Château Tertre Roteboeuf 2018

The 2018 Tertre Rôteboeuf, which I never tasted from barrel, has a typical bouquet of red fruit, dark chocolate, clove, and hints of game and mint. Strangely, it reminds me of recent releases from La Rioja Alta, and I mean that in a good way. The palate is sweet on entry and deftly disguises its 16° alcohol. It is well balanced with fine acidity and touches of sour cherry and tobacco on the finish. A hedonistic wine, but as is so often the case apropos of François Mitjavile’s château, it is brilliantly disguised.

Intense aromas of black cherry, black raspberry, plum liqueur, fig, Kahlua, smoke, licorice and cocoa grab and keep your attention. Full-bodied, luscious, rich, intense and seductive, the fruit coats and seduces your palate with layers of silky, velvet-drenched fruit that go on and on. The wine is made from blending 80% Merlot with 20% Cabernet Franc, reaching 15% ABV. Yes, those numbers are high, but the wine is not hot or jammy.

The Le Pin of Saint-Emilion, the 2018 Château Tertre Roteboeuf is another exotic, sexy, singular wine from the Mitjavile family, whose vineyard is ideally situated on the eastern side of Saint Emilion. The 2018 isn’t far off the style of the 2016 yet is perhaps even more exotic and up-front, offering a wild nose of white chocolate, black cherries, green tobacco, bacon fat, exotic flowers, and vanilla bean. Brilliantly concentrated on the palate, it has silky, polished tannins, a rather muscular, structured style, thick aromas and flavors, and a great finish. This is another genius effort from François Mitjavile that’s in the same league as the 2005, 2010, and 2016. There’s nothing else out there that comes close to resembling the wines from this estate! It needs 5–7 years of bottle age and will evolve for 30 years or more.

Kunz barrel sample 19: (80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc) Complex, deep, creamy, sweet bouquet, strawberry jelly, damson plums, pralines, raw meat, various dried herbs. Concentrated, multi-layered, elegant, sweet, finely opulent palate with a dense, creamy structure, diverse sweet aromatics, plenty of fine tannins, generous fruit, very long, opulent finish.

(80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc) Complex, profound, creamy, sweet bouquet with strawberry jelly, damson plums, pralines, raw meat, and various dried herbs. Concentrated, multi-layered, elegant, sweet, finely opulent palate with a dense, creamy structure, diverse sweet aromatics, plenty of fine tannins, generous fruit, and a very long, opulent finish. 20/20 2025 - 2050

We remain perfectly balanced on the edge of a deep, top-class tannin, with a magnificent aromatic intensity combining candied notes and freshness. This cru once again stands out in the most beautiful way.

In 2018, the wine poetically evokes the year’s peculiar character, with tannins built on a slightly saline, airy strength. The same impression already perceived in other wines from the plateau. Mocha and coffee are the hallmark of the aging, but they are less convincing in this vintage. However, the freshness carries the wine to a brilliant finish.

The nose offers lovely power (with subtlety), finesse, depth, as well as delicacy, intensity, and attractive ripe/fleshy/almost candied fruit (yet kept in check to preserve acidity). It reveals notes of fleshy blackberry, crushed/fleshy small black fruits and, more lightly, crushed redcurrant, all allied to fine touches of violet, almond/almond husk, as well as subtle hints of Cubeb pepper and nutmeg, very discreet hints of purple fig, fine touches of sweet spices, and an imperceptible hint of a sense of place. The palate is fruity, balanced, and offers a tangy/juicy backbone, good definition, lovely gourmandise (with finesse), tension, along with fine acidity, delicate richness, and beautiful breed. On the palate, the wine expresses notes of crushed/fleshy blackberry, fleshy blackcurrant, and, more lightly, violet, combined with toasted nuances, crushed raspberry, fine hints of warm/cooked black berries, touches of biscuit, toast, almond/almond husk, a subtle hint of incense, and chocolate. Lovely persistence on a note of coffee and toasted hazelnut.