| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Haut Médoc |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
A popular classed growth château from the southern Médoc, situated just below the village of Margaux. 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. The vineyard is 96 hectares in size and planted with 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.
The 2022 Cantemerle offers up attractive aromas of minty blackberries, blueberries and licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied, broad and ample palate that's layered and textural, with a rich core of fruit largely concealing plenty of youthfully firm structuring tannin. A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc, this is a strong effort for this estate, situated on fine gravel soils in the southern Médoc. 2027 - 2045
The 2022 Cantemerle presents a relatively light but defined nose with notes of blackberry, wild hedgerow and a touch of undergrowth emerging with aeration. The medium-bodied palate features chewy tannins on the entry and a bit of rusticity, yet it offers a pleasant, lightly spiced finish. Could it have given me a little more? Maybe.
Sappy wood and bright blackcurrant on the nose are enticing and typically Médocain, just as Cantemerle should be. The palate is bright and lively, taming the vintage to show cool dark fruits and a pithy, persistent grip. There is a hint of hedgerow and red fruit towards the finish on this compact, cool and reliable wine that will please followers of this wine.
Perfumed, with aromas of smoke, currants, grilled citrus, dried flowers and roasted herbs. Juicy and firm on the palate, with a medium to full body and a fruit-forward finish that shows herbal freshness at the end. Already approachable, but should get better in two more years.
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2022 Cantemerle bursts with bold notions of black cherry preserves and blackcurrant pastilles, followed by hints of bay leaves, fallen leaves, and tilled soil. The medium-bodied palate is bright and refreshing, with fine-grained tannins and an energetic finish.
Lots of work going on at Cantemerle at the moment, and it's a classified estate to watch. Has a sense of energy, vivid black fruit, good lift, a Left Bank signature but at every point feels measured and finessed, without sacrificing concentration, ends with a kick of sweet damson. Don't expect the biggest shoulders of the 1855s estate, but this is great quality. Axel Marchal consultant, 40% new oak for ageing.
70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. Cask sample.
Fragrant and floral. Fresh with a filigree finesse of tannin. Appetising fruit. Clean and long. Gentle hand on the tiller but deceptively structured all the same. Harmonious. Should be GV. (JL) 13.5%
Drink 2028– 2040
The finest wine this estate has produced in some time is the 2022 Cantemerle, a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc that bursts from the glass with aromas of sweet blackberries, violets, rose petals and spices. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with an enveloping core of sweet, perfumed fruit framed by supple tannin, it concludes with a long, mouthwatering finish. The pH is a very healthy 3.6 this year, and yields were low at 29 hectoliters per hectare.
Currants, blackberries and hints of bark and forest floor. Medium-bodied with creamy tannins and a flavorful finish. Pretty balance to this.
Intense in both colour and structure, a wine that knows how to make an impact, and it is carrying itself with confidence. Impressive, full of nuanced cassis and bilberry fruit, with liquorice and smoked earth, hints of richly spiced vanilla patisserie cream showing the ripeness of the vintage. This is good, a little abrupt on the finish with a bitter almond kick. Tight tannins at this point. 40% new oak for ageing.
Intense in both colour and structure, a wine that knows how to make an impact, and it is carrying itself with confidence. Impressive, full of nuanced cassis and bilberry fruit, with liqourice and smoked earth, hints of richly spiced vanilla patisserie cream showing the ripeness of the vintage. This is good, a little abrupt on the finish with a bitter almond kick. Tight tannins at this point. 40% new oak for ageing.
