If this wine is typical of the vintage (and someone I trust greatly told me it is), then I think I may be in love with 2014 Bordeaux.
This wine is so incredibly (atypically) approachable right now, with moderate concentration of fruit, medium-light oak on the Nose and Palate, and a lovely, refreshing line of acidity. I don’t think I’ve ever had a Bdx. of this age that was this enjoyable to drink. At $28 a pop, I’m going back for more.
I´ve not tasted the Cantemerle but 24 other 2014s … from bottle …
and I was really positively surprised …
However, I´d not say “moderate concentration”, but good to very good concentration, balanced structure, fresh acidity and good to very good potential for evolution (20+ years) … the fruity phase will last another year or two … but I don´t think most wines will shut down completely … but don´t expect that most wines remain as open as they are now …
Something like a mix of 1999 and 2001 with better concentration … and both left and right bank are good … really nice (but not great) vintage …
I bought a fair bit of this and have high hopes. Love the bright profile, reds and good acid. Still quite primary. While certainly approachable, it’s still far too youthful.
2014 Château Cantemerle- France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc (7/20/2017)
– decanted one hour before initial taste –
– tasted non-blind over two days –
NOSE: unusually high-toned aromatics, which are dominated by purple fruits and a medium-strength sweet oak note; not as oaky as many young Bdx.; not funky; no pencil shavings; light spice (likely oak); slight citric aspect.
BODY: dark ruby color of great depth; medium-light to medium bodied.
TASTE: moderate concentration of fruit; mostly purple-fruited, but I sense a minority percentage of red fruit flavor here, too; high acidity; light, drying tannin; hint of smoky coffee (oak); hint of stony mineral; “lovely,” not a big bruiser; the acidity is a pleasant surprise; drinks very well now, but no rush to drink immediately; ever-evolving in the glass — with time, slight bitter and citric (lime/orange) aspects reveal themselves; overall, this is quite impressive in an elegant fashion — not words I frequently get to use for such an infantile Bdx… This wine did fill-out a bit on Day 2. ultimately, my score may be conservative, and I have the gut impression that it is. Drink Now through 2030.
So far, have tried d’hantelein and la veille cure, both of which I liked a lot, and Gloria, which was bigger but chunky and lacked balance/not a fan. FWIW. All off the shelf. Will let my futures buys rest for at least 10 yrs, and glad I did not go deep on Gloria. Then again, it has never been a favorite.
I found the Cantemerle to be stiff but drinkable after 4 hours (and softened up on day two). The Lilian Ladouys was pretty open almost immediately. What surprised me was how not ready the 14 Senejac is. I’d bought it as a daily drinker, which I guess it will be in 2020.
Interesting how we had such differing experiences. I found the Cantemerle drinkable after an hour or so and the Lilian just smacked me upside the head. I guess different strokes.
I like to think of 14 in the far northern medoc to being similar to how I think 15s will taste everywhere else…
Pretty tasty vintage all around, but if you wanna be wowed, go to st estephe.