Deep Cover: Top Right Bank Buy of 2021.

“This property defies all constraints of vintage.” – Tim Atkin MW

Folks, there is no way of sugar-coating it: 2021 was NOT a good vintage in Bordeaux. In some circles, it’s even been written off completely as a DISASTER. Which is why - by and large - I’ve been avoiding it, awaiting one of those rare wines made in 2021 that transcends the vintage’s multitude of challenges for red Bordeaux. Until this dropped. THIS is a 2021 we can finally stand behind.

Here’s a clear case for putting Tertre atop the Right Bank pyramid: consider the price. Really, NOTHING competes. Ausone? Pavie? Cheval Blanc? All upwards of $500-$1,000. Only 8 wines scored higher in St.-Émilion according to Vinous, emphasizing the QPR here.

Château Le Tertre Rôteboeuf is a top St.-Émilion Grand Cru owned by Francois Mitjavile, who also owns Château Roc de Cambes in the Côtes de Bourg. Just a few thousand cases are made each year from their small 14-acre vineyard, and we have but a small number of bottles to share today. I cannot emphasize strongly enough how rare this is, rarely seen in the wild, a search today reveals just 4 listings.

It’s normally such an over-the-top wine that Robert Parker has tasting notes over the decades that are a joy to read. They span from “so rich and concentrated one thinks of the opulence and richness of a Petrus or a Guigal La Mouline rather than a St-Émilion” to “in the blind tasting, I was convinced that the 1990 Tertre Rôteboeuf was the 1990 Le Pin - so much for experience.” Yet the unique 2021 vintage adds a haunting etherealness to that style, making it an instant collectible, in a year best avoided in most other cases.

Hope that the high-level honesty leads you to try what the Tertre hype is all about without paying crazy money for it, amazing what people ask for some wines these days!

Our second time offering some, a very small stash for the lucky few.

95 Points – Vinous “The 2021 Tertre Rôteboeuf is a dark, sensual wine. Deceptive in its midweight feel, the 2021 is wonderfully persistent and nuanced from start to finish. Kirsch, sweet spice, tobacco, mint, dried flowers, mocha, rose petal and cinnamon are all beautifully delineated. The 2021 was bottled just a few months before this tasting. My impression is that it is still recovering from bottle shock. As always, Tertre Rôteboeuf is distinguished by its thrilling inner perfume, sweetness, and overall character. Drink 2031-2061.”

95 Points – Inside Bordeaux “It’s a brave estate that makes 100% 1st wine in the 2021 vintage, but Tertre Rotebeouf is perfectly placed on south-facing slopes, with obsessive attention to detail in the vineyard from the Mitjavile family. One to look out for, this has rich aromatics, a touch of reduction, fleshy black cherry, smoked earth, powerful liquorice bud, rose petals and clove spice, expanding through the mid palate. Works both in terms of the estate signature and in showcasing the potential of the 2021 vintage for sculpted but still concentrated wines in the right spots. Brilliant stuff. No crushing of the grapes here but full destemming, no cold soaks, 16% press wine, 100% new oak.”

95 Points – Tim Atkin MW “Rich, wild, living, spicy. Oak and fruit, with power and yet elegance. This is super-inviting, and yet again, this property defies all constraints of vintage. Powerful and rich in the mouth with layers upon layers of spices, coffee, cedar, and black fruit. Concentrated and rich without any greenness at all. Wonderful extract and depth. Fresh acidity and rich rounded tannins. A spectacular wine indeed.”