Today’s special offer brings you a $55, decade-old Growth Bordeaux with perfect provenance, and even though I personally tasted the wine and organized the exclusive deal myself, I still have trouble believing this tiny yet monumentally blue-chip tranche exists. I’ll put it this way: If you want to taste a properly aged Grand Cru Classé while keeping your wallet padded, look no further than today’s 2011 Château Cantemerle.
This soulful Grand Vin is exploding with class, terroir, and value—and it isn’t by chance, nor did it happen overnight. Out of the thousands of châteaux stationed throughout Bordeaux, only 61 were initially granted Grand Cru status in the historic 1855 Médoc classification. To this day, these estates are recognized as the crème de la crème, producing wines that go unrivaled in terms of pedigree and Bordeaux supremacy. Château Cantemerle, however, takes that to the extreme: Not only are they one of the fabled “Fifth Growths,” but they are also one of the oldest properties in Bordeaux with viticultural ties tracing back 650+ years. Rarely does high-quality, mature Growth Bordeaux present itself at such a reasonable price, but today’s is the exception. We hardly have any to share so purchase everything you can, and do it quickly! Happy Holidays, everyone!
[NOTE: This small parcel is currently in transit directly from the East Coast importer. It is scheduled to arrive at our warehouse in two weeks' time. ]
Château Cantemerle lies in the village of Macau (just south of Margaux), one of the many villages included in the catch-all Haut-Médoc AOC, which covers a fairly long strip of Bordeaux’s colloquial “Left Bank.” The ancient property has a long and labyrinthine history, one that dates all the way back to the 1100s. However, their involvement in wine wasn’t documented until 1354, when the Lord of Cantemerle paid his tithes with a cask of “clairet”—or “claret,” as the Brits would come to call it. It later came into the hands of the Villeneuve family, who controlled it for more than 300 years and eventually earned its inclusion into the historic 1855 Classification. But in the intervening years, the property fell into disrepair: By the time an insurance group purchased this historic estate, both the vineyards and winery were in desperate need of an overhaul. Over more than a decade, the cellar was meticulously updated and the vineyards were replanted by traditional Médoc standards. The first “open offering” of Château Cantemerle didn’t hit the market until 1996 because the group refused to reintroduce the historic château to the world until it was returned to its original, near-forgotten standards.
Those standards included crafting a traditional, supremely elegant Grand Vin that would turn far-pricer properties green with envy. Sourced from their top-performing 30-year-old vines, the 2011 blend is led by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with splashes of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The fruit was 100% destemmed and underwent a 30-day maceration on its skins during fermentation, after which it was aged 12 months in French oak barriques, 50% new. It was bottled without filtration and then laid to rest in their cellar for many years before coming out of hibernation.
The nose on today’s 2011 Cantemerle is a treasure trove of Left Bank Cabernet aromatics, now heightened and rendered more complex with 7+ years of bottle age. Dried blackberry, plum, and blueberry immediately fill the glass, followed by savory notes of cassis, cedar box, wet gravel, cacao, pencil lead, tobacco leaf, pepper, baking spices, and a touch of leather. In my book, this is one of the standout values that emerged from Bordeaux in 2011. The wine is just so incredibly classy, with the structure and poise that highlights its Fifth Growth pedigree. I recommend decanting at least 30 minutes before enjoying in large Bordeaux stems around 65 degrees. It’s a mouth-filling Left Bank red that delivers finely textured layers of dark and slightly dried forest berries alongside a firm terroir imprint. It offers plenty of intellectual/emotional stimulation sipped slowly on its own, but it’d make an impressive main-course red at dinner just as well. Enjoy several bottles now, and reserve your others for consumption over the next decade. Cheers!
