Château Tertre-Roteboeuf, 2016 Update
It is always fun to call in on François Mitjavile, of Château Tertre-Roteboeuf; no trip around Bordeaux would be complete without a visit. I know that in the gloom of his cellar I will have not only the opportunity to taste the latest vintages, perhaps a primeur sample from barrel or the most recently bottled, but also a selection of other, older wines. François carries the bottles around himself, pouring for each guest in turn.
Not uncommonly François pours from his range of other wines, such as Roc de Cambes of course, Domaine de Cambes (made from the lower part of the Roc de Cambes slope) and perhaps L’Aurage, the domaine taken on a few years ago by his son, Louis Mitjavile, now an increasingly successful consultant in his own right. On this occasion though François (pictured) treated me to four vintages of Château Tertre-Roteboeuf, starting young with 2014 and 2013, before looking back to 2008 and 1997.
The Wines
If you had asked me before I tasted these wines which vintages would shine and which would be the least convincing I would have said 2014 for the former, and 2013 for the latter. This just proves the fact that labels and vintages can sometimes be misleading, and we should always taste with an open mind. The 2014 Château Tertre-Roteboeuf was indeed delicious, rich with scents and flavours of black olives, floral notes and stone fruit, but so was the 2008. As the 2014 was tasted from barrel I have continued to range my score, as is customary, but the 2008 Château Tertre-Roteboeuf took a very solid and high score right in the middle of this range. Dark, energetic, poised and introverted, this is a wine which still promises much.
