2021 Château du Tertre, Margaux, Bordeaux

2021 Château du Tertre, Margaux, Bordeaux

Product: 20218007339
 
2021 Château du Tertre, Margaux, 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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Description

Cabernet Sauvignon 64%, Cabernet Franc 20%, Merlot 10%, Petit Verdot 6%

There’s not much Merlot here; it was affected, like at so many estates, by summer mildew. This is the first full vintage for the new owners, the Helfrich family. New director Cynthia Capelaere explained that although 37 hl/ha were achieved, volumes of the grand vin were down by 30% after blending. There is more Cabernet Franc, giving a lifted, floral side to the wine. But this is no lightweight; there is a surprising amount of intensity that carries the wine through to a spicy, aromatic finish, with hints of blackberry leaf and coffee. Drink 2026-2040.

Our score: 16.5/20

Berry Bros. & Rudd, April 2022

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Critics reviews

Neal Martin, Vinous90-92/100

The 2021 Château du Tertre was picked from September 28 until October 12 and aged in 50% new oak. It is quite bold on the nose, offering expressive blackberry, mint and cedar scents, almost Pauillac-like in style. Affording it a few minutes in the glass, it seems to gather momentum. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, concentrated black fruit, a little graphite toward the finish courtesy of the Cabernet Sauvignon, and quite a spicy aftertaste. This is a commendable 2021 that should age with style.

Drink 2027 - 2039

Neal Martin, vinous.com, (May 2022) Read more

Jane Anson92/100

First full year under new owners the Helfrich family, with the talented Frederic Ardouin remaining as techincal director. This is sculpted, skilfully worked, with plenty of finessed raspberry and loganberry fruit, sandalwood smoke on the nose and gentle tannic frame. Good appellation signature, well balanced.

Drink 2026 - 2040

Jane Anson, janeanson.com (May 2022) Read more

Jancis Robinson MW16.5/20

Dark crimson. Intense, rather glamorous nose. Rich and silky-smooth. Quite seductive and none of the café-crème (oak?) notes that this wine used to have. Good combination of intensity and refreshment. Very long. Quite a success! Even if it comes to a rather sudden halt. Medium tannic grip on the end.

Drink 2027 - 2040

James Lawther, jancisrobinson.com (May 2022) Read more

Wine Advocate90-93/100

The 2021 du Tertre is a very pretty, elegant wine, bursting with aromas of wild berries, exotic spices, cigar box and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, ample and seamless, it's velvety and enveloping, with bright acids, beautifully refined tannins and a mouthwatering finish. The blend this year is 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, a mere 10% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot.

William Kelley, Wine Advocate (Apr 2022) Read more

James Suckling92-93/100

A juicy and soft textured, medium-bodied red with cherry, earth and orange-peel character. Creamy and delicious. 64% cabernet sauvignon, 20% cabernet franc, 10% merlot and 6% petit verdot.

James Suckling, jamessuckling.com (May 2022) Read more

About this WINE

Chateau du Tertre

Chateau du Tertre

Château du Tertre in Margaux was in the 1990s a prime contender for the prize of the least-known Classed Growth wine in the Médoc. It was bought by the Dutch businessman, Eric Albada Jelgersma, in 1997 with a mission to revitalise the estate's fortunes. Château du Tertre's revival was first signalled with its stunning offering from the 2000 vintage and this has continued with equally strong offerings from 2005 and 2008 and 2009.

Château du Tertre can trace its history back to the 12th century, has 50 hectares of vineyards which neighbour those of Cantenac-Brown and Brane-Cantenac to the north and Giscours to the east.

It is situated on one of the highest hills in the Margaux commune which is where its name comes from (Tertre means knoll). The wines is typically a blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc - Previously the wine's ageing capacity was suspect but examples from recent vintages will age easily for 15 or more years.

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Margaux

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.

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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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