Chateau Tertre Roteboeuf, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2021

The 2021 Tertre-Rôteboeuf is a dark, sensual wine. Deceptive in its mid-weight feel, the 2021 is wonderfully persistent and nuanced from start to finish. Kirsch, sweet spice, tobacco, mint, dried flowers, mocha, rose petal and cinnamon are all beautifully delineated. The 2021 was bottled just a few months before this tasting. My impression is that it is still recovering from bottle shock. As always, Tertre-Rôteboeuf is distinguished by its thrilling inner perfume, sweetness and overall character.

One of my best scoring wines En Primeur, and absolutely delivering now in bottle. Juicy damson and cassis fruits, drawn out tannins that are fine but with grip, orange peel, blueberry, cassis, smoked earth, cloves and liqourice bud. Grilled cedar swirls through the palate, adding sweetness but well matched by the fruit, and this has layers of flavour, with the acidity of the vintage turned into sappy lift. Grapes destemmed but not crushed, 16% press wine, 100% new oak and 100% 1st wine, as ever.

The 2021 Tertre-Rôteboeuf was tasted directly from barrel à la Bourgogne. (Why don't more châteaux do this, if logistically convenient?) It has a comparatively less explosive, gourmand bouquet compared to vintages that I have tasted at this stage in recent years, featuring dark berries, hints of blueberry, iris flower and an underlying mineralité that only surfaces after 3–4 minutes in the glass. The harmonious palate is an absolute stunner. It delivers brilliant delineation and purity, one of the most energetic Tertre-Rôtebouefs that I have encountered, and a dash of black pepper on the finish. I have to confess: I had to have a sneaky sip of this.

Medium ruby and based on 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, brought up in new barrels, the 2021 Château Tertre Rôteboeuf has a beautiful perfume of mostly red fruits (redcurrants, framboise) as well as smoked tobacco, leather, spice, and white chocolate nuances. It's medium-bodied, has a supple, layered, elegant mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and outstanding length. This is a wine that offers pleasure today yet will nevertheless evolve gracefully on its overall balance, elegance, and charm.

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2021 Tertre Roteboeuf is a little reduced to begin, soon giving way to black fruit notes of fresh blackberries, black cherries, and mulberries, followed by suggestions of tar, violets, licorice, and cracked black pepper. Medium-bodied, the palate is firm and grainy with many finely-packed layers of black fruits and earthy notions, framed by ripe, rounded tannins and beautiful freshness, finishing on a lingering black truffle note.

Never one to shy away from risks, proprietor François Mitjaville opted to encourage the vintage's inherently more evolved style to arrive at its logical conclusion, so he kept his chai at a rather warm 17 degrees Celsius throughout the year. The result is a rather wild, carnal 2021 Le Tertre Roteboeuf that mingles the estate's signatures of rich dark fruits, espresso roast and exotic spices with more savory suggestions of saddle leather and smoked meats. Medium to full-bodied, broad and layered, with supple tannins and the evident ripeness that Mitjaville manages to attain, whatever the vintage, it concludes with a long, meaty finish. I tend to love Tertre Roteboeuf in cooler, more challenging vintages, but the 2021's more animal side disconcerts me.