2014 Cantemerle/Bdx.

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.

TN forthcoming …

I agree, the 2014 vintage is great!

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’ve enjoyed a couple 14 Cantemerle’s from .375 so far. They’re really good.

Just ordered a couple at about $28 a btl to give it a try. At that price, def worth it.

I enjoyed the 2014 Cantemerle, as well. Surprisingly hard to find in OC. Ended up buying from K&L in LA. Considering a magnum, too.

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.

50, 5, 12, 16, 7 = (90+ pts.)

2014 Capbern is a great '14 value and quality drink as well - only $18/per in futures!!

I’ll give that one a shot, too. Thanks, Todd.

50:participation…5:color…12:aroma…16:flavor…7:aging potential


look at that scoring!!! Brian, my man!!! Cantemerle always a good value

Scoring is everything!!

Loving the 14s. The Les Hauts de Larrivet is great too.

Loved the 2014 Lilian Ladouys last night.

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.

+1. Definitely drinking better than Cantemerle right now.

How much air did you give it? I remember I had the bottle open for at least 3 or 4 hours and it was still so tight.

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.