Tertre Rôteboeuf, St Emilion Grand Cru, 2015
Francois Mitjavile explained that it had been dry since the 2014 harvest and there had been 'no blockage to maturation’. 2015 is 'ripe and freshly ripe' as opposed to 2014 which was characterised by ‘autumnal ripeness with a degraded structure'. He went on to say that 2015 is a 'supple not voluptuous' vintage, and we would agree. This is not another 2009; these are sleek, sumptuous wines, without excess. Those who have read the Roc de Cambes note will already know that Tertre is rather more reticent than Roc. This is more structured and reserved at this early stage. The bouquet is cloaked in oak, Asian spice and mocha notes. With aeration aromas of Black Doris plums, forest floor, griotte liqueur, clove, smoke, fresh pinecones and spice emerge. The big difference here is that there is even greater tension (than the Roc), with a profound minerality and a super refreshing acidity that keeps the palate refreshed and eager for more. It'll be fascinating to follow this wine's progress. Bravo.
critic reviews
The 2015 Tertre-Rôteboeuf has an exuberant bouquet with peppermint-infused red fruit aromas. This is bold, assertive and maybe missing the nuance of its peers. The palate is very ripe and lavished with toasty new oak that masks some of the terroir expression, rendering it Napa-like in style. This seems like an anachronistic Saint-Émilion in the context of contemporary winemaking in that appellation. It's a little dry on the finish. Tasted blind at the 2015 Bordeaux Ten-Year-On 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!