2010 Château du Tertre, Margaux, Bordeaux
Critics reviews
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 28/02/2013
Jancis Robinson MW- jancis robinson.com 18 Apr 2011
James Molesworth – The Wine Spectator – Mar 2011
90/100 Robert Parker- Wine Advocate- Feb 2013
Some of my tasting colleagues enjoyed the 2010 Du Tertre more than I, but I found it somewhat short for the vintage. However, it does offer a dark ruby color as well as attractive cranberry, black cherry and berry fruit intermixed with cedar and licorice characteristics. Although well-made, it did not excite me as much as many of the 2010s.
87-89/100 Robert Parker- Wine Advocate- May 2011
About this WINE
Château du Tertre
Château du Tertre in Margaux can trace its history back to the 12th century. The estate has 50 hectares of vineyards, neighbouring Cantenac-Brown and Brane-Cantenac to the north and Giscours to the east. In 2021, the estate was sold by the Albada Jelgersma family to a French institutional investor; it is run by the Helfrich family of Les Grands Chais de France.
It is situated on one of the highest hills in the Margaux commune, where its name comes from (Tertre means knoll).
The vineyard has a relatively high percentage of Cabernet Franc for this part of Bordeaux, though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the plantings, supported by Merlot and a little Petit Verdot.
Margaux
If Pauillac can be seen as the bastion of ‘traditional’ Red Bordeaux, then Margaux represents its other facet in producing wines that are among Bordeaux’s most sensual and alluring. It is the largest commune in the Médoc, encompassing the communes of Cantenac, Soussans, Arsac and Labaude, in addition to Margaux itself. Located in the centre of the Haut-Médoc, Margaux is the closest of the important communes to the city of Bordeaux.
The soils in Margaux are the lightest and most gravelly of the Médoc, with some also containing a high percentage of sand. Vineyards located in Cantenac and Margaux make up the core of the appelation with the best vineyard sites being located on well-drained slopes, whose lighter soils give Margaux its deft touch and silky perfumes. Further away from the water, there is a greater clay content and the wines are less dramatically perfumed.
Margaux is the most diffuse of all the Médoc appelations with a reputation for scaling the heights with irreproachable wines such as Ch. Margaux and Ch. Palmer, but also plumbing the depths, with too many other châteaux not fulfilling their potential. There has been an upward shift in recent years, but the appellation cannot yet boast the reliability of St Julien. However, the finest Margaux are exquisitely perfumed and models of refinement and subtlety which have few parallels in Bordeaux.
Recommended Châteaux: Ch. Margaux, Ch. Palmer, Ch. Brane-Cantenac, Ch. Rauzan-Ségla , Ch. Dufort-Vivens, Ch. Ferrière, Ch. du Tertre, Ch. Giscours, Ch. d'Angludet.
Cabernet Sauvignon blend
Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.
In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.
In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and Australia.
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Description
70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot.
Best ever! A bold statement? Perhaps, but we have been going here to taste for many years, and it just gets better every year. Always soft, round and ripe, the team has brought it to another level. Lovely crushed raspberry and cream on the nose and a deliciously velvety mouthful, like cold raspberry ripple ice cream on warm summer pudding. It's a consistent quality that you can always rely on. Delicious!
Berry Bros. & Rudd
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