Vintage1990
TypeRed
ProducerChâteau Cantemerle (web)
VarietyRed Bordeaux Blend
Designationn/a
Vineyardn/a
CountryFrance
RegionBordeaux
SubRegionMédoc
AppellationHaut-Médoc
UPC Code(s)087000309128, 087000327900, 3148590512231

Drinking Windows and Values
Drinking window: Drink between 1995 and 2016 (based on 9 user opinions)
Wine Market Journal quarterly auction price: See Cantemerle on the Wine Market Journal.

Community Tasting History

Community Tasting Notes (average 90.5 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 43 notes)

 Tasted by manemis on 3/23/2024 & rated 91 points: A bit thin initially but opened up nicely after 2 hours decant. Brownish brick along the rim but still deep red core colour. Leather. Well balanced. Medium length. Not too complex or concentrated but enjoyable to drink. Drink up. (104 views)
 Tasted by James Kim on 2/24/2024 & rated 92 points: Stood up for 24h then decanted off sediment, which wasn't huge. Initially some funk which blew off. Took about 1.5h for that wine to come together. Now 3.5h after decant. Nice aromas of cassis and currants mixes with leather, cedar, old book mustiness(a good thing!), bark and a hint of dark caramel. Palate w tart currants, cassis, leather, cedar and bark. Elegant, light-med body with excellent acids and faint tannins. Lacks some concentration and depth and not that complex for me. Plenty of fruit but it is starting to dry out and become more tart. Still delicious thought. All in all, a fully mature and very nice wine which is probably on the other side of its peak and on a gentle downslope. Frankly, the wine more than met my expectations. (235 views)
 Tasted by geoffreychambertin on 11/25/2023 & rated 94 points: This was firing on all cylinders tonight and is everything I want in older Bordeaux. (458 views)
 Tasted by SussexSB on 7/26/2023 & rated 91 points: She lives on! Very mellow and no birds. Not complicated, PnP. but all there. Gently thinning, but structure and finish still there. Nose peng. Wanted an aged claret to go with some roast leg saged pork. Perfect. (610 views)
 Tasted by empire80 on 10/8/2022 & rated 92 points: Wow, 7 years from my previous bottle, and this doesn't seem to have declined at all! Yes it is very tertiary and definitely for drinking now, but it's a beautifully complete mature claret, everything in place and just a warm mellow feeling as the finish gently fades. (1265 views)
 Tasted by mzimberg on 8/12/2022: Pop and pour. Rusty rim. Immediate gorgeous aromas. Bell pepper, worn leather plums and candied orange. Pretty palate with great texture and a smooth long finish. This is in a really great spot. Textbook Bordeaux. (1220 views)
 Tasted by Papies on 2/25/2022 & rated 91 points: Opened rested and served.
1990 delivers at this level of pedigree for those who like us love soft and well evolved classic claret. Well matured, very earthy, leathery wine and a joy to cross paths with it. Very pretty. 91 and drink sooner than later (1457 views)
 Tasted by winesavant68 on 2/2/2022 & rated 85 points: Cigar box heaven. This wine is in a really good place and well defined at 32. It really tastes like you are drinking an unlit cigar box that just lingers. This is about half cab, 40% merlot and the rest petite Verdot and cab franc. This wine has a sweet smoky taste in your palate that goes on for at least 40 seconds. Just am impressive wine from the medoc. (1238 views)
 Tasted by Michael Mackenzie on 8/22/2020 & rated 93 points: I bought this in 1997 and shipped it back to the UK from HK where it had been shipped!

Told that it was at its peak in 1997, it has proved completely otherwise. It is in a sweet spot now in spite of a bit of brett on the nose.
Colour: med deep red, broad rim with brown tinge.
Nose: after decanting for two hours, full, ripe, fleshy, good mature CS notes, coffee, blackberries, plum, liqourice
Taste: full, round, quite hot (although only 12%), good ripe CS fruit backed up by Merlot, long fresh finish with still some tannins at work.
A pleasure to drink after thirty years! (1954 views)
 Tasted by Peter Siesing on 3/20/2020: Super flot stand.

Super for de 30 år men nok lige fem år over tid (1773 views)
 Tasted by salil on 11/23/2018 & rated 93 points: What a fantastic showing. In a perfect spot of maturity now with the red and black fruited flavours still quite fresh, but now matched by layers of mature tobacco, earth, mushroom, and a whiff of leathery/slightly barnyardy Cordier funk that's just enough to add complexity without overwhelming or distracting from the other flavours. The texture is fantastic - it's medium weight and silken on the palate, and the tannin here feels fully resolved. Drinking wonderfully right now. (3087 views)
 Tasted by arvidpalmqvist on 8/22/2018: Initially some broth and soy on the nose which made me think this wine would be less alive, it was however really vibrant with a good amount of acidity and aromas of coffee, cola, sous bois and (while not particularly fruity at all) some dried fruit. Felt less oaky than many Bdx, in a good way. (2462 views)
 Tasted by humagne on 7/16/2018 & rated 93 points: Consistently a pleasure to drink. All in balance and quite ready now. Excellent. (2582 views)
 Tasted by humagne on 1/21/2018 & rated 93 points: This is in good shape now. Lots of pepper and some barnyard. Still fruit left. Good attack on the palate and well structured. Tannins well integrated. Medium length. (2466 views)
 Tasted by hadlieh2 on 8/18/2017 & rated 94 points: Pop -intended to open early but didn't. Poured 15 minutes before dinner -filet mignonette. Perfect match Delicious - no old smell wonderful. But last bottle (2843 views)
 Tasted by Jeff Leve on 5/10/2017 & rated 90 points: Medium bodied, elegant, fresh and floral, with a sweet, red cherry and plum core of fruit, the is a refined, freshness to the bright, almost crisp, earthy fruits in the finish. Fully mature, this requires drinking. (3779 views)
 Tasted by stayhappy21 on 6/19/2016 & rated 88 points: Drank this last night at Mu Liang Zai last night to celebrate Father's Day and my mum's birthday.

Colour is brickish red brown, showing off its age without a doubt. Sediments are also spotted at the bottom of the bottle.

Heavy notes of sour plums and oily liver. Wine opened up only after an hour and it was doing better as the dinner progresses. Notes of primary fruits are more or less gone, with the secondary notes well evolved and taken over.

This wine is clearly past its prime. If you have any more bottles left, do consider drinking it up soon, and give it some air before consumption. (3444 views)
 Tasted by Wineteacher on 12/29/2015 & rated 91 points: Even better this time. This one is the last of my three. Nice and beautiful long cork. The wine has virtually no sediment. The color is surprisingly bright and medium dark. The bouquet was a beautiful combination of leather, tobacco and lead pencil. Very soft tannins but still in great youthful shape. Probably at peak but no huge hurry. An excellent wine of a great vintage. (3424 views)
 Tasted by empire80 on 3/5/2015 & rated 91 points: Hint of farmyard on the nose, but unmistakeable cedar and pencil too. Clearly fully evolved and probably in gentle decline, but fading fruit compensated by leathery complexity. Served slightly on the cool side, which probably helped. Highly enjoyable. (3753 views)
 Tasted by stiang on 6/26/2014 & rated 90 points: Meget bra klassisk bordeaux. Pent moden, men tåler å ligge lengre. (4250 views)
 Tasted by Wineteacher on 6/17/2014 & rated 90 points: The cork was still in good shape and it came out nicely using a Teflon coated Pull Screw. The wine was decanted with only a light sediment left behind. The color was light with a slight tile on the edge. The bouquet was a beautiful cedar and tobacco with a bit of dead leaf and saddle. There is also a bit of iodine and minerality. The taste is consistent with the bouquet. there is very little tannins left in this wine. The texture was of medium body even though the color of the wine was very light with a great deal of transparency. It is a very enjoyable wine of great complexity and with still enough fruit to hold interest. The fruit was also very evolved although not at all over the hill. Some may consider this wine past the peak of the plateau but I feel that it is well compensated by utmost complexity and with just the right type of profile for a mature claret. A lighter wine is a very good thing when the flavor is full and the complexity is all there. I would consider this wine at peak maturity myself. Loved it with a properly prepared French menu. (3939 views)
 Tasted by rossi.wine on 3/31/2014 & rated 88 points: Slight discolouration, orange-red, rusty. Also pretty evolved on the nose, cedar, spice box, earthy, leathery, plummy - expressive and pretty opulent. On the palate not a lot of concentration, a bit tired, mineral, hardly any tannins, subtle, round, lacking grip, medium- finish, nice, but not much depth. Drink up, past its peak. 87-88 (3190 views)
 Tasted by empire80 on 1/12/2014 & rated 91 points: Text book mature claret, cedar nose and gently fading fruit. This may be gently declining, but this bottle was extremely enjoyable. (2873 views)
 Tasted by Davyd Chong on 7/30/2013 & rated 91 points: Lovely mature Bordeaux nose, woody, very balanced and elegant wine, silky tannins, hints of dark chocolate, a bit of lime, lots of sweet dark fruits and cherries. Not too complex, and its flavour seemed on the decline, but still an easy drinking and enjoyable wine. Went perfectly well with my seafood dinner! (3393 views)
 Tasted by Darren747 on 11/12/2011 & rated 91 points: Delicious again, but time to drink up! (3986 views)
 Tasted by Darren747 on 6/7/2011 & rated 90 points: Decanted for only one hour as worried it may be a little too evolved. A deliciously mature nose with cassis, graphite, rich tobacco and a core of mature fruit cake. A lighter palate than the nose suggests, but well developed. Tannins are fully integrated and the fruit has almost gone, replaced with tobacco, leather and old cedar with just a touch of sous-bois. Elegant, refined and only 12% abv - classic claret and just as it should be. Probably a tad past its best but a lovely way to toast my final diploma exam today! (3838 views)
 Tasted by stiang on 11/24/2010 & rated 89 points: Dette var godt. Veldig modent - uten tvil på topp nå. Fortsatt mye struktur. (4226 views)
 Tasted by MPB54 on 8/11/2009: Drank one of 5 remaining in the cellar. Info says we should have consumed by 2007. Wine has begun to brown out. Probably past its peak but still a nice bottle of wine. Nice nose, good fruit, flavor opened over an hour or so. (4632 views)
 Tasted by RusNewton on 1/14/2009 & rated 93 points: Opened this with some trepidation as it was shown as 'drink by 2006'. So.... WOW. Very nice. Lovely deep colour, very full, blackcurrant flavour. Seems like it would last longer. (4111 views)
 Tasted by timewithwine on 11/21/2008: I’ve written this one up a couple of times in the past 6 months, so I won’t belabor the black current, graphite, cedar, leather and so forth or the medium weight body. No, this is more about the patience to open and wait for the wine to come into itself. Anticipating the sediment, I’d set this up for a week before the dinner. Using the Audouze method of Francois Audouze (contributor on ebob), I opened this in the afternoon, poured a tiny bit and let it sit. Upon opening, the color of the wine was rusty water. A little whiffy-whiff told me the wine was sound, but it sure didn’t taste like much; maybe some currants and pencil shavings, but not much of that. At dinner a few hours later, the glass offered a lighter bodied wine with the usual profile. The color had deepened to ruby. With the last morsel of the lamb gone, we sat and talked over the wine. It’s color had deepened to plum. The depth of flavor with leather, black currants and such was amazing. It had plumped up to a medium leaning heavier wine. It was astoundingly good. A bit of sediment. 12% alc. With rack of lamb and sauce of and sides of rice-cranberries stuffing and cauliflower topped with a lemon cream sauce. With the Washburns - good company. Highly Recommended. (367 views)
 Tasted by timewithwine on 10/17/2008: This bottle is even better than the last (August ‘08) perhaps due to a bit more patience that allowed the wine to open more before shoving it past the gums. No sense re-inventing the wheel here: “anise, blackberries, currants, coffee, cedar, graphite” (taken from my last post on this wine.) This seemed to have a bit more heft to it than the last bottle, but still is solidly in the middle weight category with no ability to put on any substantial lbs. And unlike the last bottle, it throws only a modicum of sediment. All in all drinking quite well. I suspect the last 2 bottles I have won’t be long for this world. 12% alc. A Cordier wine which is blended from Cabernet Sauvignon (45%), Merlot (40%), Cabernet Franc (10%) and Petit Verdot (5%). With London broil (beef) sauced with mushrooms in red wine. Drink now. Recommended. (366 views)
 Tasted by timewithwine on 8/31/2008: A Cordier wine which is blended from Cabernet Sauvignon (45%), Merlot (40%), Cabernet Franc (10%) and Petit Verdot (5%). Initially, this shows some band-aide, but fortunately, it blows off.) It has been a while since I pulled a Bordeaux and I was anxious to see what this might throw my way. What I found was a cornucopia of anise, blackberries, currants, coffee, cedar, graphite, graphite and more wondrous graphite! Unfortunately, the weight of the wine begins on the light side of medium then leans further to the light side. A sizeable deposit of sediment from the just above the punt to just below the base of the neck. 12% alc. With grilled New York (beef) strips. Drink now. Recommended. (371 views)
 Tasted by AndrewSGHall on 5/29/2007: Nice dark blood colour with a fig, leather and oily nose. Same soft and caressing texture. Less complex than previous bottle and floral fruits led into sweetness on the end, though balanced with earthy notes and overall feeling of mossy age. Very enjoyable to finish off an evening. (4118 views)
 Tasted by AndrewSGHall on 3/1/2007: Just an evening to compare some juice w/ friends: Opaque blood colour - even darker than the '97 Cos beside it. Rich nose with leather oil, fig and nuts. Really velvety and stroking texture. Light body. Medium finish with some cassis, elder flower and dust. Lovely, fresher feeling than expected. (4997 views)
 Tasted by DaleW on 9/19/2006 & rated 89 points: Good color, seems rather youthful. Tannins are fully resolved, and there are mature notes of leather and tobacco, but the fruit is reasonably lively for a 16 yrold lesser wine. The fruit is more red plum than black, and does have
a little bit of the roasted notes that can distract in the 1990s. This is not especially deep or complex, but a nice soft Bordeaux. Blind Ibet I would have guessed Right Bank (merlot), though label says it is 45% CS, 40% Merlot, 10 % CF, 5 % PV. This isn't a great Bordeaux, but a decent mature Bordeaux with roast chicken isn't a bad way to dine. (4123 views)
 Tasted by rvalicenti on 1/12/2006 & rated 89 points: Nice. Still has some black fruit. Musty and earthy. Some life ahead still. (4790 views)
 Tasted by Xavier Auerbach on 2/6/2003 & rated 90 points: A business dinner (Restaurant Châlet Royal *, Den Bosch, Netherlands): Nicely mature by now, aromatic (herbs, mint, strawberry and raspberry, stables), not the power of the 1989, lighter and more elegant but with good weight and length. Drink now - 2008. (1617 views)
 Tasted by AndrewSGHall on 1/27/2003: Hours to open up. At first, very bretty and metallic. Opened up with leathery notes and dried prune and blueberry fruit. Long finish with tarry notes and dried flowers.
Perhaps a little past peak, but overall exceeded its station rather remarkably. Paired excellently with Roast chicken with mushrom mac-n-goat cheese (4471 views)
 Tasted by timewithwine on 8/5/2001: Sunday, August 05, 2001 Light garnet from the center to the rim with a tinge of brickishness on the rim. Cedar, dust and cherry and plum fruit on the nose. Considering the vintage the mouthfeel was somewhat light, but not to the extent of ruining the wine. The nose carried thru to the flavors which were further complemented with tar. The finish, although somewhat short compared to other Cantemerle’s was nonetheless enjoyable. However, for a fifth growth classification, it was a little bit of a disappointment. The tannins just do not seem to be able to sustain the wine. Enjoyed in the company of Michael Ross with a meal of a roasted beef tenderloin with pepper relish, roasted red onions. 8/5/01. (368 views)

Professional 'Channels'
By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, May 2003
(Chateau Cantemerle Haut-Médoc) Subscribe to see review text.
By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, May 2003
(Château Cantemerle Haut-Médoc Red) Subscribe to see review text.
By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, December 2000
(Chateau Cantemerle Haut-Médoc) Subscribe to see review text.
By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, The 1990 Clarets...To Have and To Hold (Nov 1993) (11/1/1993)
(Cantemerle Cantemerle) Subscribe to see review text.
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Winedoctor and Vinous.

CellarTracker Wiki Articles

Château Cantemerle

Producer website

Château Cantemerle

Producer's page

Red Bordeaux Blend

Red Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.

Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.

France

Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)

Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings

2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.com

Bordeaux

Bordeaux Wine Guide

Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)

History of Bordeaux

History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification

"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson

"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson

"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson

"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon Rimmerman

Médoc

Vins du Médoc (Conseil des Vins du Médoc) - Read More about the Medoc

VdB

The eight precisely defined appellations of the whole of the Médoc (from Blanquefort Brook to the north of the Bordeaux built-up area, almost to the Pointe de Grave) may claim the Médoc appellation. But there is also a specific territory in the north of the peninsula which produces exclusively wines with this appellation. In the great majority, the Médocs come from the north of the peninsula. The great individuality of this region is that the number of vines has increased more recently here than elsewhere, apart from a few isolated spots where vines have grown for many years. Today, the size of the small estate has brought about the development of a powerful co-operative movement. Four co-operatives out of five belong to the group called Unimédoc which ensures aging, bottling and marketing a large proportion of their wines.

Haut-Médoc

Read more about Haut Medoc and its wines Long-standing fame The legally created division into Médoc and Haut-Médoc dates from 1935. But as long ago as 1815 a Chartrons broker, whose word carried weight, spoke of great red wines in the Haut-Médoc, so recognizing the high quality successfully achieved by this region's growers in the eighteenth century. The same Bordeaux broker revealed that the business world of the Chartrons and the great Bordeaux proprietors had established a sort of league-table of the parishes in which the vine-growing communes of today's Haut-Médoc appellation showed up well.

The Haut-Médoc appellation stretches over some thirty seven miles from north to south, from Saint-Seurin de Cadourne to Blanquefort. Within this area, certain zones produce wines exclusively with the Haut-Médoc appellation. It has terroirs of remarkable quality. And although we may note a certain predominance of layers of gravel (essentially Garonne gravel) from the Quaternary, all these sites are characterized by their wide diversity. Today in the southernmost communes of the appellation, the suburbs of Bordeaux, numerous vineyards which existed at the beginning of the twentieth century have disappeared, victims of urban expansion. But the vines live on... because man has retained his devotion to them.

The astonishing variety of different terroirs, the result of the very extent of the area, explains the diversity of Haut-Médoc wines, a fact which is rare within one and the same appellation.
But, over and above the differences, linked to this mosaic of climatic and geological influence, all these wines have the same family traits of character.
Alert and lively, full-bodied without being too powerful, and harmoniously balanced, they acquire a rare bouquet over the years.

In order to have the right to the Haut-Médoc appellation of controlled origin, red wines must:
- come from the communes of Blanquefort, Le Taillan, Parempuyre, Le Pian, Ludon, Macau, Arsac, Labarde, Cantenac, Margaux, Avensan, Castelnau, Soussans, Arcins, Moulis, Listrac, Lamarque, Cussac, Saint-Laurent de Médoc, Saint-Julien, Pauillac, Saint-Sauveur, Cissac, Saint-Estèphe, Vertheuil, Saint-Seurin de Cadourne "excluding all the parcels situated on recent alluvium and sand on impermeable subsoils",
- satisfy precise production conditions : grape-varieties (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet-Franc, Carmenère, Merlot Noir, Petit Verdot, Cot or Malbec), minimum of sugar (178 grammes - 6.27 oz. - per litre of must) degree (an acquired 10°5) base yield (48 hectolitres per hectare).
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