Similar to my drinking experience two years ago. Very dark red. Blackberry aroma. It tastes like blackberries, dust and espresso, with a hint of bitterness. After 1 hour, the sweetness of the figs has increased noticeably. This young wine needs at least 1 hour of decanting time, but it is delicious.
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Drunk over 4 hours, showed nicely throughout. A very consistent producer, still a bargain and a nice introduction to class growth bordeaux. Clearly this can be aged a lot longer and may pick up a point or two.
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Going with 91 on this. Drunk over three days. Out of the bottle dense, closed tight as a fist, but over the course of an hour or so began to reveal itself. Corked and left overnight, 60 degrees. Second day it was considerably expanded. Third day, even more expanded with the dark berry fruit beginning to show through the tannins underneath that may take some years to fully resolve. I had one other Haut Medoc, an '09, at the 10 year mark was brooding, dark and tight. Then, seemingly overnight, the next year it blossomed out and was supple and somewhat refined. The same thing might happen with this wine. I'll wait until 2016 to see what happens next -- but only three bottles left.
Last had this wine almost 2 years ago. This time it was not nearly as pleasing. Some decent aromas of pepper and raisin bread, but thin on the palate, acidic and lacking in the fruit department. This was double decanted and followed over several nights. Hopefully it is in a dumb stage, as otherwise this is not a sign of promising development. Point rating reserved, but would be low-to-mid-80s, tops, at the moment.
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Deep ruby color, almost black at the core. Still not much sign of aging. Nose dominated by primary fruit: blackcurrant and blueberries, but also with fine secondary notes of vanilla and mint, bread, and a whiff of iron and coal. Medium to full bodied attack, smooth tannins up front, fine acidity. The fruit reemerges on the mid palate, lots of blackcurrant and blueberries, sweet and nice, framed by smooth tannins and a quite hefty acidity. The finish brings forward the iron tones that were present on the nose. The aftertaste is fresh and mineral, almost "steely". A young Medoc in a sweet, modern, and very well made style. Very good to drink now, but will clearly evolve into something more complex in the next five years. Will keep for decades if you want that.
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Consistent with my previous notes. This wine is lovely now: it is fruity, nicely round, but still structured, providing alluring notes of plum, blackberry, blackcurrant, pencil and wet earth.
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One glass! Nice plump decently complex, chunky and nicely oaked forest fruits and violets wine with lovely depth, good freshness and excellent length. 13%.
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Decanted overnight with similar taste profile as 1 hour 2 years ago “Tart cherry, current, brambly blackberry, hint of forest floor ending in pleasantly puckery tannins. Moderate finish. Not very complex but good with food.” A bit more garrigue and hint of leather and maybe mint on the second day. Still pretty straightforward. Others found the same.
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From 375. Nose is beautiful from the get go, very Margaux-leaning, with florals, a bit of cassis-pencil lead, and macerated cherries. The palate takes a couple of hours to fill out, but it is a bit stern and stonier than the nose would suggest, with more cassis, cherry skin, and a bunch of dried herbs. Sweet fruit married to a classical profile, fine tannins that are starting to tame, and fully dry on the more-ish finish. Already throwing a decent amount of chunky sediment. Starting to show its full potential, at least out of a half that hasn’t seen cellar storage. Delightful.
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Still young and needs age to balance still tight tannins and regular acidity. Tannins a bit green. Decent aftertaste, typical classical Bourdeaux taste of black fruits, licorice, and cassis. Not as perfumed or complex as the 2016 Cantemerle but more classical in nature.
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no real change to my perception from 1.75 years ago - "This is really good. Very ripe, a little round in the mouth, but not overdone. The palate had a lot of earth, a little menthol, black plum and tobacco. Complex. Big bodied and long finish. Seems relatively young and worth keeping a few to age."
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From a bottle purchased at retail. Opened to help gauge when I should crack open a case I purchased as a late release this year.
Dynamite from PnP! A big mouthful of ripe cassis, with dusty tannins and good acidity. If this bottle is any indicator then there is no time like the present, but knowing Cantemerle’s aging potential, this will go on and on (well-stored ‘83s only seem to have really come to their end in the last five years or so). Excellent QPR! 13% ABV (very good; distinctive/***/16.5/93)
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Shut down at the moment but has good bones and frame to develop nicely over the next 10-15 years. Drink 2025-2035. Technical score: 90. Enjoyment score: 88.
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Color: Medium to deep ruby. Only slight signs of an aged wine. Nose: Soy sauce, raspberries, oranges. Mouth: Fresh, Finely grained tannins. Very good expressiveness and length. Some complexity. Can be stored even longer 5 yrs max
Score is for wine at this stage. Decanted and drank over three days - hoping it would evolve. Blackberry and earth, on the palate acidity and dry tannin at the front, blackberry, minerals. Acidity is prominent. It has somehow lost weight over the years. I suggested a few months ago to wait for the 10 year mark but thought I would try another bottle; my previous note is confirmed - definite wait for another two years at least, even then, not sure where this is going.
Inky purple color. Great nose with red berries and black fruit. Medium to full body. Kind of one note on the palate, not much complexity. A bit of tobacco and maybe a some spice. Great fruit, excellent balance and length. Very nice value left bank from '15.
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No detailed notes, but an elegant 2015 without any hints of over ripeness. Easy to drink and open but with enough about it to become more complex over the next 5 years or so. The 2016 Beaumont alongside was clumsy in comparison.
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Decanted an hour but doesn’t need any decant. Nice Cab nose but wine is soft. I prefer more structure in wines. Has a nice flavor but for me too pedestrian. Starts out strong but fades hard with no finish. I probably wouldn’t buy this again. Pizza wine for camping. Wine is not full bodied. Not even close. Even at $36 I don’t think it has a great QPR.
I agree with DGB, this one is ready to go. The acidity makes it a good complement for a steak. Finish is shorter than I expected, but otherwise, a good wine to open now...no need to wait.
Another excellent bottle of this. Dark red, nose opens in 30-45 minutes with nice ripe cherry and cassis, moist earth and tobacco. Medium body, really well balanced. Beginning complexity. Medium finish.
Nothing sticks out but neither is it too slick or glossy. 13% alcohol for those who care. Very classic considering 2015 is often thought of as pushing the boundaries of ideal ripeness and freshness. Not this one, though I haven’t tried it side by side with the 2014 or 2016. On its own, it’s in the zone. Excellent.
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Black currants and spice on the nose with clear tobacco notes. Palate shows good acidity, medium tannins, roundness; blackcurrants, blackberries, licorice, a hint of cedar wood on the medium ending. Very pleasant and approachable already with a hour slow ox. Will probably improve quite a bit over the next 4-5 years. Bottle 1/6. Great QPR.
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Bouquet of blackcurrant, herbs, pyrazines, cut tobacco, and graphite, with blackberry and spice box (oak) top notes. Correct and appealing.
Expansive and balanced throughout. Medium plus acid frames the liquid precisely. Gripping tannins, once shrouded by oak, have begun to show through. Beginning to come into its own, as a deceptively powerful and wholly seductive Left Bank offering.
This split likely had a seven to ten years of evolution ahead of it. Full bottles should have twelve to fifteen. Even then, there will be no rush. Drink by 2042-2045.
Needs time to me. Decanted for 3 hours but first glass was still a bit austere, and tannins were firm. Second glass was starting to reveal those lovely blackcurrant notes. Good, but I expected more.
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This full-bodied, fruity, intensive, rich and structured wine is lovely at the moment. It is displaying pleasant notes of plum, blackberry, blackcurrant, wet earth and undergrowth and pencil. The wine has obviously arrived at its peak, but it will certainly evolve and remain excellent for years to come.
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From a half bottle opened and poured. Black fruits, leather pencil lead, medium body, refined tannins, excellent mouth feel. Pretty much a classic claret that has hit its sweet spot and should hold for another five+ years.
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Drank over two days. Did not decant, recorked and came back on day two. Aroma a bit restrained, even after two hours in the glass, but some notes of black and blue fruit. Similar on the palate along with a hint of red fruit, a good dose of wet rocks and minerals, medium grainy tannin. Day two much like day one. Certainly drinkable now, but I think will be better in a year or so and will gain a point. For me, destined to be an enjoyable weekday wine.
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90 Un buen burdeos. Muy entero, granate oscuro. Nariz clásica, caja de puros, fruta roja ácida, carne cruda. En boca el tanino está domado, tiene buena acidez, aunque el final se queda un poco corto. Buen vino.
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Cherry, leather, graphite, and oak on the nose and some fennel and vanilla on the palate. Medium plus acid and tannins still noticeable but fine with food and paired well with beef chili. Very good QPR and fine for a weekday sipper while watching the playoffs
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Medium garnet. Black plum, black cherry, licorice, clove, smoke, cedar, leather, earth, meat, mushroom. Tannin is fine. High acidity, medium + body and medium + finish.
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A traditional gutsy earthy iron infused forest fruits Cantemerle with lovely nicely oaked freshly fruited and excellent length. 13%. Lay down 10-20 years. Needs 6-7 hrs aeration.
Opened Christmas night. Nearly 2 days later drinking very nicely with prime rib leftovers. Perfect pairing. Great value. Surprised at how well it held almost 48 hours later.
Floral violets on nose, tobacco, underlying cassis… Still vibrant ruby red hue… Fruit hits upfront with blackberry, cassis, plum, leather, tobacco with a somewhat firm tannin finish balanced with good fruit…good persistence.. Good complexity…gained with time in glass
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This wine is inky opaque/dark purple . Nose of cigar tobacco and herbs. On the palate, black/blue fruit for a quick second then vanilla and directly into a lot of tannin dryness. Give it a few more years.
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Good stuff - nothing spectacular but nothing discordant or out of balance. Feels very austere Bordeaux-like but without the richness or depth of flavor. I suspect this will continue to develop and in 2 - 5 years will be a fair bit better.
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Pop ‘n pour. Dark red to rim. Opens quickly to show cassis, cigar, earth, and a tiny hint of green on the nose. Medium body, ripe fruit, good balancing acidity, moderate fine tannins, medium finish. Excellent.
Drank through my small stash of these quickly, so I ordered another case for easy quaffing.
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The moment you pop the cork, you can sense the great fruit concentration. Fumes of dark fruit and tabacco on the nose. Blackberry, blackcurrant, sweet and sour cherry on the palate. Medium body, with the tannins being silky, almost soft after a long decant. Very subtle oak, which to me is well integrated already. I was thinking this needs food, but when I checked in after 6 hours of air, two hours before dinner, I couldn’t resist any longer. The rest of the bottle was then paired with grilled lamb loin chops. This is really good already, and while it will certainly get better, the wine is very acccessable with a long decant.
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1st bottle from a dozen bought en primeur. Tasted a barrel sample and rated a potential 93 which is well deserved. My notes on Cantemerle go back to a lovely 1961 drunk 1993 and have always had an undertone of being surprised by the high quality and balance of the wine for a 5th growth and the excellent QPR. I never seem to learn and this vintage is no exception. An absolute steal for £210 IB a dozen at release. For several decades a more consistent Chateau than some 1st growths. This bottle has blackcurrant and mostly tobacco on the nose which I'm sure will develop further as I get through the bottle and with age. A beautifully balanced medium weight body with loads of very soft tannins. Excellent length of finish. Drinking well now and will continue to improve. The few 2015s I've had recently are drinking young.
Was a little concerned after reading TODD's note and thought it time to pop one of these to see what's going on here. While I agree that this is on the ripe side for sure, I'm not sure where the "pruney" descriptor comes from. There is an overt toasted oak note here that I'm not particularly fond of, but this has the stuffing to integrate it with more time in bottle. Mid-palate was not as full as one would expect from the ripeness level, but I think that, too, will come with time. Otherwise, balance is very good and this has good Bordeaux "sensibility" in my estimation, i.e. not too modern in style, despite the ripe vintage. The last bottle that I tried of this Chateau was the 2006 vintage a few years ago, which was much more restrained and classical, and honestly not particularly memorable; this vintage is a step up in my opinion. I don't want to discount TODD's impression at all, as I can see someone with an "old school" expectation for this wine seeing this as too modern and ripe. I am a middle-of-the-road kind of wine guy, so this vintage probably appeals to me more than old-schoolers (though I'm not anywhere near JEFF LEVE's appreciation level of modern). For now, I'll score this 91, with some upside as this approaches maturity in 5+ years.
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Wow. This is delicious. There is some petrichor on the nose, along with a lot of other stuff I just can’t identify. It smells great thought. This is bright, and lifted. Young, but drinking great.
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Cellared since release, perfect cork and fill. Pop and pour. Dark red to rim. Good to go right out of the gate. Cassis, plum, cigar, earth on the nose. Medium body, ripe fruit, good balancing acidity, moderate fine tannins, medium finish. Excellent.
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Smell of graphite and wet dirt. Taste of graphite, with bitter green at the end. Nice round tannis, but I taste green at the end. After several hours it becomes less pronounced. Maybe needs more time.
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After drinking a bunch of 375s within a few years of release, this is my first full bottle to be opened. Popped and poured alongside a 2015 Tour St Christophe that was decanted. The Cantemerle opened quickly in the glass. Both wines showed well for 3+ hours, making an assessment of which was better very difficult. This being a more classically styled Haut-Medoc compared to the riper/richer St Emilion gives it a slight edge for my palate, although I would never push away a glass of the TSC. Both are excellent wines. :-)
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This is drinking very nicely now in the classic mid-weight Bordeaux style, with black currant, dark cherry, tobacco, pepper (including bell pepper) and a solid tannic structure. Oak seemed well-integrated. It will hold and improve a bit over the next 10 years but seems to be entering a good drinking window now. This bottle was provided by RacerChris, and it was nice to meet up with him and drink some good Bordeaux ...
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Excellent Haut-Medoc and a good QPR if you bought it in 2016 during Bordeaux futures. Classic left bank Bordeaux, with cassis aromas, subtil secondary aromas, high quality tannins and a nice freshness that will allow this wine to evolve and improve for another 5-7 years. Decant for a few hours if you decide to drink now.
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This is the third bottle I have opened since release all stored at 55 degrees and not moved from my cellar. This is completely closed at the moment and I don't feel like any amount of coercion will open this up. This was more "open" even just a few months ago. I would not revisit this until another few years minimum. I agree with MOTZ comment from a while back - I would not touch these until the 15-20 year age window.
Sort of disappointed here. Decanted for 2-3 hours. Nose was classic bdx of cedar leather graphite cherry cassis. The palate tho was lacking and was rather high in acid but low in everything else. Even tannin was quite low, and the sediment in this bottle was crazy for a 2015 so im thinking all the good stuff sedimented out. The acid outlasted what little fruit there was on a short finish.
Part of a blind tasting, writing from memory. There's a lot of sediment, so be sure to decant this wine (mine was not decanted well).
Overall wasn't impressed. Nose showed oak, swirling the glass brought out some freshness and bright red fruit but also had some mossy/underbrush tones to it. Palate showed a good amount of acid, basically no tannins, not much fruit either but whatever was hanging on was elevated by acid. Finish was short and nondescript.
Compared to the prior notes, this may have been an off bottle with suboptimal decanting, although blind tasting does remove a lot of bias.
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flat and sort of uninspiring, opened a 3.0L and gave it two hour of air in decanter. Typically enjoy this wine but this bottle lacked anything special, lack luster finish and medium nose. Maybe it needed more time.
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Tasted against a Capbern 2015 as similar assemblage: Cantemerle: 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot. 13% ABV. Capbern: 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot. 13.5% ABV.
Colour: deep plum red, thin rim, purple tinge. Nose: rather closed, brambles and cassis, brooding. Taste: light body, loosely knit, soft, some cassis, med finish, soft, ok fruit. Overall, is this a bad bottle as the Capbern or is it my mood? This is really unexciting and, at a tad more than the 2016, not really worth it. It confirms my impressions of the 2015s as being underperformers (see notes on Siran, Baron de Brane and Meyney). Will spend my money on the 2016s.
Retasted after 24 hours vacuvined. No improvement sadly.
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Poured direct to glass from a half-bottle, expecting some accelerated aging due to the small bottle size. This did not pan out.
Deep red-purple with scent of vanilla. Just a tinge of brick at the edges - still quite youthful. This was initially packed with dried blueberries, blackberry, and some oak/vanilla. Everything was still well/balanced with acidity. Clean finish with absolutely nothing off-putting. On day 2, the fruit and vanilla moderated bringing out some cedar and soft tannins. Certainly enjoyable now but still in its youth.
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59% Cabernet Sauvignon 27% Merlot 6% Petit Verdot 8% Cabernet Franc
Total destemming The grapes are hand-sorted before crushing Fermentation: 6-8 days at 26 -28°C Maceration: 28 -30 days Ageing for 12 months in french oak barrels(medium toast) which 40% are new An ultra light fining is done prior to bottling. ABV: 13%. (Source: Château's website)
Colour: med deep red, thin rim, purple tinge. Nose: full, ripe, v much led by CS fruit unsurprisingly. Opens up slowly into an opulent if cassis driven nose. Taste: light body, rounded, ripe, pure cassis and brambles, good acidity, med tannins, long finish, ripe cassis and tannic touch. Overall, a more classic Cantemerle than say the 2016, with which I will compare this at some point. At present up against Baron de Brane 2015 (see separate note), which sells for the same price. Vacuvined the double decanted bottle and retried the following evening. Not much change and comes second to the riper, more sensuous B de B, which has a totally different assemblage: 57 % Merlot 39 % Cabernet Sauvignon 4 % Cabernet Franc
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Decant for half hour. Very deep red. Aroma of blackberries. It tastes like blackberry, dust and espresso with a slightly bitter taste. After 1 hour, the sweetness of the figs has increased significantly, this young wine needs at least 1 hour of decanting, but it is delicious.
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This is really good. Very ripe, a little round in the mouth, but not overdone. The palate had a lot of earth, a little menthol, black plum and tobacco. Complex. Big bodied and long finish. Seems relatively young and worth keeping a few to age.
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Decanted 40 min. Tart cherry, current, brambly blackberry, hint of forest floor ending in pleasantly puckery tannins. Moderate finish. Not very complex but good with food. No one tasted mint :)
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Deep ruby with an almost black core. No signs of aging except for a small brown rim. Expressive nose (decanted for three hours in a wide carafe) dominated by black forest berries, black currant, as well an an exotic sniff of vanilla, mint and coffee. Full bodied attack, lots of sweet fruit (blackcurrant) in the first part of the tasting curve, the mid part is still fruit dominated but also contains fine grained tannins and a fine acidity, the finish is sweet, black currant, while the aftertaste brings in tones of vanilla and mint. The minty tone lingers on the medium length finish. This is clearly a crowd pleaser of a wine; sweet, round and welcoming. A very good example of the the 15 vintage (it reminds of the drinkability of the 1985s), drinkable now, but will probably age gracefully over the next two decades or so. Drink now if you like the up front fruit, wait fine years if you like your Bordeaux in a more tertiary style. Very good wine, and a good qpr in todays wine market.
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Exactly as advertised. Classic, good quality medium bodied left bank bordeaux, very enjoyable and good reflection of the terroir, but not overwhelming in any way. Should improve with 5+ years of age.
Deep ruby color with just the tiniest early hints of age.
Fairly limited aroma which is all fruit - blueberry, with a little bit of wood.
Medium+ acid and fairly high tannins that coat the lips and tongue. Grippy, but not harsh. Medium body and alcohol. Savory blackcurrant flavor, some mint, a little bit of earth, leather and chocolate, esp on the finish.
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Drank it over the course of three nights. First sip right out of the bottle was almost undrinkable. I got a strong whiff of gasoline so let it decant for about an hour. Tried it with food and it had opened up but I still did not want to drink a glass. Revisited after 24 hours and it had become lovely, almost floral with some menthol after taste. Poured some more on night three and it had gone past its prime. Very tannic and I could really taste the cab franc. I think it needs air and strong cheese. I plan to stay away from my other bottles for a while, but agree with the taster who said that time could take this either way. If you do drink leave time to decant.
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Nose: Med(+) intensity; Developing; Notes of black cherry, black plum, black pepper, smoke, vanilla, dried cranberry, earth
Palate: Dry; High acid; Med alcohol (13%); High tannin; Med(+) body; Med(+) intensity; Notes of black cherry, black plum, black pepper, smoke, vanilla, dried cranberry, earth, vegetal; Med(+) finish
Quality: Outstanding
Drink now; Suitable for aging
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Assez corsé et ample, beaucoup de matière ici. Assez animal au début, avec le temps le fruit reprend sa place. Du café, des cerises, de la terre et du poivre. Les tannins sont musclés et la finale bien longue nous montre une légère chauffe. Bien en ce moment mais promis à un bel avenir.
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This is just delicious. Popped and poured, and enjoying it. Maybe a little alcohol ascending now to my brain. This has nothing at all in common with the 2014 that I liked a lot, especially at the price. I paid about $35 for the 2014 and this was $67. The 2014 took an hour or so to develop whereas this was light and flavorful right away. More widely appealing probably, to more people, but especially at the previous price, I would prefer the more interesting, if less fruity, 2014. This is not fair at all, but this 2015 reminds me of a fruity jug wine I drank in the 60's when I was poor, that tasted like fortified hawaiian punch, only less rough of course. Actually all the 2015 wines I have had were like this, delicious but inconsequential, even from different continents: haut bages liberal, talbot, andrew will sorella,.... but the sorella we had yesterday was a little more substantial. Maybe I need to wait longer after opening.
edit: A quick search shows that as of jan. 2016, 2015 was the hottest year on record, but it has been eclipsed several times since then. uh oh...
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Really Tanic. After 24h it started to mellow. It became a very enjoyable wine. Nice fruit - light to medium weight with some mild undertones of earth and lead pencil. however, underoaked, with a slightly bitter finish. Try again in 2-3 years.
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Color: Deep ruby. Nose: Some herbs like menthol and rosemary and some cherries. Oranges, too. A lot going here. Mouth: Definitely cherries in the mix. The tannins are there but they are almost like velvet. Good complexity. Good length. Good expressiveness. Even though this wine almost shows no signs of aging I'm not sure where it is heading to. I think it has plateaued. After a while of breathing there is a slight aroma of malt candy without the sweetness, of course. Perhaps better to drink up in the next 2 years if you are cautious or store some bottles for the next 8 years if you are bold.
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(3/24/21) From a 750ml bottle purchased from a local retailer. The wine was decanted for 3 hours.
This example was loaded with cassis and cranberry on the nose and was just beginning to show a touch of tobacco leaf. The palate was well concentrated and absolutely packed with cassis. The balance was excellent, and the tannins were ripe and very much in check.
It was certainly no sin to pull the cork on this bottle. I expected it to be completely (or almost completely) primary, but that’s what I was looking for—a really nice young wine just entering its drinking window. Cantemerle seldom fails me, and this bottle was perfect for tonight. 13% abv. (***+/16.5/93)
-- double decanted 30 min before 1st -- -- tasted non-blind over 3 hours on Day 1; revisited on Day 2 – -- 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot --
N: rich, dark red fruits; bit of chocolatey oak; faint floral and earthy hints; a touch of cologne; Christmas candle (pine and cinnamon); pretty complex; caramelized onion; ever-changing; little high-toned note;
B: medium bodied; rich, dark garnet color of medium-deep depth
T: lightly tannic; very tight; medium+ acidity; very difficult to get at the fruit, even after 3 hours open; hint of tobacco. Day 2: more open; caramel; medium acidity; still lightly tannic; I predict this will age well; really closing-down compared to 2 years ago; labelled at 13% alc.; fruits still non-descript.
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If you're coming at this normally, I'd say it's young but pleasurable. But as a post-Covid tasting: took an hour (exactly one episode of P Valley) to open up and it tasted exactly as young, good Cantemerle tends to - a little restrained and tannic, but enjoyable. Day two, it tasted completely off, and I think that's me, not the wine.
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From 375. Fresh on the nose, more expressive than a year ago. Restrained classic Left bank in the mouth, bright red/black fruit, rose petals piled on a base of cedar pencil shavings and fine grained tannins. While this still needs a few years to fully unwind it is very enjoyable today.
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92/93. One glass. Has unfruity aromas of dusty earthy blackberries, plums, iron + coffee hints and flowers. Its juvenile medium bodied freshly fruited neat yet savoury and very broad black, blue and red fruits palate has an oak layer running through it. Ends long, fresh and tapering. Impressive and good QPR for a Bordeaux Cru Classe. 13%. Needs 6-7 hrs aeration. Lay down 10 years+.
Similar to previous notes. Really nice freshness and sweet tannins, showing well considering its youth. This is a more open and accessible style than many left bank wines at this young stage - there's nothing austere.
Cellared since release, perfect cork and fill. Dark red to rim. Cherry, cassis, tobacco nose, too young for any aged tertiary notes. Medium body, ripe fruit, excellent balance, medium-long finish. Young but drinking well, not shut down. Has tannins and acid to age and enough fruit to do it well. Excellent.
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Not very pleasant taste right after pouring - very sour and bitter taste. I hope it opens up after decanting - otherwise way too expensive for 400 Dkr... 3 hours later did not help, unfortunately... I agree with the comment from PhillyVine - dont drink it now. Wait. I dont understand the comments made by the users having had this wine earlier. It needs so much more time in bottle before it might be worth the money...
Half Bottle. The most impressive Cantemerle yet! Has fullish aromas of floor polish, blackberries, coffee, gravel hints, plums and flowers. Its neat medium bodied spherical palate has got impressive depth. Ends long, fresh and a bit unknit. 13%. Needs 6hrs+ aeration. Still juvenile. Lay down 10 years+ no problem. Excellent value at 30 Euros.
Very impressed with the quality of this. The fruit is so sweet and open right up front, medium bodied and nice acidity too. Quite complete, drinking very well already and great value upon release. Not quite as good on the 2nd day, but still held up well. This is arguably a case-worthy wine, the quality is so good for the price. I liked this better than I liked the '10 upon release, and having had a few of their '89, even recently, this can age so gracefully.
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(5/1/20) From a 750 ml bottle that was very similar to my bottle of 11/12/19 but more impressive—deep black fruits on the nose and palate; ample dusty tannins; and excellent balance and concentration, all of which was carried along on a medium acidity. It had a medium-long finish.
Given that there are many things about young Bordeaux wines I like, I don’t feel I opened this too soon at all. Motz’s description of a bottle from 4/15/20 matches my experience with this one and is very well said—the note is quite correct about patience, too. This bottle didn’t show at its best right out of the gate; 13% abv. (***+/16.5/93)
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After reading Motz’s tip, I decided to try another 375. Drank a few ounces and not memorable on night 1. 88
Night 2: it has unfurled, with more focused black fruit, better delineated chalky minerals, and also a broader, more tannic frame. The cigar box and whisper of green that I love in Cantemerle. Lots of upside in a decade. 90-91
Night 3: it’s at its most expressive, with the black fruit edged by red cherry and flowers notes, cedar and more harmonious tannins. Be patient with this. 92+
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The patient will be rewarded. Let the wine breathe! Still with some baby fat and less than fully integrated oak, of which a little less overall would have put this wine over the top. This aside, a wine of equal parts finesse and power, the latter quite deceptive. Wholly typical of the (Burgundian-like) vintage and place. It packs the substance to evolve through 2032 - 2035, and should hold for a long while thereafter. Exceptional QPR! 93-94.
Chateau Cantemerle 2015 is still young. Waiting for 2 hours, it opens up. It is ruby in colour. On the nose, there are the aromas of ripe black fruits like black cherries and black currant. It is medium-full bodies with a bit spicy and dry. The acidity is not high and the tannin is quite fine grained. The finishing is quite long and complex. It will be great to taste the wine after 5 or more years. Nice wine.
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Cantemerle's 2015 is an opaque crimson blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot, aged for 12 months in French oak (40% new). Packed with steeped plum fruit, rosemary, tobacco, exotic spices and graphite, it is a medium-bodied wine with beautifully integrated oak and alcohol (13%). Freshly acidic and silky-textured by virtue of its medium-weight, fine-grained tannins, it has excellent mid-palate density and a lengthy, smooth finish. Cantemerle has done a great job with this vintage. Already very drinkable, this is a charming Bordeaux that should provide pleasure throughout the decade. Drink now-2030.
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From 375ml. Dark fruited plummy nose at first, but starts to shut down a bit after an hour. Palate is all black fruits - plum, blackberry and cassis, with a hint of tar and tobacco on the back end. Texture is ethereal and light, with a touch of woody glossiness, and tannins that start out silky but start to tighten up with air. There's also the sense that the elevated acid is not quite in sync. There's good concentration and unexpectedly lengthy finish that sneaks up on you. Seems like the wine is starting to shut down a bit, but it has all the right components - just needs some time to harmonize. 89 for now, but lots of upside.
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Cabernet Sauvignon 59%, Merlot 27%, Cabernet Franc 6% and Petit Verdot 8% Bought in Vinotheque de Bordeaux, Bordeaux city - highly recommend wine store, very wide specter of wines including last vintages, highly friendly staff and excellent service.
It is pity to drink this wine in such not mature age. Medium body, deep garnet color. Intense but delicate aroma of ripe black fruits, coffee, olives complements by cigar box and flowers. Black currant and plum palate with lingering spicy and juicy finish. Excellent wine. Rich and complex but elegant and harmonious, exceptionally balanced refreshing berries acidity, tannic now and need aeration. Food friendly, tasted with Tomme Montagne cheese. Serve 17º - 21º. Open four/six hours ahead. Drink in four years at least.
Better than a year ago. Very dark in color. Floral nose, along with plum, fairly ripe. Plum and cherry on the palate, ripe, but also earthy, along with oak. Silky tannins. Enjoyable now with decant, will continue to improve.
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This very nice Cantemerle had a good nose of dark fruits, decent concentration, and excellent balance. The light, ripe tannins made it very accessible, and the medium acidity gave the whole thing a bit of punch. It finished medium-long. Very pleasing at $35 USD. (***+/16.5/92)
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Dyp mørk og tett farge med svak lilla kant. Middels intens duft av solbær, sorte moreller og plommer, et hint av cedertre og sort lakris. Overraskende åpen og tilgjengelig på smak, flott og ganske så konsentrert frukt med preg av sorte søtlige bær og et lite snev av mørk sjokolade. Middels + fylde, god dybde, ingen skarpe kanter, men heller en myk tanninstruktur. Lang, saftig ettersmak med mørke bær i avslutningen. En liten sjarmør, dette - og ingen skam å nyte nå
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Dark ruby in colour, with aromas of dark cherries, plums, wet leaves, pepper and a little tobacco, the palate was quite soft and refined, compared to the 2012 this had a certain freshness to the fruit. For now, it tastes a lot riper and brighter yet with a certain depth and concentration which was lacking in the 2012. It was med-full bodied with plenty of dark red moving to black fruits along with a little savoury pepper and spice and a touch of dark chocolate. The tannins were soft, yet not out of balance and the finish was medium yet reasonably refined. For the price, this is pretty good, yet I am sure there are better deals in Bordeaux and I am not sure I would re-purchase this again. Expect this to improve over the next 8-10 years, but do not expect this to be a classic. Better than 2012
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Popped and poured from a .375 and consumed with grilled burgers. Surprisingly accessible with soft tannin. Darker toned fruit and some oak influence showing. I think this will improve and it is a good value.
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I have faith in Cantemerle but this one was in an awkward phase - fruity at odd moments and tannins that are a wee bit harsh. No doubt it will work itself out. From a .375.
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Nose of honey, bbq, pork ribs, greek yogurt, turamic. Taste is rich dark berries, a bit polished with medium tannins. Decanted for 60 minutes and continued to open throughout the night. Will only get better. Happy I have a few more bottles.
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Suave, smooth with fine grained tannins. Drinks like a wine that has cellared 5-7 years... not sure how I feel about these early approachable wines... isn’t the fun to buy, cellar and discover later...? Anyhow, I digress. Buy this under $40– you will be glad to have a few. Does it hold to 2030.....? I lack firm conviction that it will.
Color: Deep and almost dark. Nose: Red berries. Cherries, too. Mouth: Not that expressive. After a while of breathing more expressive. Tannins are still young and only a bit bitter but that only complements the food. Full bodied. I love the freshness. Slightly lactic like a wild berry yoghurt. This wine is still a baby and I recommend to wait another year before opening the next bottle. Upwards potential.
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As my 6 year old grandson Niko would say "I like it", not wine of course but just the thought of it makes me smile.
Popped and poured, tastes great immediately. Getting better with some time. Agree with all previous, young but approachable. Wonderful aromatics, fully balanced, significant but not overwhelming tannins. Flavors really make an impact, and then linger ... long time. Good.
Drink now or store for five, maybe more, years. Great any way you decide.
Tonight with excellent meatloaf on egg noodles covered with stroganof sauce.
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Really nothing to say that isn't perfectly stated in Motz's October 13, 2018 note. I will note that this has picked up some tannic structure since I first tasted it almost exactly a year ago, and I expect it to continue to pick up some structure and body as it ages.
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-- decanted 1.75 hours before initial taste -- -- tasted non-blind over 2 – 3 hours --
NOSE: concentrated, dark, rich red fruits; hints of espresso, caramel, and popcorn.
BODY: lots of fine particulate matter present; blood red-violet color of great depth; medium bodied.
TASTE: red/purple fruit mix; ripe, but not overly so; not overtly oaky (just lightly oaky); damp soil; hints of leather and wet stones; medium-low to medium acidity, but it's still well-balanced; impressively, this is not big/gloppy, and it easily could have gone that way given the ripeness and acidity levels, but somehow this walks relatively lightly on its feet; alc. not noticeable; over a couple hours, the fruits veered more purple than red, and became a touch bitter. This is *not* a tannic/rustic/austere Bordeaux redolent of pencil shavings and stinky things. I would love to see this with 10+ years on it, and I will definitely be re-buying at the stupid-good price of $33; I see this as a 15 – 25 year wine. Hold.
50, 5, 12, 17, 8 = 92
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Aerated 12 hours. Has aromas of black currants, cedar, plums, and cassis. Its medium bodied spherical, satiny black, red and blue fruits palate has got superb depth and balance. Ends long and tapering with some unresolved tannin and good acidity. 13%. V.impressive. Lay down 10 years.
Dark fruited, both in nose and palate. Very fresh and young but extremely approachable. Only primaries at this point. All components in balance. Not enough extract, tannin or acid to last a long time but this wine can age gracefully for the next five years, maybe even ten but it will certainly decline from there. Enjoyable now. PAIRING: Spaghetti Bolognese. [A]
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Half bottle, tasted over two days, alongside several other quality Bordeaux. Was able to evaluate this bottle more thoroughly than in April, and it showed exceptionally well. Shy upon opening, with air the bouquet takes on Margaux-like qualities, delightful, 'sweet' sophistication. And, also with air, the wine features Saint-Julien like firmness and grip, the mouthfeel offering touches of luxury typical of higher classed growths.
The kicker here, as with many 2015 quality Bordeaux, is the acid level, which tends to be disproportionately high vis-a-vis the tannin. Moreover, the tannin in this wine, and in many other Bordeaux of this vintage, is ripe and ultra fine, loess-like if you will, the Giscours being a striking exception.
For example, I poured this double-blind on the second day for two trade professionals and neither called it Bordeaux. In fairness, one first thought it Bordeaux, but, knowing it to be young, noticed other elements, a suave refinement in particular (the absence of hard tannins), that steered him away from Bordeaux. I wonder if this atypical character has left some pros and Bordeaux aficionados scratching their heads, perhaps leading to lower scores than many wines merit.
'Keith Levenberg's' and 'chatters's' recent experiences with the 2015 Domaine de Chevalier, a standout of the vintage to be sure, in which they note similarities to Burgundy, offers an example of the unique quality of many wines.
Whatever the case, this wine has the acid to evolve for at least a decade, probably two (likely improving), and hold for a decade thereafter. If drinking in the near term, let it breathe for several hours.
Pulls off once again what Cantemerle has been doing almost uniquely since 2005 or so - that ethereal, weightless presence that seems to float across rather than sink into the palate. It pulls off this lightweight buoyancy without being at all light in material, as it's amply fleshy with rich cherry and plummy fruits with cigar tobacco adding deeper, bassier tones. With time in the glass, the structure which at first seemed slick enough to slip between your fingers develops a more serious, clenched grip and even a bit of old-fashioned grit.
strange compared to the lovely 2000--this was thinner, juicy tangy red and purple fruits, seemed like a "fun" wine, can't believe these are both the same wine. Maye it will gain complexity with 5+ years? B&J's
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Fyrrig på duft med tydelig espresso og blyantspiss som gir velbehag sammen med solbær og bjørnebær. Bra fylde med friske og noe sødmefulle bær med plommer og kirsebær. Litt alkohol og sødmepreg, uten at dette blir for markant. Bra utgang med modne tanniner. Bra vin. 91 poeng.
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Decanted for two hours. An almost opaque colour, with a garnet core. Blackberry, dark cherry, antique walnut, tobacco and cassis. A full body, with silky, layered tannins. A gliding finish. Drink 2022 -.
From a 375. This is Excellent right now. No need for a lengthy decant. It opens up nicely in the glass. Medium-full bodied, rich on the palate. Dry, with smooth tannins and balanced acidity. Dusty black cherry with a nice cassis bite on the back end. I need to get some full bottles of this for the cellar.
CV1. Dark purple red, 5.5. Generous aroma of dark fruits, black currant, blueberries, sweet spicy stuf behind as well as oak. Very youngish tasting, good acidity, fair amount of tannin, long fruity finish. Drink 2023-onwards then higher score for sure.
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From a 375. It seems that only a short decant is necessary, although it is rather tannic. Somewhat like a St Estephe in character. Ripe cherry, plum and blackcurrant. Good grip. Medium finish. Very nice.
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Dark inky red, Chocolate-ish, dark fruits, firm and chunky tannins but smooth, dry, balanced with acidity, relatively easy drinking, medium length finish.
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From a half, tasted over several hours. Seductively perfumed, with fruit blossoms, spring flowers, ripe berries, compote, and red fruit liqueurs draping graphite, loam, black earth, crushed rocks, and mineral undertones. Suave and inviting. Pithy red-fruited Merlot imparted elements are prominent forward, transiting to Cabernet Sauvignon essences and power at the middle, back, and finish. The wine's elegance, lift, and freshness mask impressive structure. Like so many 2015 vintage offerings, the ripeness level gives the impression of forwardness, and thus no more than medium term cellaring potential. With this wine, however, substance might reward the patient. Understated and an excellent value, worth stashing and enjoying at intervals over the next five to seven years to monitor its evolution. 93-94...95?
Soft, refined, fresh and with ample, ripe, polished, cherry and plum notes, the wine has a beautiful floral essence, made even better with its silky tannins and vibrant, red fruit sensations in the finish. With age, this should fill out and become as good, or even better than the sublime 2010!
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It's been a while since I last opened a bottle of ripe vintage Bordeaux at such a young age. It's been even longer since I opened such a young Cantemerle from any sort of vintage. Overall this is a very promising wine. I've read any number of so-so notes, but I just don't see that. The balance is good, there's plenty of depth, and it's showing as young Bordeaux shows when it's from a (relatively) classic producer. This is a wine that needs and will reward time. It won't be a 30+ year wine, but it does not need to be that. Give it 5 years, check in, then wait another 5. It will likely be a more than charming drink as it approaches 15 years from the vintage - maybe sooner.
Out of balance for me, with divided parts of ripe fruit and alcohol. I don't think that I have had much love for this wine ever since 2010. Will definitely improve with time, but now its a pass for me. HOLD
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Union Des Grand Crus de Bordeaux Tasting of the 2015 Vintage, nose of red cherry fruit, plum, and ash, same on the palate, medium/big body, fairly fruit forward, tasty, almost very tasty, lovely, rich fruit, needs three years to peak drinking window, and a long finish.
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Developing nicely. Its floral character remains out in front before you find the soft textured, ripe, sweet, black and red berries. Soft, bright and gentle in texture, this will be one of the top vintages for Cantemerle.
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Floral scents are the first thing you notice, before moving to the ripe, sweet, earthy red and black fruits, shot of espresso and soft, silky, smooth, elegant textures. The finish is fresh and sweet and vibrant. The wine was made from a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot. 92 - 94 Pts
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4/25/2024 - Radboy wrote: 93 Points
Fabulous drink. Excellent balance with a concentrated finish. Drank at a 2 hour decant.
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4/9/2024 - Chupeaka Likes this wine: 93 Points
Plums, blackcurrant, plums. Fleshy with some tertiary notes though in Haut Medoc fashion a bit grippy. Nice w/food
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3/26/2024 - dbg wrote:
Very good-excellent.
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3/18/2024 - Khon Kaen Likes this wine: 90 Points
Similar to my drinking experience two years ago. Very dark red. Blackberry aroma. It tastes like blackberries, dust and espresso, with a hint of bitterness. After 1 hour, the sweetness of the figs has increased noticeably. This young wine needs at least 1 hour of decanting time, but it is delicious.
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3/15/2024 - Darbus123 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drunk over 4 hours, showed nicely throughout. A very consistent producer, still a bargain and a nice introduction to class growth bordeaux. Clearly this can be aged a lot longer and may pick up a point or two.
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3/11/2024 - classicalspin Likes this wine: 91 Points
Going with 91 on this. Drunk over three days. Out of the bottle dense, closed tight as a fist, but over the course of an hour or so began to reveal itself. Corked and left overnight, 60 degrees. Second day it was considerably expanded. Third day, even more expanded with the dark berry fruit beginning to show through the tannins underneath that may take some years to fully resolve. I had one other Haut Medoc, an '09, at the 10 year mark was brooding, dark and tight. Then, seemingly overnight, the next year it blossomed out and was supple and somewhat refined. The same thing might happen with this wine. I'll wait until 2016 to see what happens next -- but only three bottles left.
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3/11/2024 - Everything Ahead wrote:
Last had this wine almost 2 years ago.
This time it was not nearly as pleasing. Some decent aromas of pepper and raisin bread, but thin on the palate, acidic and lacking in the fruit department. This was double decanted and followed over several nights. Hopefully it is in a dumb stage, as otherwise this is not a sign of promising development. Point rating reserved, but would be low-to-mid-80s, tops, at the moment.
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2/10/2024 - mjdvorak wrote: 100 Points
Worth it!
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2/3/2024 - Chupeaka wrote: 93 Points
Blue and red fruits, espresso, minerality. A bit austere but nice. Really aging along nicely and better than 2016 (more concentration and depth)
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1/7/2024 - dagij Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep ruby color, almost black at the core. Still not much sign of aging. Nose dominated by primary fruit: blackcurrant and blueberries, but also with fine secondary notes of vanilla and mint, bread, and a whiff of iron and coal. Medium to full bodied attack, smooth tannins up front, fine acidity. The fruit reemerges on the mid palate, lots of blackcurrant and blueberries, sweet and nice, framed by smooth tannins and a quite hefty acidity. The finish brings forward the iron tones that were present on the nose. The aftertaste is fresh and mineral, almost "steely". A young Medoc in a sweet, modern, and very well made style. Very good to drink now, but will clearly evolve into something more complex in the next five years. Will keep for decades if you want that.
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12/24/2023 - Jordan78 wrote:
Did not taste
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12/17/2023 - lkilpio Likes this wine: 93 Points
Consistent with my previous notes. This wine is lovely now: it is fruity, nicely round, but still structured, providing alluring notes of plum, blackberry, blackcurrant, pencil and wet earth.
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12/14/2023 - asgerG wrote: 90 Points
DnP
No formal notes. Seems to be in a transition phase.
Wait a couple of years or decant in due time
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12/9/2023 - dbg wrote:
Excellent
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12/2/2023 - Casa HeRo Likes this wine: 92 Points
Myke fruktige bjørnebær, blå plommer, tobakk, pepper og fint fatpreg. Allerede relativt åpen med en medium + syregrad og medium tannintrykk.
Halve flasken ble spart 1 døgn stående åpen i vinkjelleren, noe som gjorde godt for syre- og tanninstrukturen som var godt avslipt etter lufting.
Denne er på god vei ut av dvalen og står godt til mat de første timene etter åpning, og blir bare bedre i glasset etter 3-4 timer med luft.
Neste flaske prøves om 3-5 år.
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11/4/2023 - macaujames Likes this wine: 93 Points
One glass! Nice plump decently complex, chunky and nicely oaked forest fruits and violets wine with lovely depth, good freshness and excellent length. 13%.
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10/21/2023 - JNebs Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted overnight with similar taste profile as 1 hour 2 years ago “Tart cherry, current, brambly blackberry, hint of forest floor ending in pleasantly puckery tannins. Moderate finish. Not very complex but good with food.” A bit more garrigue and hint of leather and maybe mint on the second day. Still pretty straightforward. Others found the same.
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10/15/2023 - ohne_musik wrote: 93 Points
From 375. Nose is beautiful from the get go, very Margaux-leaning, with florals, a bit of cassis-pencil lead, and macerated cherries. The palate takes a couple of hours to fill out, but it is a bit stern and stonier than the nose would suggest, with more cassis, cherry skin, and a bunch of dried herbs. Sweet fruit married to a classical profile, fine tannins that are starting to tame, and fully dry on the more-ish finish. Already throwing a decent amount of chunky sediment. Starting to show its full potential, at least out of a half that hasn’t seen cellar storage. Delightful.
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10/15/2023 - swami62 wrote: 93 Points
Decanted. Took a while to get going but by the end, it was stupendous, full, smooth and worth the wait. Sadly, my last!
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10/13/2023 - dbg wrote:
Excellent.
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10/12/2023 - Chupeaka wrote: 91 Points
Still young and needs age to balance still tight tannins and regular acidity. Tannins a bit green. Decent aftertaste, typical classical Bourdeaux taste of black fruits, licorice, and cassis. Not as perfumed or complex as the 2016 Cantemerle but more classical in nature.
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10/6/2023 - diggydan wrote: 93 Points
no real change to my perception from 1.75 years ago - "This is really good. Very ripe, a little round in the mouth, but not overdone. The palate had a lot of earth, a little menthol, black plum and tobacco. Complex. Big bodied and long finish. Seems relatively young and worth keeping a few to age."
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9/30/2023 - macaujames Likes this wine: 93 Points
A Solid nicely oaked forest fruits wine with good length. 13%. Needs 9hrs aeration. Lay down 15-20 years+. Still juvenile.
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9/15/2023 - Jake Barnes Likes this wine: 93 Points
From a bottle purchased at retail. Opened to help gauge when I should crack open a case I purchased as a late release this year.
Dynamite from PnP! A big mouthful of ripe cassis, with dusty tannins and good acidity. If this bottle is any indicator then there is no time like the present, but knowing Cantemerle’s aging potential, this will go on and on (well-stored ‘83s only seem to have really come to their end in the last five years or so). Excellent QPR! 13% ABV (very good; distinctive/***/16.5/93)
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9/9/2023 - Mss0904 wrote:
Dark chocolate color. Light prune on the nose. Dry and complex body with notes of cassis and currant on the palate
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9/9/2023 - Mss0904 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark chocolate color, and light plum on the nose. Body is complex, dry and notes of cassis and currants on the palate.
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9/8/2023 - jlhkiss wrote: 89 Points
Shut down at the moment but has good bones and frame to develop nicely over the next 10-15 years. Drink 2025-2035. Technical score: 90. Enjoyment score: 88.
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8/28/2023 - wineaficionado Likes this wine: 89 Points
Color: Medium to deep ruby. Only slight signs of an aged wine. Nose: Soy sauce, raspberries, oranges. Mouth: Fresh, Finely grained tannins. Very good expressiveness and length. Some complexity. Can be stored even longer 5 yrs max
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7/26/2023 - dbg wrote:
Excellent
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7/20/2023 - ChristoBretts wrote: 89 Points
Score is for wine at this stage. Decanted and drank over three days - hoping it would evolve. Blackberry and earth, on the palate acidity and dry tannin at the front, blackberry, minerals. Acidity is prominent. It has somehow lost weight over the years. I suggested a few months ago to wait for the 10 year mark but thought I would try another bottle; my previous note is confirmed - definite wait for another two years at least, even then, not sure where this is going.
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7/14/2023 - epiphany wrote: 87 Points
Wow, rather uninspiring. Not any better second night. Major disappointment. Will hold remaining bottle for a few more years.
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7/9/2023 - dbg wrote:
Excellent.
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7/5/2023 - fresso Likes this wine: 93 Points
Inky purple color. Great nose with red berries and black fruit. Medium to full body. Kind of one note on the palate, not much complexity. A bit of tobacco and maybe a some spice. Great fruit, excellent balance and length. Very nice value left bank from '15.
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6/23/2023 - Paul@bbott Likes this wine: 91 Points
No detailed notes, but an elegant 2015 without any hints of over ripeness. Easy to drink and open but with enough about it to become more complex over the next 5 years or so. The 2016 Beaumont alongside was clumsy in comparison.
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6/6/2023 - KJD45$ Likes this wine: 92 Points
Same as my first note..
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5/17/2023 - WineGuyDelMar Likes this wine: 89 Points
Decanted an hour but doesn’t need any decant. Nice Cab nose but wine is soft. I prefer more structure in wines. Has a nice flavor but for me too pedestrian. Starts out strong but fades hard with no finish. I probably wouldn’t buy this again. Pizza wine for camping. Wine is not full bodied. Not even close. Even at $36 I don’t think it has a great QPR.
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5/16/2023 - wineaficionado Likes this wine: 85 Points
No signs of aging. Fresh. Dark fruit. Very good expressiveness and length. Full bodied.
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5/7/2023 - dbg wrote:
Another excellent bottle, very consistent.
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4/20/2023 - Swaggering Beaunie Likes this wine:
I agree with DGB, this one is ready to go. The acidity makes it a good complement for a steak. Finish is shorter than I expected, but otherwise, a good wine to open now...no need to wait.
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4/15/2023 - dbg wrote:
Another excellent bottle of this. Dark red, nose opens in 30-45 minutes with nice ripe cherry and cassis, moist earth and tobacco. Medium body, really well balanced. Beginning complexity. Medium finish.
Nothing sticks out but neither is it too slick or glossy. 13% alcohol for those who care. Very classic considering 2015 is often thought of as pushing the boundaries of ideal ripeness and freshness. Not this one, though I haven’t tried it side by side with the 2014 or 2016. On its own, it’s in the zone. Excellent.
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3/30/2023 - Condrieu82 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Black currants and spice on the nose with clear tobacco notes. Palate shows good acidity, medium tannins, roundness; blackcurrants, blackberries, licorice, a hint of cedar wood on the medium ending. Very pleasant and approachable already with a hour slow ox. Will probably improve quite a bit over the next 4-5 years. Bottle 1/6. Great QPR.
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3/26/2023 - Motz wrote: 93 Points
Split.
Bouquet of blackcurrant, herbs, pyrazines, cut tobacco, and graphite, with blackberry and spice box (oak) top notes. Correct and appealing.
Expansive and balanced throughout. Medium plus acid frames the liquid precisely. Gripping tannins, once shrouded by oak, have begun to show through. Beginning to come into its own, as a deceptively powerful and wholly seductive Left Bank offering.
This split likely had a seven to ten years of evolution ahead of it. Full bottles should have twelve to fifteen. Even then, there will be no rush. Drink by 2042-2045.
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3/25/2023 - mikelikewine Likes this wine: 89 Points
Needs time to me. Decanted for 3 hours but first glass was still a bit austere, and tannins were firm. Second glass was starting to reveal those lovely blackcurrant notes. Good, but I expected more.
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2/23/2023 - nzinkgraf wrote:
Finishes with some room to wiggle, chewy and savory, some tar-y notes here too. Medium tannin. A savory tree bark element to the palate. Excellent
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2/19/2023 - lkilpio Likes this wine: 93 Points
This full-bodied, fruity, intensive, rich and structured wine is lovely at the moment. It is displaying pleasant notes of plum, blackberry, blackcurrant, wet earth and undergrowth and pencil. The wine has obviously arrived at its peak, but it will certainly evolve and remain excellent for years to come.
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2/18/2023 - Colowine Likes this wine:
Dark ruby fringing to garnet. Pencil shavings and dark fruit. Polished and classy and classic. Recommended
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2/17/2023 - ShireBoy47 Likes this wine: 92 Points
From a half bottle opened and poured. Black fruits, leather pencil lead, medium body, refined tannins, excellent mouth feel. Pretty much a classic claret that has hit its sweet spot and should hold for another five+ years.
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2/15/2023 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Structured, balanced and good value as always.
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2/7/2023 - ChristoBretts Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drank over two days. Did not decant, recorked and came back on day two. Aroma a bit restrained, even after two hours in the glass, but some notes of black and blue fruit. Similar on the palate along with a hint of red fruit, a good dose of wet rocks and minerals, medium grainy tannin. Day two much like day one. Certainly drinkable now, but I think will be better in a year or so and will gain a point. For me, destined to be an enjoyable weekday wine.
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1/24/2023 - gallu wrote: 90 Points
90 Un buen burdeos. Muy entero, granate oscuro. Nariz clásica, caja de puros, fruta roja ácida, carne cruda. En boca el tanino está domado, tiene buena acidez, aunque el final se queda un poco corto. Buen vino.
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1/22/2023 - Hiker4life70 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Cherry, leather, graphite, and oak on the nose and some fennel and vanilla on the palate. Medium plus acid and tannins still noticeable but fine with food and paired well with beef chili. Very good QPR and fine for a weekday sipper while watching the playoffs
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1/10/2023 - arnoldylchan@yahoo.com.hk Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium garnet. Black plum, black cherry, licorice, clove, smoke, cedar, leather, earth, meat, mushroom. Tannin is fine. High acidity, medium + body and medium + finish.
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12/29/2022 - macaujames Likes this wine: 93 Points
A traditional gutsy earthy iron infused forest fruits Cantemerle with lovely nicely oaked freshly fruited and excellent length. 13%. Lay down 10-20 years. Needs 6-7 hrs aeration.
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12/27/2022 - seanman Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened Christmas night. Nearly 2 days later drinking very nicely with prime rib leftovers. Perfect pairing. Great value. Surprised at how well it held almost 48 hours later.
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12/21/2022 - racerchris Likes this wine:
Double decanted. Opened up within an hour. Showing very well now, developing earthy complexity. Great value at less than $40.
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12/5/2022 - KJD45$ Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tonight’s bottle similar to previous….except a bit more of a thinner experience….still delicious….
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10/17/2022 - KJD45$ wrote: 92 Points
Floral violets on nose, tobacco, underlying cassis…
Still vibrant ruby red hue…
Fruit hits upfront with blackberry, cassis, plum, leather, tobacco with a somewhat firm tannin finish balanced with good fruit…good persistence..
Good complexity…gained with time in glass
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10/9/2022 - Swanywawa wrote: 90 Points
This wine is inky opaque/dark purple . Nose of cigar tobacco and herbs. On the palate, black/blue fruit for a quick second then vanilla and directly into a lot of tannin dryness. Give it a few more years.
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9/25/2022 - randyjc wrote: 89 Points
Good stuff - nothing spectacular but nothing discordant or out of balance. Feels very austere Bordeaux-like but without the richness or depth of flavor. I suspect this will continue to develop and in 2 - 5 years will be a fair bit better.
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9/22/2022 - dbg wrote:
Pop ‘n pour. Dark red to rim. Opens quickly to show cassis, cigar, earth, and a tiny hint of green on the nose. Medium body, ripe fruit, good balancing acidity, moderate fine tannins, medium finish. Excellent.
Drank through my small stash of these quickly, so I ordered another case for easy quaffing.
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8/28/2022 - JoeMe Likes this wine: 93 Points
The moment you pop the cork, you can sense the great fruit concentration. Fumes of dark fruit and tabacco on the nose. Blackberry, blackcurrant, sweet and sour cherry on the palate. Medium body, with the tannins being silky, almost soft after a long decant. Very subtle oak, which to me is well integrated already. I was thinking this needs food, but when I checked in after 6 hours of air, two hours before dinner, I couldn’t resist any longer. The rest of the bottle was then paired with grilled lamb loin chops. This is really good already, and while it will certainly get better, the wine is very acccessable with a long decant.
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8/28/2022 - wineforth wrote: 93 Points
1st bottle from a dozen bought en primeur. Tasted a barrel sample and rated a potential 93 which is well deserved. My notes on Cantemerle go back to a lovely 1961 drunk 1993 and have always had an undertone of being surprised by the high quality and balance of the wine for a 5th growth and the excellent QPR. I never seem to learn and this vintage is no exception. An absolute steal for £210 IB a dozen at release. For several decades a more consistent Chateau than some 1st growths. This bottle has blackcurrant and mostly tobacco on the nose which I'm sure will develop further as I get through the bottle and with age. A beautifully balanced medium weight body with loads of very soft tannins. Excellent length of finish. Drinking well now and will continue to improve. The few 2015s I've had recently are drinking young.
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8/25/2022 - PIntag wrote: 91 Points
Was a little concerned after reading TODD's note and thought it time to pop one of these to see what's going on here.
While I agree that this is on the ripe side for sure, I'm not sure where the "pruney" descriptor comes from. There is an overt toasted oak note here that I'm not particularly fond of, but this has the stuffing to integrate it with more time in bottle. Mid-palate was not as full as one would expect from the ripeness level, but I think that, too, will come with time. Otherwise, balance is very good and this has good Bordeaux "sensibility" in my estimation, i.e. not too modern in style, despite the ripe vintage. The last bottle that I tried of this Chateau was the 2006 vintage a few years ago, which was much more restrained and classical, and honestly not particularly memorable; this vintage is a step up in my opinion.
I don't want to discount TODD's impression at all, as I can see someone with an "old school" expectation for this wine seeing this as too modern and ripe. I am a middle-of-the-road kind of wine guy, so this vintage probably appeals to me more than old-schoolers (though I'm not anywhere near JEFF LEVE's appreciation level of modern).
For now, I'll score this 91, with some upside as this approaches maturity in 5+ years.
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8/10/2022 - Todd French wrote:
Overripe, pruney - disappointing
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7/26/2022 - King_Arthur Likes this wine: 92 Points
Already very good to drink! Intense berries, tobacco?, tannins already quite soft, good acidity, long finish.
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7/4/2022 - Outplaying Likes this wine:
Wow. This is delicious. There is some petrichor on the nose, along with a lot of other stuff I just can’t identify. It smells great thought. This is bright, and lifted. Young, but drinking great.
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7/2/2022 - dbg wrote:
Cellared since release, perfect cork and fill. Pop and pour. Dark red to rim. Good to go right out of the gate. Cassis, plum, cigar, earth on the nose. Medium body, ripe fruit, good balancing acidity, moderate fine tannins, medium finish. Excellent.
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6/11/2022 - mike410 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Don't know what the wine critics were thinking but this is a solid well made wine. this easily can be a 94 in a few years.
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6/10/2022 - MAC49 wrote: 86 Points
Smell of graphite and wet dirt. Taste of graphite, with bitter green at the end. Nice round tannis, but I taste green at the end. After several hours it becomes less pronounced. Maybe needs more time.
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6/1/2022 - racerchris Likes this wine: 92 Points
After drinking a bunch of 375s within a few years of release, this is my first full bottle to be opened. Popped and poured alongside a 2015 Tour St Christophe that was decanted. The Cantemerle opened quickly in the glass. Both wines showed well for 3+ hours, making an assessment of which was better very difficult. This being a more classically styled Haut-Medoc compared to the riper/richer St Emilion gives it a slight edge for my palate, although I would never push away a glass of the TSC. Both are excellent wines. :-)
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6/1/2022 - Everything Ahead wrote: 91 Points
This is drinking very nicely now in the classic mid-weight Bordeaux style, with black currant, dark cherry, tobacco, pepper (including bell pepper) and a solid tannic structure. Oak seemed well-integrated. It will hold and improve a bit over the next 10 years but seems to be entering a good drinking window now.
This bottle was provided by RacerChris, and it was nice to meet up with him and drink some good Bordeaux ...
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4/22/2022 - Robwild Likes this wine: 91 Points
Oak. Dark fruits. Medium tannins. Well balanced.
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3/30/2022 - Francois Le Mouel Likes this wine: 91 Points
Excellent Haut-Medoc and a good QPR if you bought it in 2016 during Bordeaux futures. Classic left bank Bordeaux, with cassis aromas, subtil secondary aromas, high quality tannins and a nice freshness that will allow this wine to evolve and improve for another 5-7 years. Decant for a few hours if you decide to drink now.
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3/29/2022 - Sanfoan wrote:
This is the third bottle I have opened since release all stored at 55 degrees and not moved from my cellar. This is completely closed at the moment and I don't feel like any amount of coercion will open this up. This was more "open" even just a few months ago. I would not revisit this until another few years minimum. I agree with MOTZ comment from a while back - I would not touch these until the 15-20 year age window.
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3/29/2022 - Acove wrote: 86 Points
Sort of disappointed here. Decanted for 2-3 hours. Nose was classic bdx of cedar leather graphite cherry cassis. The palate tho was lacking and was rather high in acid but low in everything else. Even tannin was quite low, and the sediment in this bottle was crazy for a 2015 so im thinking all the good stuff sedimented out. The acid outlasted what little fruit there was on a short finish.
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3/29/2022 - Rbhan12 Does not like this wine: 87 Points
Part of a blind tasting, writing from memory. There's a lot of sediment, so be sure to decant this wine (mine was not decanted well).
Overall wasn't impressed. Nose showed oak, swirling the glass brought out some freshness and bright red fruit but also had some mossy/underbrush tones to it. Palate showed a good amount of acid, basically no tannins, not much fruit either but whatever was hanging on was elevated by acid. Finish was short and nondescript.
Compared to the prior notes, this may have been an off bottle with suboptimal decanting, although blind tasting does remove a lot of bias.
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3/28/2022 - Snowey Likes this wine:
So typical Bordeaux. Lovely and got better on day 2. Smooth tannins and that earthiness shining through. Fruit kept everything in balance.
Enjoyed it. Wait two years for my next one.
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3/23/2022 - spoplack wrote: 92 Points
early in window. strong tannins great concentration. decant!
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3/21/2022 - PAWS wrote: 89 Points
flat and sort of uninspiring, opened a 3.0L and gave it two hour of air in decanter. Typically enjoy this wine but this bottle lacked anything special, lack luster finish and medium nose. Maybe it needed more time.
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3/13/2022 - bryceandrachel Likes this wine:
Delicious and definitely in its drinking window (at least for my taste). Smooth, light to medium bodied, dark berries and leather; moderate tannins.
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3/10/2022 - Juliansi wrote:
Lovely blackcurrant fruit forward notes with cassis coming through, and a medium finish.
This was actually better then the Calon Segur 3rd wine at 1 star ?? L'Oiseau Bleu, guess the more distinguished vintage came into play here!
Cheers from Bordeaux ????
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2/27/2022 - Michael Mackenzie wrote: 85 Points
Tasted against a Capbern 2015 as similar assemblage:
Cantemerle: 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot. 13% ABV.
Capbern: 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot. 13.5% ABV.
Colour: deep plum red, thin rim, purple tinge.
Nose: rather closed, brambles and cassis, brooding.
Taste: light body, loosely knit, soft, some cassis, med finish, soft, ok fruit.
Overall, is this a bad bottle as the Capbern or is it my mood? This is really unexciting and, at a tad more than the 2016, not really worth it. It confirms my impressions of the 2015s as being underperformers (see notes on Siran, Baron de Brane and Meyney). Will spend my money on the 2016s.
Retasted after 24 hours vacuvined. No improvement sadly.
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2/21/2022 - Rhuby Likes this wine: 92 Points
Poured direct to glass from a half-bottle, expecting some accelerated aging due to the small bottle size. This did not pan out.
Deep red-purple with scent of vanilla. Just a tinge of brick at the edges - still quite youthful. This was initially packed with dried blueberries, blackberry, and some oak/vanilla. Everything was still well/balanced with acidity. Clean finish with absolutely nothing off-putting. On day 2, the fruit and vanilla moderated bringing out some cedar and soft tannins. Certainly enjoyable now but still in its youth.
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2/19/2022 - Michael Mackenzie Likes this wine: 90 Points
59% Cabernet Sauvignon
27% Merlot
6% Petit Verdot
8% Cabernet Franc
Total destemming
The grapes are hand-sorted before crushing
Fermentation: 6-8 days at 26 -28°C
Maceration: 28 -30 days
Ageing for 12 months in french oak barrels(medium toast)
which 40% are new
An ultra light fining is done prior to bottling.
ABV: 13%.
(Source: Château's website)
Colour: med deep red, thin rim, purple tinge.
Nose: full, ripe, v much led by CS fruit unsurprisingly. Opens up slowly into an opulent if cassis driven nose.
Taste: light body, rounded, ripe, pure cassis and brambles, good acidity, med tannins, long finish, ripe cassis and tannic touch.
Overall, a more classic Cantemerle than say the 2016, with which I will compare this at some point. At present up against Baron de Brane 2015 (see separate note), which sells for the same price.
Vacuvined the double decanted bottle and retried the following evening. Not much change and comes second to the riper, more sensuous B de B, which has a totally different assemblage:
57 % Merlot
39 % Cabernet Sauvignon
4 % Cabernet Franc
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1/16/2022 - Khon Kaen Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decant for half hour. Very deep red. Aroma of blackberries. It tastes like blackberry, dust and espresso with a slightly bitter taste. After 1 hour, the sweetness of the figs has increased significantly, this young wine needs at least 1 hour of decanting, but it is delicious.
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12/30/2021 - diggydan wrote: 93 Points
This is really good. Very ripe, a little round in the mouth, but not overdone. The palate had a lot of earth, a little menthol, black plum and tobacco. Complex. Big bodied and long finish. Seems relatively young and worth keeping a few to age.
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12/26/2021 - JNebs Likes this wine: 89 Points
Decanted 40 min. Tart cherry, current, brambly blackberry, hint of forest floor ending in pleasantly puckery tannins. Moderate finish. Not very complex but good with food. No one tasted mint :)
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12/19/2021 - dagij Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep ruby with an almost black core. No signs of aging except for a small brown rim. Expressive nose (decanted for three hours in a wide carafe) dominated by black forest berries, black currant, as well an an exotic sniff of vanilla, mint and coffee. Full bodied attack, lots of sweet fruit (blackcurrant) in the first part of the tasting curve, the mid part is still fruit dominated but also contains fine grained tannins and a fine acidity, the finish is sweet, black currant, while the aftertaste brings in tones of vanilla and mint. The minty tone lingers on the medium length finish. This is clearly a crowd pleaser of a wine; sweet, round and welcoming. A very good example of the the 15 vintage (it reminds of the drinkability of the 1985s), drinkable now, but will probably age gracefully over the next two decades or so. Drink now if you like the up front fruit, wait fine years if you like your Bordeaux in a more tertiary style. Very good wine, and a good qpr in todays wine market.
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11/22/2021 - Volleyball wrote: 90 Points
Exactly as advertised. Classic, good quality medium bodied left bank bordeaux, very enjoyable and good reflection of the terroir, but not overwhelming in any way. Should improve with 5+ years of age.
Deep ruby color with just the tiniest early hints of age.
Fairly limited aroma which is all fruit - blueberry, with a little bit of wood.
Medium+ acid and fairly high tannins that coat the lips and tongue. Grippy, but not harsh. Medium body and alcohol. Savory blackcurrant flavor, some mint, a little bit of earth, leather and chocolate, esp on the finish.
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9/28/2021 - BlueDevilWineLVR wrote: 90 Points
Drank it over the course of three nights. First sip right out of the bottle was almost undrinkable. I got a strong whiff of gasoline so let it decant for about an hour. Tried it with food and it had opened up but I still did not want to drink a glass. Revisited after 24 hours and it had become lovely, almost floral with some menthol after taste. Poured some more on night three and it had gone past its prime. Very tannic and I could really taste the cab franc. I think it needs air and strong cheese. I plan to stay away from my other bottles for a while, but agree with the taster who said that time could take this either way. If you do drink leave time to decant.
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9/18/2021 - 82Latour wrote: 91 Points
Silky sweet tannins, approachable young, muddied red and black fruit. Needs time to open, but perhaps the best drinking vintage young from here
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9/9/2021 - rkww wrote:
WSET Level 3 Still Wines; 9/2/2021-1/20/2022: Appearance: Deep ruby
Nose: Med(+) intensity; Developing; Notes of black cherry, black plum, black pepper, smoke, vanilla, dried cranberry, earth
Palate: Dry; High acid; Med alcohol (13%); High tannin; Med(+) body; Med(+) intensity; Notes of black cherry, black plum, black pepper, smoke, vanilla, dried cranberry, earth, vegetal; Med(+) finish
Quality: Outstanding
Drink now; Suitable for aging
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8/16/2021 - peterag wrote: 88 Points
Bottle showed slight traces of overoxidation
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7/10/2021 - LopedeAguirre Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very robust, concentrated, takes a while to show nuances. Balanced. Red fruits and some leather in the bouquet.
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7/7/2021 - preid wrote: 89 Points
Dark red clear color. Dark berries, vanilla, some oak. Leather and earthy notes. Balanced and medium length. Need some time to open up. Lovely wine.
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6/17/2021 - JackCali wrote: 91 Points
Drinking well
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5/18/2021 - maxima wrote: 89 Points
Assez corsé et ample, beaucoup de matière ici.
Assez animal au début, avec le temps
le fruit reprend sa place.
Du café, des cerises, de la terre et du poivre.
Les tannins sont musclés et la finale bien longue
nous montre une légère chauffe.
Bien en ce moment mais promis à un bel avenir.
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5/17/2021 - mathwonk wrote:
This is just delicious. Popped and poured, and enjoying it. Maybe a little alcohol ascending now to my brain. This has nothing at all in common with the 2014 that I liked a lot, especially at the price. I paid about $35 for the 2014 and this was $67. The 2014 took an hour or so to develop whereas this was light and flavorful right away. More widely appealing probably, to more people, but especially at the previous price, I would prefer the more interesting, if less fruity, 2014. This is not fair at all, but this 2015 reminds me of a fruity jug wine I drank in the 60's when I was poor, that tasted like fortified hawaiian punch, only less rough of course. Actually all the 2015 wines I have had were like this, delicious but inconsequential, even from different continents: haut bages liberal, talbot, andrew will sorella,.... but the sorella we had yesterday was a little more substantial. Maybe I need to wait longer after opening.
edit: A quick search shows that as of jan. 2016, 2015 was the hottest year on record, but it has been eclipsed several times since then. uh oh...
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4/23/2021 - Luke@rosenbergfs.com wrote: 90 Points
Really Tanic. After 24h it started to mellow. It became a very enjoyable wine. Nice fruit - light to medium weight with some mild undertones of earth and lead pencil. however, underoaked, with a slightly bitter finish. Try again in 2-3 years.
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4/10/2021 - wineaficionado Likes this wine: 91 Points
Color: Deep ruby. Nose: Some herbs like menthol and rosemary and some cherries. Oranges, too. A lot going here. Mouth: Definitely cherries in the mix. The tannins are there but they are almost like velvet. Good complexity. Good length. Good expressiveness. Even though this wine almost shows no signs of aging I'm not sure where it is heading to. I think it has plateaued. After a while of breathing there is a slight aroma of malt candy without the sweetness, of course. Perhaps better to drink up in the next 2 years if you are cautious or store some bottles for the next 8 years if you are bold.
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3/24/2021 - Jake Barnes Likes this wine: 93 Points
(3/24/21) From a 750ml bottle purchased from a local retailer. The wine was decanted for 3 hours.
This example was loaded with cassis and cranberry on the nose and was just beginning to show a touch of tobacco leaf. The palate was well concentrated and absolutely packed with cassis. The balance was excellent, and the tannins were ripe and very much in check.
It was certainly no sin to pull the cork on this bottle. I expected it to be completely (or almost completely) primary, but that’s what I was looking for—a really nice young wine just entering its drinking window. Cantemerle seldom fails me, and this bottle was perfect for tonight. 13% abv. (***+/16.5/93)
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3/6/2021 - dbg wrote:
Hasn’t shut down. Excellent.
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2/16/2021 - grafstrb wrote:
-- double decanted 30 min before 1st --
-- tasted non-blind over 3 hours on Day 1; revisited on Day 2 –
-- 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot --
N: rich, dark red fruits; bit of chocolatey oak; faint floral and earthy hints; a touch of cologne; Christmas candle (pine and cinnamon); pretty complex; caramelized onion; ever-changing; little high-toned note;
B: medium bodied; rich, dark garnet color of medium-deep depth
T: lightly tannic; very tight; medium+ acidity; very difficult to get at the fruit, even after 3 hours open; hint of tobacco. Day 2: more open; caramel; medium acidity; still lightly tannic; I predict this will age well; really closing-down compared to 2 years ago; labelled at 13% alc.; fruits still non-descript.
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2/8/2021 - wineappreciation wrote: 91 Points
Blackberry, oak, leather; full, tight, medium length, good structure; will be better with some time
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2/3/2021 - ledocq Likes this wine:
If you're coming at this normally, I'd say it's young but pleasurable. But as a post-Covid tasting: took an hour (exactly one episode of P Valley) to open up and it tasted exactly as young, good Cantemerle tends to - a little restrained and tannic, but enjoyable. Day two, it tasted completely off, and I think that's me, not the wine.
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1/25/2021 - sbee melbourne wrote:
Don't touch till 2025
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1/25/2021 - sbee melbourne wrote:
Don't touch till 2030
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1/9/2021 - Shugs_Claret wrote: 92 Points
Nice nose and palate of dark cherries. Hints of sweet oak remain at this young age but nice balance. Very approachable right now.
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12/26/2020 - ohne_musik wrote: 91 Points
From 375. Fresh on the nose, more expressive than a year ago. Restrained classic Left bank in the mouth, bright red/black fruit, rose petals piled on a base of cedar pencil shavings and fine grained tannins. While this still needs a few years to fully unwind it is very enjoyable today.
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10/31/2020 - macaujames Likes this wine: 93 Points
92/93. One glass. Has unfruity aromas of dusty earthy blackberries, plums, iron + coffee hints and flowers. Its juvenile medium bodied freshly fruited neat yet savoury and very broad black, blue and red fruits palate has an oak layer running through it. Ends long, fresh and tapering. Impressive and good QPR for a Bordeaux Cru Classe. 13%. Needs 6-7 hrs aeration. Lay down 10 years+.
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10/26/2020 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Similar to previous notes. Really nice freshness and sweet tannins, showing well considering its youth. This is a more open and accessible style than many left bank wines at this young stage - there's nothing austere.
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10/16/2020 - UFGators Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very pleasing medoc wine. Plum, red cherry and pleasing acidity. Great value.
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9/9/2020 - dbg wrote:
Cellared since release, perfect cork and fill. Dark red to rim. Cherry, cassis, tobacco nose, too young for any aged tertiary notes. Medium body, ripe fruit, excellent balance, medium-long finish. Young but drinking well, not shut down. Has tannins and acid to age and enough fruit to do it well. Excellent.
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8/28/2020 - jesperarent wrote: 85 Points
Not very pleasant taste right after pouring - very sour and bitter taste. I hope it opens up after decanting - otherwise way too expensive for 400 Dkr... 3 hours later did not help, unfortunately...
I agree with the comment from PhillyVine - dont drink it now. Wait. I dont understand the comments made by the users having had this wine earlier. It needs so much more time in bottle before it might be worth the money...
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7/12/2020 - RussK wrote: 87 Points
Russk. I'm surprised. It did nothing for me. I dumped it.
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7/6/2020 - macaujames Likes this wine: 93 Points
Half Bottle. The most impressive Cantemerle yet! Has fullish aromas of floor polish, blackberries, coffee, gravel hints, plums and flowers. Its neat medium bodied spherical palate has got impressive depth. Ends long, fresh and a bit unknit. 13%. Needs 6hrs+ aeration. Still juvenile. Lay down 10 years+ no problem. Excellent value at 30 Euros.
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7/5/2020 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Very impressed with the quality of this. The fruit is so sweet and open right up front, medium bodied and nice acidity too. Quite complete, drinking very well already and great value upon release.
Not quite as good on the 2nd day, but still held up well. This is arguably a case-worthy wine, the quality is so good for the price. I liked this better than I liked the '10 upon release, and having had a few of their '89, even recently, this can age so gracefully.
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5/2/2020 - Jake Barnes Likes this wine: 93 Points
(5/1/20) From a 750 ml bottle that was very similar to my bottle of 11/12/19 but more impressive—deep black fruits on the nose and palate; ample dusty tannins; and excellent balance and concentration, all of which was carried along on a medium acidity. It had a medium-long finish.
Given that there are many things about young Bordeaux wines I like, I don’t feel I opened this too soon at all. Motz’s description of a bottle from 4/15/20 matches my experience with this one and is very well said—the note is quite correct about patience, too. This bottle didn’t show at its best right out of the gate; 13% abv. (***+/16.5/93)
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4/28/2020 - ohne_musik wrote: 92 Points
After reading Motz’s tip, I decided to try another 375. Drank a few ounces and not memorable on night 1. 88
Night 2: it has unfurled, with more focused black fruit, better delineated chalky minerals, and also a broader, more tannic frame. The cigar box and whisper of green that I love in Cantemerle. Lots of upside in a decade. 90-91
Night 3: it’s at its most expressive, with the black fruit edged by red cherry and flowers notes, cedar and more harmonious tannins. Be patient with this. 92+
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4/15/2020 - Motz wrote: 93 Points
The patient will be rewarded. Let the wine breathe! Still with some baby fat and less than fully integrated oak, of which a little less overall would have put this wine over the top. This aside, a wine of equal parts finesse and power, the latter quite deceptive. Wholly typical of the (Burgundian-like) vintage and place. It packs the substance to evolve through 2032 - 2035, and should hold for a long while thereafter. Exceptional QPR! 93-94.
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2/25/2020 - Ballballsheep Likes this wine: 90 Points
Chateau Cantemerle 2015 is still young. Waiting for 2 hours, it opens up. It is ruby in colour. On the nose, there are the aromas of ripe black fruits like black cherries and black currant. It is medium-full bodies with a bit spicy and dry. The acidity is not high and the tannin is quite fine grained. The finishing is quite long and complex. It will be great to taste the wine after 5 or more years. Nice wine.
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1/20/2020 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cantemerle's 2015 is an opaque crimson blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot, aged for 12 months in French oak (40% new). Packed with steeped plum fruit, rosemary, tobacco, exotic spices and graphite, it is a medium-bodied wine with beautifully integrated oak and alcohol (13%). Freshly acidic and silky-textured by virtue of its medium-weight, fine-grained tannins, it has excellent mid-palate density and a lengthy, smooth finish. Cantemerle has done a great job with this vintage. Already very drinkable, this is a charming Bordeaux that should provide pleasure throughout the decade. Drink now-2030.
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12/27/2019 - ohne_musik wrote: 89 Points
From 375ml. Dark fruited plummy nose at first, but starts to shut down a bit after an hour. Palate is all black fruits - plum, blackberry and cassis, with a hint of tar and tobacco on the back end. Texture is ethereal and light, with a touch of woody glossiness, and tannins that start out silky but start to tighten up with air. There's also the sense that the elevated acid is not quite in sync. There's good concentration and unexpectedly lengthy finish that sneaks up on you. Seems like the wine is starting to shut down a bit, but it has all the right components - just needs some time to harmonize. 89 for now, but lots of upside.
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12/4/2019 - Vinoclovis Likes this wine: 91 Points
Young! Won’t open next bottle until 2025
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11/21/2019 - vlzat Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cabernet Sauvignon 59%, Merlot 27%, Cabernet Franc 6% and Petit Verdot 8%
Bought in Vinotheque de Bordeaux, Bordeaux city - highly recommend wine store, very wide specter of wines including last vintages, highly friendly staff and excellent service.
It is pity to drink this wine in such not mature age. Medium body, deep garnet color. Intense but delicate aroma of ripe black fruits, coffee, olives complements by cigar box and flowers. Black currant and plum palate with lingering spicy and juicy finish. Excellent wine. Rich and complex but elegant and harmonious, exceptionally balanced refreshing berries acidity, tannic now and need aeration. Food friendly, tasted with Tomme Montagne cheese. Serve 17º - 21º. Open four/six hours ahead. Drink in four years at least.
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11/17/2019 - winebytoth wrote: 90 Points
Drinking really well after about 2 hours decant. Very balanced good acidity and tannins. Very good
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11/14/2019 - Maphill01 Likes this wine:
Better than a year ago. Very dark in color. Floral nose, along with plum, fairly ripe. Plum and cherry on the palate, ripe, but also earthy, along with oak. Silky tannins. Enjoyable now with decant, will continue to improve.
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11/12/2019 - Jake Barnes Likes this wine: 92 Points
This very nice Cantemerle had a good nose of dark fruits, decent concentration, and excellent balance. The light, ripe tannins made it very accessible, and the medium acidity gave the whole thing a bit of punch. It finished medium-long. Very pleasing at $35 USD. (***+/16.5/92)
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11/2/2019 - GuWin wrote: 91 Points
Dyp mørk og tett farge med svak lilla kant.
Middels intens duft av solbær, sorte moreller og plommer, et hint av cedertre og sort lakris.
Overraskende åpen og tilgjengelig på smak, flott og ganske så konsentrert frukt med preg av sorte søtlige bær og et lite snev av mørk sjokolade. Middels + fylde, god dybde, ingen skarpe kanter, men heller en myk tanninstruktur. Lang, saftig ettersmak med mørke bær i avslutningen.
En liten sjarmør, dette - og ingen skam å nyte nå
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10/23/2019 - Alexander Smith Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark ruby in colour, with aromas of dark cherries, plums, wet leaves, pepper and a little tobacco, the palate was quite soft and refined, compared to the 2012 this had a certain freshness to the fruit. For now, it tastes a lot riper and brighter yet with a certain depth and concentration which was lacking in the 2012. It was med-full bodied with plenty of dark red moving to black fruits along with a little savoury pepper and spice and a touch of dark chocolate. The tannins were soft, yet not out of balance and the finish was medium yet reasonably refined. For the price, this is pretty good, yet I am sure there are better deals in Bordeaux and I am not sure I would re-purchase this again. Expect this to improve over the next 8-10 years, but do not expect this to be a classic. Better than 2012
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8/19/2019 - Outplaying wrote:
Popped and poured from a .375 and consumed with grilled burgers. Surprisingly accessible with soft tannin. Darker toned fruit and some oak influence showing. I think this will improve and it is a good value.
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7/22/2019 - ledocq wrote:
I have faith in Cantemerle but this one was in an awkward phase - fruity at odd moments and tannins that are a wee bit harsh. No doubt it will work itself out. From a .375.
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7/11/2019 - FrancoisD Likes this wine: 90 Points
1er bouteille de 12...
Vin très bien fait, excellent en jeunesse
Cerise noires, framboises, vanille.
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7/10/2019 - winebytoth wrote: 93 Points
Nose of honey, bbq, pork ribs, greek yogurt, turamic. Taste is rich dark berries, a bit polished with medium tannins. Decanted for 60 minutes and continued to open throughout the night. Will only get better. Happy I have a few more bottles.
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5/31/2019 - BradA Likes this wine: 91 Points
Suave, smooth with fine grained tannins. Drinks like a wine that has cellared 5-7 years... not sure how I feel about these early approachable wines... isn’t the fun to buy, cellar and discover later...? Anyhow, I digress. Buy this under $40– you will be glad to have a few. Does it hold to 2030.....? I lack firm conviction that it will.
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5/26/2019 - Doc2 Likes this wine:
Lovely, looking forward to the next total wine 20% coupon.
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2/26/2019 - wineaficionado Likes this wine: 91 Points
Color: Deep and almost dark. Nose: Red berries. Cherries, too. Mouth: Not that expressive. After a while of breathing more expressive. Tannins are still young and only a bit bitter but that only complements the food. Full bodied. I love the freshness. Slightly lactic like a wild berry yoghurt. This wine is still a baby and I recommend to wait another year before opening the next bottle. Upwards potential.
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2/20/2019 - JimTaft Likes this wine: 92 Points
As my 6 year old grandson Niko would say "I like it", not wine of course but just the thought of it makes me smile.
Popped and poured, tastes great immediately. Getting better with some time. Agree with all previous, young but approachable. Wonderful aromatics, fully balanced, significant but not overwhelming tannins. Flavors really make an impact, and then linger ... long time. Good.
Drink now or store for five, maybe more, years. Great any way you decide.
Tonight with excellent meatloaf on egg noodles covered with stroganof sauce.
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1/25/2019 - lbarnard wrote: 93 Points
Really nothing to say that isn't perfectly stated in Motz's October 13, 2018 note. I will note that this has picked up some tannic structure since I first tasted it almost exactly a year ago, and I expect it to continue to pick up some structure and body as it ages.
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1/19/2019 - grafstrb wrote: 92 Points
-- decanted 1.75 hours before initial taste --
-- tasted non-blind over 2 – 3 hours --
NOSE: concentrated, dark, rich red fruits; hints of espresso, caramel, and popcorn.
BODY: lots of fine particulate matter present; blood red-violet color of great depth; medium bodied.
TASTE: red/purple fruit mix; ripe, but not overly so; not overtly oaky (just lightly oaky); damp soil; hints of leather and wet stones; medium-low to medium acidity, but it's still well-balanced; impressively, this is not big/gloppy, and it easily could have gone that way given the ripeness and acidity levels, but somehow this walks relatively lightly on its feet; alc. not noticeable; over a couple hours, the fruits veered more purple than red, and became a touch bitter. This is *not* a tannic/rustic/austere Bordeaux redolent of pencil shavings and stinky things. I would love to see this with 10+ years on it, and I will definitely be re-buying at the stupid-good price of $33; I see this as a 15 – 25 year wine. Hold.
50, 5, 12, 17, 8 = 92
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1/5/2019 - Connie88 wrote:
Duplicate
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12/27/2018 - macaujames Likes this wine: 93 Points
Aerated 12 hours. Has aromas of black currants, cedar, plums, and cassis. Its medium bodied spherical, satiny black, red and blue fruits palate has got superb depth and balance. Ends long and tapering with some unresolved tannin and good acidity. 13%. V.impressive. Lay down 10 years.
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11/11/2018 - DoubleMagnum Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark fruited, both in nose and palate. Very fresh and young but extremely approachable. Only primaries at this point. All components in balance. Not enough extract, tannin or acid to last a long time but this wine can age gracefully for the next five years, maybe even ten but it will certainly decline from there. Enjoyable now.
PAIRING: Spaghetti Bolognese. [A]
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10/13/2018 - Motz wrote: 93 Points
Half bottle, tasted over two days, alongside several other quality Bordeaux. Was able to evaluate this bottle more thoroughly than in April, and it showed exceptionally well. Shy upon opening, with air the bouquet takes on Margaux-like qualities, delightful, 'sweet' sophistication. And, also with air, the wine features Saint-Julien like firmness and grip, the mouthfeel offering touches of luxury typical of higher classed growths.
The kicker here, as with many 2015 quality Bordeaux, is the acid level, which tends to be disproportionately high vis-a-vis the tannin. Moreover, the tannin in this wine, and in many other Bordeaux of this vintage, is ripe and ultra fine, loess-like if you will, the Giscours being a striking exception.
For example, I poured this double-blind on the second day for two trade professionals and neither called it Bordeaux. In fairness, one first thought it Bordeaux, but, knowing it to be young, noticed other elements, a suave refinement in particular (the absence of hard tannins), that steered him away from Bordeaux. I wonder if this atypical character has left some pros and Bordeaux aficionados scratching their heads, perhaps leading to lower scores than many wines merit.
'Keith Levenberg's' and 'chatters's' recent experiences with the 2015 Domaine de Chevalier, a standout of the vintage to be sure, in which they note similarities to Burgundy, offers an example of the unique quality of many wines.
Whatever the case, this wine has the acid to evolve for at least a decade, probably two (likely improving), and hold for a decade thereafter. If drinking in the near term, let it breathe for several hours.
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10/6/2018 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pulls off once again what Cantemerle has been doing almost uniquely since 2005 or so - that ethereal, weightless presence that seems to float across rather than sink into the palate. It pulls off this lightweight buoyancy without being at all light in material, as it's amply fleshy with rich cherry and plummy fruits with cigar tobacco adding deeper, bassier tones. With time in the glass, the structure which at first seemed slick enough to slip between your fingers develops a more serious, clenched grip and even a bit of old-fashioned grit.
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9/16/2018 - peternelson wrote: 88 Points
strange compared to the lovely 2000--this was thinner, juicy tangy red and purple fruits, seemed like a "fun" wine, can't believe these are both the same wine. Maye it will gain complexity with 5+ years? B&J's
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9/1/2018 - Andre Brattland wrote: 91 Points
Fyrrig på duft med tydelig espresso og blyantspiss som gir velbehag sammen med solbær og bjørnebær. Bra fylde med friske og noe sødmefulle bær med plommer og kirsebær. Litt alkohol og sødmepreg, uten at dette blir for markant. Bra utgang med modne tanniner. Bra vin. 91 poeng.
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7/7/2018 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for two hours. An almost opaque colour, with a garnet core. Blackberry, dark cherry, antique walnut, tobacco and cassis. A full body, with silky, layered tannins. A gliding finish. Drink 2022 -.
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6/16/2018 - rossi.wine wrote: 91 Points
Tasted after 2015 de Camensac. More generous, more depth, especially on the palate. The tannins are nicely integrated, good acidity and length. 90-91+
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6/1/2018 - Collector1855 wrote: 89 Points
Bordeaux 2015 in bottle (Zurich Arvi / Singapore UGCB): The aromas here are classic Medoc and pleasant. Tannins soft but the palate feels a bit watery. They should cut the yields I guess.
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5/28/2018 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still showing quite a bit of oak, but nice cherry fruit mixed in. Fine tannin. Hold for a bit. From 375. Solid QPR.
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5/24/2018 - racerchris Likes this wine: 92 Points
From a 375.
This is Excellent right now. No need for a lengthy decant. It opens up nicely in the glass.
Medium-full bodied, rich on the palate.
Dry, with smooth tannins and balanced acidity.
Dusty black cherry with a nice cassis bite on the back end.
I need to get some full bottles of this for the cellar.
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5/4/2018 - asgerG wrote: 90 Points
CV1. Dark purple red, 5.5. Generous aroma of dark fruits, black currant, blueberries, sweet spicy stuf behind as well as oak. Very youngish tasting, good acidity, fair amount of tannin, long fruity finish. Drink 2023-onwards then higher score for sure.
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5/3/2018 - racerchris Likes this wine: 92 Points
A bit of smokiness on the nose.
Rich ripe fruit with good acidity.
Strong tannins with a touch of bitterness.
Medium length finish.
Nice!
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4/21/2018 - racerchris Likes this wine: 91 Points
From a 375.
It seems that only a short decant is necessary, although it is rather tannic.
Somewhat like a St Estephe in character.
Ripe cherry, plum and blackcurrant. Good grip. Medium finish.
Very nice.
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4/15/2018 - Hawk94 wrote: 91 Points
Dark inky red, Chocolate-ish, dark fruits, firm and chunky tannins but smooth, dry, balanced with acidity, relatively easy drinking, medium length finish.
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4/14/2018 - Motz wrote: 93 Points
From a half, tasted over several hours. Seductively perfumed, with fruit blossoms, spring flowers, ripe berries, compote, and red fruit liqueurs draping graphite, loam, black earth, crushed rocks, and mineral undertones. Suave and inviting. Pithy red-fruited Merlot imparted elements are prominent forward, transiting to Cabernet Sauvignon essences and power at the middle, back, and finish. The wine's elegance, lift, and freshness mask impressive structure. Like so many 2015 vintage offerings, the ripeness level gives the impression of forwardness, and thus no more than medium term cellaring potential. With this wine, however, substance might reward the patient. Understated and an excellent value, worth stashing and enjoying at intervals over the next five to seven years to monitor its evolution. 93-94...95?
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4/6/2018 - clubs Likes this wine: 92 Points
Rich and tasty texture.
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3/16/2018 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Lively and fresh, with some power, wound up, tight, yet in a good way.
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3/12/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Soft, refined, fresh and with ample, ripe, polished, cherry and plum notes, the wine has a beautiful floral essence, made even better with its silky tannins and vibrant, red fruit sensations in the finish. With age, this should fill out and become as good, or even better than the sublime 2010!
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2/25/2018 - Rieslingfan wrote:
It's been a while since I last opened a bottle of ripe vintage Bordeaux at such a young age. It's been even longer since I opened such a young Cantemerle from any sort of vintage. Overall this is a very promising wine. I've read any number of so-so notes, but I just don't see that. The balance is good, there's plenty of depth, and it's showing as young Bordeaux shows when it's from a (relatively) classic producer. This is a wine that needs and will reward time. It won't be a 30+ year wine, but it does not need to be that. Give it 5 years, check in, then wait another 5. It will likely be a more than charming drink as it approaches 15 years from the vintage - maybe sooner.
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1/29/2018 - Purple Tooth wrote: 88 Points
Out of balance for me, with divided parts of ripe fruit and alcohol. I don't think that I have had much love for this wine ever since 2010. Will definitely improve with time, but now its a pass for me. HOLD
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1/25/2018 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 92 Points
Union Des Grand Crus de Bordeaux Tasting of the 2015 Vintage, nose of red cherry fruit, plum, and ash, same on the palate, medium/big body, fairly fruit forward, tasty, almost very tasty, lovely, rich fruit, needs three years to peak drinking window, and a long finish.
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1/5/2018 - Boutip Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep red color wine with light tannin and oak notes with some subtle residual sugar notes. Light cherry notes with good drinkability and long finale.
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11/2/2017 - PanosKakaviatos wrote:
Assessing Bordeaux 2015 from bottle, part I; 11/2/2017-11/3/2017 (Bordeaux): The bottle seemed a bit faulty so note reserved.
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7/12/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Developing nicely. Its floral character remains out in front before you find the soft textured, ripe, sweet, black and red berries. Soft, bright and gentle in texture, this will be one of the top vintages for Cantemerle.
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6/28/2016 - wineforth Likes this wine: 93 Points
Barrel sample at Lords 2015 en primeur tasting. Remarkably good for the price (£210 /12). No need for a more of a note as I will buy some!
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4/26/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Floral scents are the first thing you notice, before moving to the ripe, sweet, earthy red and black fruits, shot of espresso and soft, silky, smooth, elegant textures. The finish is fresh and sweet and vibrant. The wine was made from a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot. 92 - 94 Pts
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