May 8, 2023 - Surprisingly fruit-forward wine given the decade of aging. Lots of blueberry and blackcurrant. A little earth also. Aged-smoothed tannins. Long finish. A delicious well integrated wine from a difficult year.
January 12, 2023 - Uncork the bottle 1 hour in advance. As my previous note, this 2013 Cantemerle have a refreshing drinkability, relatively low alcohol levels and soft fruits. it improves with longer breaths.
November 3, 2022 - It is as expected.
**Sourced from Decanter.com**
The 2013 Wine vintage offered no respite for the growers after two difficult vintages. There were plenty of challenges right from the start in this vintage – uneven and late flowering following a wet spring, often-violent hailstorms at the end of July and early August, a wet and warm September than meant an attack of rot just before harvest… you name it, the vineyards suffered it during the 2013 vintage. When harvest came around, exhausted winemakers then had to deal with warm but wet weather that in many instances meant they had to harvest early. All in all, a challenging year that rewarded those who were extremely vigilant, and didn’t try to push things too hard once the grapes were finally in the winery.The real success story in 2013 is with the winemaking – there were plenty of producers who worked exceptionally well with the vintage, taking their foot off the pedal and allowing the vibrancy of the fruit to shine through wherever possible. Anyone who tried to cover up unripe fruit with too much oak, or over-extraction, suffered. The best wines have a refreshing drinkability, relatively low alcohol levels, soft fruits and plenty of interest, but by and large this is a vintage to enjoy in the early to mid term.
January 8, 2021 - Tated together with the 2012 Cantemerle. The 2013 shows more fresh red fruit and acidity. Some racy cranberry brightness. Very fragant and pretty. Has some structure, but lacks a caressing body. I like the purity and fruits here. I almost want a hypothetical blend of the 2012 and 2013 combined, and guess what, I blended the two, pouring equal parts into the glass. They are better off separate. The 2013 should be admired for its fresh fruit and elegance. Perhaps may be a few years away from its early prime, but certainly drinkable now.
90-91
June 5, 2020 - Medium deep ruby. Muted oaky nose. Dry, bracing acidity, harsh tannins, taste of cherry. Medium full body and drying finish. Maybe after a few years.
January 1, 2019 - Slow to open but showing nice structure and fruit after three hours. Quite austere in the mouth, but long dry finish.
August 8, 2018 - Better than the last one from the same vintage. Nose of red fruit and leather, acidic, though tannins is s bit rough.
May 29, 2018 - Nose oaky and red fruit, pale in colour, acidic, fresh, fruity, medium tannins and finish, not complex at all but fair enough at such price.
March 5, 2018 - Nose dark indigo. Nose herbal green pepper with hint of dark fruits. Palate bright, good acidity brightening dark fruits, somewhat thin mid palate with some tannins on finish. 13% abv. Surprisingly enjoyable especially with grilled meats, not sure if it has the stuffing or fruit density to live enough for the tannins to resolve but drinks better than I expected for this otherwise weak Bordeaux vintage. Satisfying as an early week drinker on the PnP
November 16, 2017 - Good value.