Château Cantemerle, 5eme Cru Classé, Haut Medoc, 2012
The last wine in the 1855 classification is more than deserving of its place given the quality of the wines produced here in the last decade. Last year the J&B team got very excited about Cantemerle and so did Robert Parker giving it a whopping 92-94 This year is much the same story from us. A classically styled Cantemerle, cut flowers, plum liqueur, damsons and a nice mineral touch. There is surprising density, impressive concentration, ripe dark berries, svelte fruit; a pure, seductive and powerful example with smooth, fine grained tannins. Very good indeed!
critic reviews
Soft brambled fruits, earthy and old school, tender tannins, waves of rosebud and raspberry leaf, short on the finish but with real charm. 40% new oak for ageing, Eric Boissenot consultant, Philippe Dambrine consultant.
The 2012 Cantemerle is medium garnet-brick colored. Dried herbs, damp soil, and tobacco notes emerge over a core of redcurrant jelly and dried plums. Light to medium-bodied, the palate is a little thin and drying, finishing chewy.
The 2012 Cantemerle has a leafy bouquet with light tobacco notes filtering through the black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with quite sharp acidity, very fresh, almost tart in style with a piquant finish. There is a little coarseness, though it serves well as a no-frills Haut-Médoc. Tasted blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting.
With a dense, ruby/purple color, low acidity, ripe tannin and well above-average depth, this is really an elegant, cleanly made, pure style of wine, with floral notes, mixed with blueberry and black cherry. Its medium bodied, with light tannin and is best drunk over the next 10-12 years.