This unique soil and microclimat are reflected in the wine's personality. Cantemerle has a brilliant colour, a powerful bouquet, and a soft, lively flavour. It is rare to find such refined fruitiness. This great wine can be enjoyed young, when it is charming, fruity, and marked by a vanilla taste which comes from well-integrated oak.

This makes Cantemerle an ideal choice for the modern wine drinker who likes fresh tannins. However, it can also age extremely well. Fine, old vintages have impeccable class, with incomparable flavours of sheer elegance. Cantemerle therefore belongs to that rare category of the world's wines which can not only age, but also improve over several decades.

The superb maturity of Cantemerle’s Cabernet Sauvignon is evident up front by its degree of concentration and complexity—the sign of a great Médoc wine. Before tasting this fine bottle, you’ll want to transfer it to a decanter an hour before serving. After this preparatory step you’ll discover the wine’s fuller aromatic richness: the bouquet expresses cherry, olive and tobacco notes, as well as hints of oak that are still somewhat present.
In the mouth, silky tannins launch a symphony of spicy, peppery and fruity flavors upon the palate that are of great quality and generously supported by a long, full softness. The finish is lengthy and lively, neither limp nor harsh. A well-constructed balance is the foundation which supports a structure of freshness, elegance, persistence, and a perfectly controlled power.

With its superbly deep color, the wine has the grand style of an elegant evening gown. The aromas are equally graceful: partly woody, partly spicy, but still young and far from fully developed. In the mouth, the wine shows the classic personality of superbly quintessential Cabernets from a great Médoc terroir: exotic wood character with licorice, and pepper flavors, and a touch of red fruit. The wine’s structure displays reserve and complexity, with a well-tempered richness and great length. You can begin to enjoy the wine’s charm and elegance after decanting one hour before serving. It represents a perfect model of elegance, balance, and the fine flavors typical of Cantemerle’s greatest wines.

Deeply colored with reserved, sustained aromas…everything which indicates a bottle with a future, a very good bottle indeed. This very young wine still has a way to go to show its full potential on the palate, and can benefit from an additional two years to begin opening up. Standard practice for age-worthy wines.

Nonetheless, those who appreciate young wines will find much to enjoy: with careful aerating in a decanter, pleasant blackberry aromas become evident. Long on the finish, rich and dense without excess but well structured, it unites ripe —but not overripe— Merlot and Cabernets. The wine shows good fruit that is both youthful and fresh. Significant length on the palate is evident, with a complexity of aromas showing through its general austerity. This will certainly be a great wine, but patience is called for…

Swirling this wine in the glass brings forth a very complex bouquet, the hallmark of a great wine. In the mouth, the first impression is both powerful and elegant, with rich flavors covering the palate. All the usual aromas of this wine—tobacco, black currant, cloves and a woodiness typical of ripe Cabernet—are present in a subtle register which will become more prominent with time. The tannins are very supple, lingering elegantly on the finish. At this stage of its development the wine is characterized by a delicate charm. This promising wine offers a typical illustration of the Cantemerle terroir. Very classic, it calls for some time in a decanter before serving. A further two or three years in the cellar can bring out its lovely personality, but it will continue to improve for an even longer time thanks to the nature of the great 2016 vintage.

It would be difficult to find a more classically Médoc wine than this great Cantemerle, with its sustained power and refined elegance. A very deep color and subtle aromas underscore its youth. Once in the mouth, this rich and full-bodied wine releases notes of coffee, olives and licorice which are emphasized by an opulent and harmonious length. A fine wine which marries fullness and delicacy, while avoiding heaviness and excessive oak. It’s the perfect expression of a balanced Bordeaux which gives voice to a great terroir. This wine has a promising future, and already offers great satisfaction with all meat and poultry, as well as alpine cheeses.

The wine displays a deep garnet color, elegant as an evening gown, accompanied by a subtle aromatic character. In the mouth there is an immediate sensation of elegant flavors, whose finesse reflects its sweet, tender, almost caressing tannins. The wine continues to develop on the palate, with an immersion of delicate fruit character (raspberries and hazelnuts), and leaves a final impression of great refinement on the finish. This is a very distinguished wine, whose concentration and potential promise a long life. Decant it to enjoy with a veal roast and wild mushrooms, or a blanquette with fresh pasta. As well as many other food matches, of course.

This tender vintage produced tasty wines that are ready to drink despite their youth, with lightly-flavored foods or white meats. One notes the soft extraction of the tannins and a careful selection in the cellars to preserve a fresh and clean character on the palate. The bouquet is still discreet, with aromas of cinnamon, blackberry, fig and wood notes that become evident after agitation; decanting will bring out still other aromas. This wine is so easy to enjoy that your glass is ready to be refilled before you know it…

A deep ruby color and aromas lightly highlighting vanilla: this is the first impression. In the mouth the wine is all softness and generosity. This is a classic vintage, soft and supple, full of charm. The palate is predominated by fruit like strawberry and red currant, which evolve to subtle game flavors on the finish. This wine is characterized by an upfront purity and finesse which is already fully satisfying with a cheese soufflé or quiche.

This stunning vintage has been somewhat overshadowed by the quality of the two preceding years, but is now being discovered for its flattering character. With its beautiful deep color and discreet spicy aromas, this wine shows a stunning youth, firmness and complexity. Decanting before service will reward one with fine aromas of coffee, cedar and black currant which will allow it to perfectly accompany an omelette with wild mushrooms or a variety of French cheeses. However there’s no rush: this wine will continue to age well in a good cellar.

This is another very young wine which benefits from decanting. Its aromas are marked by pencil lead, black fruit and cigars. The round first impressions in the mouth are due to the subtlety of the Cabernets which express themselves with finesse and complexity, displaying spice bread flavors. This is a vintage of great sunshine which produced mature and powerful tannins marked by freshness. There’s no need to rush this wine, it will still be great in ten years. It can only get better with age, but it already shows great class!
 

Very attractive black-cherry color with brilliant highlights, and aromas that remain reserved for its age; great concentration in the mouth with well-knit tannins: these are all the ingredients for a great Cantemerle united in one wine. This is a classic vintage for the property, incredibly young, substantial and still a touch austere. In short, a wine for further aging. Still, lovers of young wines will find much to enjoy with a density which shows great potential. Decant two hours before serving with duck and olives, leg of lamb or soft cheeses.

This fine wine is tightly-knit, giving it a somewhat austere reputation. The ebony-black color suggests a power and an aromatic opulence which coats the palate. The Cabernets’ density brings a fullness in the mouth that is typical of a vintage made for the long haul, which will age very well especially in magnum. It drinks nicely today, if decanted before serving. Between the massive first impression in the mouth and the lively finish, it has everything to offer for a fine match with a Sunday steak dinner.

This tender vintage naturally produced wines that are supple and round, often described as “feminine”. Accordingly, there is a characteristic finesse and elegance, with attractive aromas of licorice, pepper and cinnamon, and tannins as delicate as lace. No need to wait on this wine: this vintage is ready to drink without ceremony or circumstance. A very charming wine that is perfect for an omelette-based lunch.

This is a classic Médoc vintage where the end of the growing season favored mature Cabernets. These grapes make their presence felt in the glass with elegant aromas of black fruit and tobacco, and on the palate with flavorful scents of black currant and spice. Ripe tannins contribute balance, intensity, and a good long finish. This is a wine which magnificently illustrates the potential of the Cantemerle terroir. It perfectly accompanies a veal sauté, a blanquette and various cheese-based dishes.

2005 was a stunning vintage of great sunshine, which produced an atypical Cantemerle. Unexpected aromas of coffee and caramel accompany an opulent presence on the palate; the attack is smooth and impressions of roundness persist through the finish. Still, the wine resists aging, preserving a slight firmness which balances the softness of the super-ripe tannins. This wine can continue to age in a good cellar, but it is already delicious with a cut of roast beef or hearty beef stew.

With expressive aromas on the nose and cigar and cedar on the palate, this wine is a great classic, substantial and ready to drink. The tannins are ripe and stylish, the finish is long and lively, the structure is solid and elegant: everything is present for a satisfying accompaniment with ham shanks and lentils or roast chicken with wild mushrooms. The wine shows a subtle balance between firmness and finesse, as if hesitating between youth and maturity…

An historic vintage, a year of great heat where the extremely overripe grapes were harvested as early as September 10th. The wine is Cabernet-predominant, contributing freshness and aromas of spices, coffee and game. The bouquet is very expressive and the finish does the wine proud with a length that is unexpected for this vintage. No need for further aging: guaranteed pleasure and richness is on offer here.

This rather light vintage, whose early harvest began on September 16th, isn’t intended for long aging. Nevertheless, after all these years the wine shows an aromatic expression in contrast with its age, provided it has been properly stored. The assemblage of the four Médoc grape varieties gives a complexity in which the pleasing softness of Merlot is dominant. This is a very charming wine, generous and easy to enjoy, for drinking now with sweetbreads or scallops in cream.

Sheathed in elegant, brilliant evening dress showing tile-colored hints, the wine offers resinous aromas of licorice and cashew, which are echoed on the palate. With a good finish built more on charm than power, it offers generous and immediate pleasure. This wine appears to be in peak form, ready to drink today with rabbit terrine or guinea fowl. Its tannins are completely satisfying, and a slight liveliness on the finish belies the wine’s true age.

Delicate, subtle, harmonious, soft: one doesn’t want for words to describe this wine, coming from a mythic vintage and already mature. In truth, this wine no longer displays its youthful vivacity, now transformed into finesse. Its aromas open onto rose-bordered paths, with light tannins, and an elegant color touched by amber. To enjoy an aged Médoc at its best, drink now.