Description
During the Middle Ages, Château Cantemerle was part of a line of fortifications defending the shores of the Médoc around one kilometre from the present château. The first record of wine-growing on the estate dates back as far as 1354, when the Lord of Cantemerle paid the dime tax with a barrel of claret. In 1892, Château Cantemerle came into the hands of the Dubos family who sold it in 1981, nearly one century later, to SMABTP (Mutuelles d’Assurance du Bâtiment et des Travaux Publics), marking the arrival of major institutional investors on the winemaking scene in France. Declared a Cru Classé in 1855, Château Cantemerle’s vineyards are planted on gravelly soil along the Gironde estuary.
Sweet fruit on the nose is joined by plum and touches of vanillin. It has a southern Médoc feel, with almost-jammy fruit and a gourmet, damson streak. Edgy tannins hold the appealing, generous fruit, and the acidity is pretty high, but that’s a signature of the vintage. A blend of the two Cabernets, Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, aged for 12 months in oak, 40% new. Eric Boissenot consults. Drink 2024 – 2040
Jane Anson. Decanter.com (Oct 2018)
