Tasting Notes
JancisRobinson.com 17/20
Barrel sample. Very dark crimson. Intense red fruits and also intensely toasty/oaky, as this wine so often is en primeur. The fruit is concentrated and sweet but not overripe, the tannins deep and densely silky. At the moment the oak and the concentration give a very slight bitterness on the finish but I think this will disappear as the oak recedes and the lovely fruit emerges. (I tasted the 2017 straight after this and although it is still oaky, the fruit is becoming more obviously the core of the wine.) Just fresh enough, if not quite as fresh as in some vintages. (JH)
Anticipated maturity: 2025-2036
Vinous 96/100
The 2018 Tertre-Rôteboeuf is a rich, heady Saint-Émilion. Ripe, flamboyant and creamy, the 2018 captures all of the opulence of the vintage. Black fruit, bittersweet chocolate, spice, new leather and tobacco gradually open in the glass, but the 2018 is a dense, plush wine that needs time to show all it has to offer. The bouquet displays a bit of reduction, so opening the wine in advance and possibly decanting, are advisable. As always, François Mitjavile crafts one of the most distinctive wines in all of Bordeaux.
Anticipated maturity: 2026-2043