2016 Chateau Cantemerle Haut Medoc

  • 98 Point Vintage
  • 94 Point Grand Cru Classé
  • One of Cantemerle’s Best Wines Ever
  • “Food-Flexible” Bordeaux
  • Free Shipping on 6 or More Bottles

About the Wine

2016 was an amazing year for Bordeaux. Vinous blessed the vintage with 98 points, saying the wines are “absolutely harmonious.” Of the 2016 Haut-Médoc wines, in particular, Decanter raves: The 1855 classified wines and top crus bourgeois have producedsome of their best-ever bottles…The wines have fruit and power combined with high levels of silky tannins.

One of the Haut-Médoc wineries producing one of those best bottles ever was Château Cantemerle Haut-Médoc. Their 2016 was born from the silica and gravel soils of their vineyards that cause the vines to struggle and produce grapes of great quality.

“This is easily one of their best ever wines, totally living up to its fifth growth billing,” Decanter says of thisGrand Cru Classé.This is their Grand Vin, the Château’s top wine, and it’s a critical darling (just take a look below at the rave reviews).

This classic Cab Sauv/Merlot/Cab Franc/Petit VerdotLeft Bank blend creates acharming wine with a powerful bouquet and a soft, lively flavor. Plenty of fresh tannins mean it will age for a long time, as you’d expect a wine of this pedigree to do.

It’s also an incredibly “food-flexible wine” as James Suckling puts it. There’s always room on your wine rack or in your cellar for a wine that goes with a variety of dishes, but there won’t always be time to get this wine in your collection.  The longer the 2016 Bordeaux wines are on the market, the scarcer they become, particularly at this excellent price.

Aging: 12 months in French oak barrels(medium toast) which 40% are new

Tasting NotesCabernet Sauvignon 64%, Merlot 28%, Cabernet Franc 5%, Petit Verdot 3%. Classic Cantemerle aromas—tobacco, black currant, cloves, and a woodiness typical of ripe Cabernet—show up in this wine. The tannins are very supple, lingering elegantly on the finish.

Reviews

Plenty of menthol, blackberry, and blackcurrant aromas in this elegant, medium-weight Haut-Médoc that’s got as much freshness as ripeness and a long, clean, mineral, and herbal finish. An incredibly food-flexible wine! Drink or hold.~94 Points, James Suckling.

For me this is easily one of their best-ever wines, totally living up to its fifth growth billing. Lovely and juicy with excellent tension, really walking that line. Menthol, cassis, and cedar are framed by well-wrought tannins that bring the whole thing together and lead onto a juicy finish. The blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot is aged in 40% new oak for 12 months, followed by a further four months in vats before bottling.~93 Points, Decanter.

Well-integrated tannins give this wine a rich, velvet character that is underlined by the blackberry fruits. The aftertaste is dense, concentrated and rich. 93 points. Wine Enthusiast.

The 2016 Cantemerle has developed beautifully with élevage. Pliant, silky, and exceptionally balanced, 2016 has the pedigree and complexity to allow for a number of years of ver find drinking. Moreover, 2016 delivers serious flavor intensity without being at all heavy. Smoke, iron, and cedar add character to a Haut-Médoc that has a lot to offer.~92 Points, Vinous.

The 2016 Cantemerle has a tightly wound bouquet and it never quite delivers the detail and mineralité that some of its peers have produced in this vintage. There are attractive undergrowth scents and a touch of tobacco, but it does not leap from the glass with joy. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, good depth of fruit, and blackberry laced with cedar and graphite. One sample missed a little precision, however, a second and third demonstrated much more precision and tension. My score reflects this. ~90-92 Points, Wine Advocate.

Starts with a violet note but turns darker quickly, with dark currant and black cherry preserve flavors forming the core. Nice fresh tobacco and iron details carry the mouthwatering finish. Focused and tasty. Drink now through 2030.~ 90 Points, Wine Spectator.

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