The Producer
Château Cantemerle has an ancient history in the Médoc and is among the Grands Crus Classés of 1855, where it is ranked as a fifth growth. For several centuries, the property belonged to the Villeneuve and then Dubos families. In 1981, a new chapter began with its acquisition by the French group SMA BTP, which has since supported the estate in preserving this heritage. Since 2021, under the leadership of Laure Canu, Cantemerle has experienced a new dynamic, with the ambition to further elevate the quality of the wines while respecting the identity and soul of the place.
Located at the southern tip of the Médoc peninsula, the estate covers 200 hectares, including nearly 100 hectares of forest, park, and meadows. The vineyard represents 98 hectares, grouped around the château on a terroir of deep gravel and silico-gravel soils. These gravels, resulting from the ancient erosion of the Pyrenees by the Garonne, are poor and particularly draining; they store the sun's heat during the day and release it at night, thus promoting the ripening of the grapes. The vines are on average 40 years old and are currently composed of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, and 4% Cabernet Franc.
Today, Cantemerle enters a new phase with the inauguration in 2025 of a large technical complex completely rethought. A new gravity-fed and parcel-based winery with 114 stainless steel tanks allows for the vinification of each parcel, even some sub-parcels, separately. The vinification favors a gentle approach, more based on infusion than extraction, in order to seek precise, elegant, and fresh wines rather than power. The grand wine is then aged for 12 months in French oak barrels, of which 35% are new wood. This modernization is accompanied by a strong environmental approach, notably through a geothermal loop, a reduction in water consumption, and the RSE certification "Cultivons Demain" obtained in 2023.
The Wine
Tasting
In its youth, the wine reveals notes of cherry, black fruits, rose petal, and violet. The Petit Verdots bring, like a subtle condiment, delicate notes of spices. Its tannins are melted, enveloping. Its texture, smooth and fleshy, always retains great freshness.
Over time, the aromas evolve towards spicier notes of underbrush, blonde tobacco, and black tea. The wine acquires that understated distinction that marks the great Bordeaux for aging.
Seductive today, it also reveals all its potential after many years in the cellar!
Scores and Notes
94
James Suckling
17/20
La RVF
91
Decanter
90
Vinous