(this general information is for Chateau Cantemerle)
| Appellation |
Haut Medoc |
| Area under vine |
87 hectares |
| Production |
29,000 Grand Vin, 11,000 second wine |
| Soil |
Quarternary siliceous gravel |
| Cepages |
58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc |
| Elevage |
12-14 months in barrel 40% new for each vintage |
| 1855 Classification |
Fifth Growth |
‘This famous old property, after a period of decline, has now been rapidly restored to its former glory. The style of Cantemerle leans towards elegance combined with good richness in the middle palate.’ David Peppercorn MW
‘Large 90 hectare property in south Medoc which after a chequered past now merits its Fifth Growth status. Its sandy-gravel soils produce a finer style of wine.’ Hugh Johnson MW.
http://www.cantemerle.com/ - a very informative website
2005 VINTAGE
Why I selected this wine
I first tasted 2005 Les Allees de Cantemerle in a blind line-up of half bottles in Bordeaux. I was staggered when the wines were unveiled as this was my highest scoring wine and it was the cheapest – bravo blind tasting.
2005 Les Allees has good colour; a bright fresh pungeant nose of rich plums, some earth, and blind, I thought it had some nice Margaux suppleness (it is just outside Margaux). My notes say - rich, juicy, supple, engaging, balanced, long. Bravo Les Allees. This tasing note was of a half bottle.
Robert Parker (Rating 90) review of 2005 Chateau Cantemerle
Cantemerle’s new proprietors believe in producing delicate, beautifully wrought, finesse-styled wines that require some introspection. The deep ruby-hued 2005 displays aromas of liquorice, roasted herbs, sweet cherries, and flowers. In the mouth, the wine seems almost light in comparison to its peers, but it possesses an ethereal seriousness, purity, and overall harmony that are striking for its delicacy and finesse. A blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest primarily Merlot with a tiny dollop of Cabernet Franc, it should be at its finest between 2012-2025+.
Provenance - a cold European cellar
