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Tertre Rôteboeuf 2019

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyMerlot

Francois Mitjavile's brilliant and unique wine has a different character from that of all its Saint Emilion rivals. There is almost a Pinot Noir sweetness and exceptional purity. Only available in very limited quantities. Our visit to the unassuming cellars with their mud floors and dirty walls is always fascinating and a highlight of our trips to Bordeaux. Production is around 2000 cases annually with elevage in 100% new "Radoux blend" fine grain barrels. The south-facing vineyard produces wines that are ripe but never jammy. They frequently remind us of Le Pin and sometimes even of Musigny. A top performer at the annual Southwold blind tastings.

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Chateau Le Tertre-Roteboeuf

Label

Tasting Notes

The 2019 Le Tertre Roteboeuf is a terrific success from the Mitjaville family. This amphitheatrical vineyard on the clay-limestone slopes of Saint-Laurent-des-Combes, planted with low, cordon-trained vines, has delivered a striking wine that wafts from the glass with aromas of cassis, blackberries and cherries mingled with notions of violets, cigar box, sweet spices and loamy soil. Full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with a deep core of fruit, velvety tannins and lively acids, it will richly reward a decade and more of bottle age. Interestingly, proprietor François Mitjaville contended that 2019's distribution of rainfall had tended to invert the usual stylistic distinction between Tertre Roteboeuf and Roc de Cambes, his wine from the Côtes de Bourg; yet, on the day of our tasting, geology trumped weather, because as usual the former was more sensual, the latter blockier and more structured. Drink Date 2027 - 2057

97
William Kelley, RobertParker.com (April 2022), April 2022

Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Tertre Roteboeuf slowly unfurls to offer profound scents of stewed black plums, boysenberry preserves, and fruit cake, followed by suggestions of Indian spices, Ceylon tea, and fallen leaves with a touch of iron ore. The full-bodied palate is simply magic, featuring a beautiful core of black fruit preserves accented by loads of mineral and earthy sparks and framed by velvety tannins, finishing very long and fragrant. Stunning.

97
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, May 2022

The 2019 Tertre-Rôteboeuf has an intriguing bouquet that requires some time to open in the glass, revealing a mixture of red and black fruit, enticing scents of melted tar and black truffle, and a touch of licorice, the latter becoming more and more noticeable with aeration. The medium-bodied palate delivers pliant tannins, sensual, slightly savory red fruit mixed with white pepper, sage and red peppercorns, and a touch of tobacco on the finish. This fans out wonderfully, lingering long in the mouth. Superb. 2025 - 2050

96
Neal Martin, vinous.com, February 2022

Tasted blind. Some evolution at the rim. Very obviously Tertre with its opulence and full-blown character on the nose. So soft yet almost unspittable in its appeal – with the rich floral nature plus a bit of dry spice – cumin? Full marks for providing something outside the norm, even if it’s not the most refreshing! 14.5%
Drink 2025– 2040

18
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, February 2023

Yields were slightly down in 2019 at 33hl/ha. The blend is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, which will be aged as usual in 100% new French oak. Deep purple in colour but remarkably fragrant and lifted on the nose, with redolent cherry blossom alongside riper brambly fruit. Superb aromatic intensity and complexity, with sweet, layered spices in harmony with the fruit. The palate manages to find balance between exotic, ripe fruit and lifted, floral freshness. The tannins are crunchy but ripe and layered with sweet spices and smoke. A multi-dimensional, complex and very fine Tertre Roteboeuf. Very long on the finish.

95/97
Farr Vintners, Farr Tasting, May 2020

80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. Barrel sample.
Touch of reduction but also some compelling dark fruit, chocolate and liquorice notes. Rich but a little subdued on the palate, the fruit seductive but less aromatic than usual. Freshness of the vintage apparent. Firm, slightly hard finish. As with Roc de Cambes in need of racking. Provisional score. (JL)
Drink 2026 – 2040

16.5
James Lawther MW, JancisRobinson.com, June 2020
Read more tasting notes...

The 2019 Tertre-Rôteboeuf marks the first time that I taste a barrel sample from outside François Mitjavile’s cellar. It possesses a very classy bouquet with beautifully defined black fruit that feels maybe less flamboyant and more introspective than previous years. It is very finely tuned, almost Burgundy-like. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins: layers of black fruit laced with dark chocolate and a gorgeous, mineral-driven finish that fans out wonderfully. It will require several years to full absorb the oak, but it is a very impressive Tertre-Rôteboeuf. Chapeau François Mitjavile. 2024 - 2045

95/97
Neal Martin, vinous.com, June 2020
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.