CHÂTEAU CANTEMERLE
2014 5ème Cru Classé Macau
Here is another of the smaller names who has produced a cracking 2014. There is much to love here. Attractive floral nose - some pretty spice and then good dark plump cherry flesh is seasoned with a touch of cigar box toast. Neither flashy nor lean - this is well balanced, juicy claret with sophisticated stylish poise. Rating: 90 L&S (Mar 2015)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
The 2014 Cantemerle has strong peppermint/menthol scents on the nose that obscure the terroir and typicity. The palate is medium-bodied with sweet, ripe red fruit. It's pretty exotic for the vintage, but it feels as if it is trying too hard to impress and lacks finesse and complexity on the finish. Tasted blind at the Southwold 10-Year-On tasting. Drinking range: 2024 - 2030 Rating: 87 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2024)
The 2014 Cantemerle has a sweet and candied bouquet with crushed strawberry, cherry liqueur, orange zest and just a light touch of cedar. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, moderate acidity, hints of pencil lead and black pepper with quite a solid finish that needs to develop more terroir expression and finesse. However, I feel that there is potential here. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. Drinking range: 2020 - 2035 Rating: 88 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2018)
Rather simple primary fruit on the nose. Good balance and well-worked tannins on the palate but then a bit pinched on the end. Sour finish. Drinking range: 2024 - 2034 Rating: 16 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Feb 2018)
A wine of notable precision, persistence and class, the 2014 Cantemerle is outstanding. Sweet tobacco, licorice, red cherry and dried savory herbs are some of the signatures. Medium in body and lively, the 2014 captures the best attributes of the year. This is a positively stellar showing. Drinking range: 2017 - 2026 Rating: 92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2017)
The 2014 Cantemerle is complete, beautiful and highly expressive. Tobacco, new leather, menthol, cloves, earthiness are all laced together, but it is the wine's exceptional balance that stands out most. The 2014 finishes with notable energy and an invigorating sense of freshness. I won't be surprised if the 2014 comes towards the higher end of this range once bottled. Rating: 90-93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2015)
Recommended Haut-Médoc, Decanter. Rating: 89 Steven Spurrier (May 2015)
The Château Cantemerle 2014 has a bright and slightly glossy bouquet with blackcherries and boysenberry fruit, hints of tobacco and gravel coming through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with quite "fat" tannin that lend this Cantemerle weight in the mouth, although I would have liked more precision and terroir-expression to surface on the finish. This is a "stocky" Cantemerle at the moment that just needs more sophistication. Drinking range: 2018 - 2028 Rating: 87-89 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2015)
Blackish crimson. Very opulent and perfumed. Rather light and simple though certainly friendly in the short term. Tannins are a little underripe with some greenness. Certainly respectable even if not a standout. Drinking range: 2019 - 2026 Rating: 16 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2015)
The mix of black fruits on the nose is rich the start of the palate sweet. Firmer in the middle the tannins are quite obvious but there is sweetness at the back with more depth on the finish. Drinking range: 2022 - 2030 Rating: 86-88 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (Apr 2015)
This is a knockout. Excellent concentration of fruit and firm tannins. Very, very long. Fruity and intense. Same quality or better than 2010. Impressive. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Mar 2015)
Château Cantemerle
Philippe Dambrine retires as director of the estate at the end of the 2020 vintage, after a long successful tenure. He is replaced by Laure Canu from Château Angélus. Laure is taking on the property in fine fettle with recent innovations in the cellar including their Air-Flow pump system that ensures the softest touch and minimal extraction of the juice - particularly valuable in the recent run of hot vintages. In the vineyard too plot selections and their HVE (level 3) certification means the developments continue towards healthier, better and more sustainable farming.
The long history of Château Cantemerle begins at least as far back as the 12th Century when it was a fortification. Wine production got under way seriously under the watch of the Villeneuve family who bought Cantemerle in 1579 and finally sold up in 1892. During that time Château Cantemerle famously scraped in to the 1855 classification as an apparent last minute addition after some frantic lobbying by Caroline de Villeneuve-Durfort. Théophile-Jean Dubos bought Cantemerle in 1892 and had some initial success, but the 20th Century saw a familiar period of decline and his descendents sold up nearly a hundred years later in 1981 to the Groupe SMABTP who's recent investments have put Château Cantemerle back on its feet.
Château Cantemerle lies in Macau, to the south of the Margaux appellation. There are 87ha under vine, planted to 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Grapes are hand harvested. The Grand Vin spends 12 months in wood, of which 50% is new.
There is a second wine - Les Allées de Cantemerle.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those of the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.
Ordering
Prices are per case as listed 'in bond London'.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment from you to buy the wines you order on release, subject to the price being below the upper price of the estimated band on our website. You may also set your own upper price limit, lower or higher than ours. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability. Providing this firm commitment to us effectively gives you priority.
Wines listed on the website (after any pre-orders and allocations have been fulfilled) can be ordered in the usual way via the website order form or by email or telephone 020 7221 1982, always subject to stock remaining.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date, apart from pre-orders which are binding if the release price is below the top estimate or other price you have set.
Invoices are raised at the In Bond price, excluding any duty and VAT which will become payable at the prevailing rates on arrival of the wine if required duty paid.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or credit transfer. We reserve the right to charge 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1000, orders below this total will be charged £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery for 2016 Bordeaux primeurs will probably be completed by October 2019, but we make no guarantee as to specific delivery times, and some of the Sauternes may be later.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes) for immediate payment. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option, but do please note that confirmed orders are still binding as above even if the final invoice has not been issued.
When the wine is shipped, unless previously specified we will assume that delivery is to be to bonded storage with Elephant Storage, but in any case, we will contact you requesting any alternative instructions. If you have another bonded delivery address you would like the wine to go to, please tell us at the time of ordering. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue invoices at the rates prevailing at the time for the excise duty (currently £25.98 per case) and the VAT (currently at 20%) on the total of the wine cost and the duty.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the bottle size you want. Even if a wine is only listed in one size, you can order any bottle or case size you want if the property supplies it, but you must order the case/bottle size you require and check that the correct size has been invoiced.
Additional charges are as follows:-
- +£15 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£15 per case of 6 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£35 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£45 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.