margaux, near to La Lagune. Cantemerle always provides reliable quality and value for money. The wines are never heavy or jammy. Good traditional claret that is usually sold at a modest price and with quality on the rise in recent vintages. Deep ruby in the class with a superbly fragrant, attractive nose of fresh blackcurrant, violets, roses and a little toast and vanilla too. The palate is smooth despite the level of tannin with superb levels of integration and freshness. Harmonious black and blue fruits are lifted by acidity and layered with toast and incense from high quality, integrate oak. The finish is long, pure and precise. This is a superb effort from the Chateau, and doubtless the best they have made since the outstanding 2010. Well worth a look for drinkers looking to add great value for money to their cellar from the 2016 vintage.

92+
Farr Vintners, April 2017

The 2016 Château Cantemerle is a solid effort, yielding ample mulberry and black cherry fruit intermixed with notions of tobacco, cedarwood, and spring flowers. It’s not a blockbuster but has a perfumed, complex, medium-bodied style that’s a joy to drink. Enjoy it over the coming 10-15 years. 2019 - 2034.

88
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, February 2019

Rich fruit on the nose the palate has depth of flavour a mix of black fruits. The ripe sweet fruit is underpinned by freshness bright vibrant slightly lighter at the back the finish though has depth rich concentrated fruit. 2026-36

88/91
Derek Smedley MW, DerekSmedleyMW.co.uk, April 2017

Lovers of good value claret should flock towards this lovely red blend in 2016. Fresh, sappy and grassy, it’s a wine that’s all about texture and fruit flavour rather than oak and tannin. Elegant, subtle and effortlessly complex. 2020-28

91
Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, April 2017
Read more tasting notes...

The 2016 Cantemerle has a fresh bouquet of airy, floral black fruit; light violet scents emerge with time. The sorbet-fresh palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, and blood orange mingles with supple red fruit toward the graphite-infused finish. Delicious, classic and probably destined to age with class. Maybe a great value to boot? Drink 2022-2045

91
Neal Martin, vinous.com (Jan 2019), January 2019

The 2016 Cantemerle has a tightly wound bouquet and it never quite delivers the detail and mineralité that some of its peers have produced in this vintage. There are attractive undergrowth scents and a touch of tobacco, but it does not leap from the glass with joy. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, good depth of fruit, blackberry laced with cedar and graphite. One sample was missed a little precision, however, a second and third demonstrated much more precision and tension. My score reflects this. Drink 2020 - 2030.

90/92
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (230), April 2017

Dense and chewy already with plenty of ripe tannins and bright fruit. Vivid acidity. Full body, a firm and silky texture and a flavorful finish. Lots going on. Excellent follow-up to the great 2015!

94/95
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2017

Quite pungent with treacly notes on the nose. Fairly light and soulless - not to say a little fruitless. Green notes on the end.
Drink 2023-2030

15.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2017
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.