Winemaker Notes
Blend: 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of currants and berries with hints of chocolate. Full body with a solid core of fruit and a flavorful finish. Very fine. Cantermerle delivers in 2011. Better in 2016.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
An elegant, successful 2011, Cantemerle has produced a finesse-styled wine with a dense ruby/purple color as well as copious notes of flowers, mulberries, raspberries and blueberries. With dramatic quality and purity, this medium-bodied effort possesses sweet tannins and a texture that builds incrementally. A lighter-styled, but beautifully crafted, well done 2011, it can be enjoyed over the next 10-15 years.
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Wine Spectator
Supple and nicely focused, with currant, plum and cherry notes judiciously toasted, which lets a pretty floral note chime on the finish.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
While it claims the same basic landscape as the Medoc—only every so slightly elevated above river level—the Haut Medoc is home to all of the magnificent chateaux of the Left Bank of Bordeaux, creating no lack of beautiful sites to see.
These chateaux, residing over the classed-growth cru in the villages of Margaux, Moulis, Listrac, St-Julien, Pauillac and St. Estephe are within the Haut Medoc appellation. Though within the confines of these villages, any classed-growth chateaux will most certainly claim village or cru status on their wine labels.
Interestingly, some classed-growth cru of the Haut Medoc fall outside of these more famous villages and can certainly be a source of some of the best values in Bordeaux. Deep in color, and concentrated in ripe fruit and tannins, these wines (typically Cabernet Sauvignon-based) often prove the same aging potential of the village classed-growths. Among these, the highest ranked chateaux are Chateau La Lagune and Chateau Cantemerle.