2017 Roc de Cambes Cotes de Bourg

Vintage Notes

This is an unusual vintage, yet one of very high quality.
Its character can be explained by the combination of early ripening with generally cool conditions and frequent rainfall.

Looking more closely at the fruit’s maturation, August was moderately warm, while September was both rainy and relatively cool. In addition, a warm spring led to precocious ripening, advancing the overall growing cycle.

As a result, the grapes reached full maturity without excessive overripeness. The wines show ripe fruit expression without jammy characteristics, retaining freshness, clarity, and brightness.

The fruit profile is marked by precision and definition, displaying what might be described in English as a “pretty” quality, but with notable intensity.

September rainfall contributed to the softening of the tannins, resulting in a particularly graceful vintage that is expressive, well-structured, and dense.

This is a charming vintage that is unlikely to close down in bottle.

While clearly reflecting the conditions of the year, each wine also expresses its own distinct personality: Roc de Cambes is powerful and highlights the contribution of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Winery Description

The region of Bourg on the Gironde has been well-known for a long time, for the quality of its wines. It consists of vineyard on the slopes (Côtes de Bourg) comprised of three successive banks of hills, rising from the Gironde and facing south. The first bank of hillside (‘Les Croûtes’), which looks over the river, has the highest reputation. In fact, the suns’ heat is tempered by the regulatory effect of the Gironde, which reduces extremes of heat or cold, and allows a very even photosynthesis, thus giving grapes full of flavour. On this first hillside, about 300 meters east of the citadel of Bourg, lies Roc de Cambes.

The vineyard (12,5 hectares), comprising very old vines (average age 30 years) is composed of 20 % Cabernet Sauvignon, and 80 % Merlot (including a touch of Malbec). The soil is chalky-clay. The wine produced is very concentrated, fleshy, fruity, made for long aging (good tannic structure), dense colour.

“Since this Estate burst on the scene in the mid 1980’s, the talent and extraordinary wine -making skills of François Mitjavile have produced one of Bordeaux’s most luxurious, sensual and sexy wines. It is unfortunate, but, I suppose given the commercial world in wich we live, totally understandable that there are only a few people in the wine world like François Mitjavile. While many famous producers push yields to such preposterous levels that they risk destroying any concept of terroir of the vineyard, or even muting the character of a vintage, here is one man whose talent and obsession for producing the finest wines is refreshing. Le Tertre Roteboeuf is irrefutably one of Bordeaux’s Superstars.” ーRobert Parker