1985 Château Cantemerle |
| Vintage | 1985 |  | |
| Type | Red | ||
| Producer | Château Cantemerle (web) | ||
| Variety | Red Bordeaux Blend | ||
| Designation | n/a | ||
| Vineyard | n/a | ||
| Country | France | ||
| Region | Bordeaux | ||
| SubRegion | Médoc | ||
| Appellation | Haut-Médoc |
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 1993 and 2013 (based on 4 user opinions) | |
| Wine Market Journal quarterly auction price: See Cantemerle on the Wine Market Journal. |
| Community Tasting History |
Community Tasting Notes (average and median of 89 pts. in 21 notes) | |
| Tasted by Thad on 4/1/2024 & rated 93 points: What a great experience (46 views) | |
| Tasted by Burgundy Al on 4/29/2023 & rated 81 points: Caberent Based Lunch (Schur House - Riverwoods IL): Small glass tasted blind. There is a bit of flesh left, but lean most of the way through. Tired. (1271 views) | |
| Tasted by Vinumming & Ahhing on 12/3/2022 & rated 94 points: It has a nose of smoke, hung venison, redcurrants and a subtle Turkish delight box. There is a little tomato leaf pungency too and a whiff of mahogany dresser. Palate is compact but all in proportion with good breadth and just the right amount of acidity. There is a beguiling spicy richness a sweet tertiary / forest floor character that goes on and on. Such a good vintage. (622 views) | |
| Tasted by Wine Canuck on 6/19/2021 & rated 94 points: From a pristine looking bottle with a saturated cork with mould on the top. The nose is wildly complex, traditional bordeaux from the get go showing wet cigar tobacco, mossy undergrowth, dark cherry, pipe tobacco, caramel tinged espresso, plum, celery seed, a touch of dried mint, and black currants. Just a flat out blockbuster bordeaux nose that you could spend a whole evening smelling and enjoying. The palate is on the lighter side of things entering on bright sweet red fruit with no tannin to speak of and a somewhat green tobacco tinged finish that is clipped just a little short. All in all we have a beautifully in-tact old school bordeaux, with a stunningly complex nose and a palate that is good but leaves something to be desired. (1915 views) | |
| Tasted by rmcnees on 2/8/2021 & rated 88 points: Still holding on at thirty-five years, a testament to the ageworthiness of Bordeaux, still somewhat elegant, dark garnet colored with edges of brown starting to set in, medium bodied, the blackberry and black cherry fruits are giving way to non-fruit notes of bacon fat, cigar box, tobacco with hints of leather, tar and earth with subtle tannins on the moderate finish. https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/02/chateau-cantemerle-haut-medoc-bordeaux.html (1253 views) | |
| Tasted by LindsayM on 8/1/2017 & rated 87 points: Colour good density , medium garnet ,brown edges clear and bright 12/15 Nose medium intensity good balance cigar box / tobacco leaf , leather ,smoke /tar, earthy , no fruit classic aged Bordeau 25/30 Palate Medium bodied, pleasant, elegant, clean mouth feel ,clean silky finish even a lick of acid , amazing 40:44 Overall 34 yo and still going , fading yes but still an elegant wine 10/11 (3344 views) | |
| Tasted by freeloader76 on 12/2/2016 & rated 92 points: Past its best but all round start middle and end are in harmony. Fully softened but faded tannin still present. Still going and will keep going for a few more years yet. Very enjoyable. (3494 views) | |
| Tasted by Chefannie11 on 10/23/2016 & rated 91 points: Beautiful tobacco, cigarbox, sweet tannins, and long finish - still... a beautiful wine, past what should be the drinking window, but still a few years ahead for it. (3653 views) | |
| Tasted by Martin@LGagnon.ca on 11/23/2014: Very nice typical old Bordeaux. Tannins are still present. Lots of leather, smoke, humid earth and cigarbox aromas. Drinking very well still! (5051 views) | |
| Tasted by meqoubal36 on 4/1/2013 & rated 91 points: Excellent vin, fruit charnu, goût puissant et délicat, cèdre, cerise noire, corsé, poivré, opulent. (6204 views) | |
| Tasted by Prinsen on 9/28/2012 & rated 92 points: Very good, typical bordeaux left bank, leather,cigarbox, earth with a little sweet tone in the taste. Lasting for at least 4 hours. (5212 views) | |
| Tasted by jdlee1232 on 6/30/2010 & rated 85 points: Thin, astringent. Definitely past its prime, or maybe it never had much a prime. (5502 views) | |
| Tasted by salil on 6/2/2009 & rated 89 points: Clear light red colour with intense leathery aromas on the nose and softer flavours of earth, graphite and red fruits beneath. Light bodied and elegant on the palate with gentle red fruited flavours mingled with more leather, graphite, tobacco and earth over fine grained tannins and good acidity. Still drinking really nicely; very complex, interesting to explore with air and lovely to sit down and drink over an evening. (5565 views) | |
| Tasted by mrm27 on 12/28/2008 & rated 87 points: The positive score reflects an excellent effort here. The wine has a lovely nose, deep to the core with mature cabernet fruit and cedary notes. On the palate, the acidity comes through and it's lean, but with enough to it to be nicely drinkable. But this is RIGHT on the tip of the cliff and may have a relatively rapid decline. Also, I feel positive about this because it came from the same lot as an unpleasant Lascombes 81 whose cork fell into the bottle. (3967 views) | |
| Tasted by quigley13 on 8/1/2008 & rated 90 points: Pale ruby in color. It looks weak from color but impressive nose of overwhelming saddle leather and cedar with some sticks and funky, perhaps veggie, goodness. The nose is a 93+ and perhaps not for everyone but the taste is where it falls a bit short. Mouth feel is a tad thin and the fruit is tired. It is almost as if the fruit has soured. Still over all quite nice. It is different, not for everyone but complex and interesting. (3079 views) | |
| Tasted by Kevin_C on 6/12/2008 & rated 85 points: Underripe. A little green...like green beans. (2636 views) | |
| Tasted by pizzler on 10/8/2007 & rated 90 points: Very pleasant, still has legs to last a few more years, it's not great wine, but it has matured well, is smooth and balanced. It's an easy choice to bring to wow people with very diverse palates. (2721 views) | |
| Tasted by winefool on 1/1/2005 & rated 89 points: Bottle survived nicely. Wonderful, rich bordeaux, perhaps a little past its prime. 91 pts. Circa 1997 Ruby crimson color. Nice medium aroma of cedar, red fruit, sour cherry. Still holding decent fruit if a little thin. Secondary flavors of tea and eucalyptus. Pleasant enough - never going to get any better though. 89-90pts. 1/05 (2822 views) |
| CellarTracker Wiki Articles |
Château CantemerleProducer websiteChâteau CantemerleProducer's pageRed Bordeaux BlendRed 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. FranceVins 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 BordeauxBordeaux Wine GuideVins 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 MédocVins du Médoc (Conseil des Vins du Médoc) - Read More about the MedocVdB 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-MédocRead 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). |