2011 Château Cantemerle, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux

2011 Château Cantemerle, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux

Product: 20118004338
Prices start from £250.00 per case Buying options
2011 Château Cantemerle, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux

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Available by the case In Bond. Pricing excludes duty and VAT, which must be paid separately before delivery. Storage charges apply.
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12 x 75cl bottle
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Description

If someone asked you what does Claret/Bordeaux taste like, I’d whizz them down to Merignac airport, drive out on the D2, stop at the first property on the left, let them out and say “enjoy yourself”. Charming, correct, not flashy, just cool, ripe and composed, this is a wine to have with a plate of bread and cheese of a Tuesday night and not feel guilty about the cost of it. Classic Claret.
Simon Staples, Berrys' Fine Wine Director

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Critics reviews

Wine Advocate91/100
An elegant, successful 2011, Cantemerle has produced a finesse-styled wine with a dense ruby/purple color as well as copious notes of flowers, mulberries, raspberries and blueberries. With dramatic quality and purity, this medium-bodied effort possesses sweet tannins and a texture that builds incrementally. A lighter-styled, but beautifully crafted, well done 2011, it can be enjoyed over the next 10-15 years.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 30/04/2014 Read more
Decanter16/20
Attractively aromatic southern Médoc fruit, charm and spice from the Merlot, elegant firmness from the Cabernet and overall finesse and balance. Read more

About this WINE

Chateau Cantemerle

Chateau Cantemerle

Ch. Cantemerle's woodland setting is amongst the most beautiful of any château in the Médoc. It is located in the far south of the region, almost on the outskirts of the city of Bordeaux. It is the first major property on the Médoc Route des Châteaux, north of Bordeaux.

Cantemerle has 94 hectares of vineyards, planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Merlot (30%), Cabernet Franc (6%) and Petit Verdot (4%). The wines are made under the guidance of consultant oenologist, Eric Boissenot, undergoing 12 months' ageing in French oak, of which 40% is new.

Cantemerle is a Cinquième Cru Classé, with approximately 400,000 bottles produced each year and a further 160,000 bottles of the property’s second wine, Les Allées de Cantemerle.

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Haut-Medoc

Haut-Medoc

Despite being as visually unprepossessing as the rest of the Médoc (despite its grandiose châteaux) this large red-wine appellation of Haut-Médoc is home to some of the world’s greatest wines. Its 4,500 hectares of vineyards form a largely continuous strip that follows the Gironde from St Seurin-de-Cadourne, just north of St Estèphe, to Blanquefort in the northern suburbs of Bordeaux.

All the great communes of the Left Bank fall within its boundaries: Margaux, St Julien, Pauillac and St Estèphe, as well as the up and coming Moulis and Listrac. These are labelled under their own, more illustrious and expensive appellation names. Châteaux labelled simply as Haut-Médoc rarely reach such heights, but nevertheless offer consistently good quality and offer some of the best value in Bordeaux.

Haut-Médoc wines tend to be firm and fine with generous fruit and a nice minerality – what many would consider ‘classic Claret’. They come from loftier vineyards and offer higher quality and more complexity than those labelled simply as ‘Médoc’. Almost all wines are a blend of the principal varieties – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc – which helps producers hedge their bets if the slightly capricious climate causes one variety to fail. Small amounts of Petit Verdot, Malbec and even Carmenère are also used.

The higher proportion of sand and gravel to the south tends to produce finer wines, while the heavier clay and gravel north of Margaux yields sturdier examples. The best Haut-Médocs are found north of Ludon, a village just below Margaux. These include five classified Growths: Third Growth Ch. La Lagune, underperforming Fourth Growth Ch. la Tour Carnet and Fifth Growths Ch. Cantemerle, Ch. Camensac and Ch. Belgrave – as well as a number of fine Cru Bourgeois. Ageing ability varies but the lesser wines are usually delicious after three to four years, lasting around a decade, while the Cru Classés have a drinkability window of around six to 15 years.

Recommended Châteaux (labelled as Haut-Médoc): Ch. Beaumont, Ch. Belgrave, Ch. Cantemerle, Ch. Peyrabon

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Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

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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