Popped and poured. From 375.
Still rather dark in the glass, saturated through to the rim.
Very little nose, but some inky notes creeping out.
Full and rich in the mouth. Not overly tannic, and certainly drinkable, but no real finesse or excitement at present. It can still age further and may become more refined. At present 91 for substance, and a slight sense of disappointment compared to the last bottle in 2019.
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Ouch. Doesn’t get me all that excited for mine.
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Sorry Chris, but I have a good few bottles in stock and I really was expecting it to do better than it did. Plenty of structure, but short on interest.
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I am not sure 2010 Cantemerle will ever be exciting. 2016, on the other hand, showed greater promise and has been showing well with a good decant.
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+1. It’s been consistently underwhelming, with no hints of sparkle. 09, 15, 16, 19 OTOH – all very good!
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Disappointed, and surprised, to hear this. I thought it showed great promise on release, but that the structure also commanded some time in the bottle. I have mine in offsite storage. Perhaps I need to go grab one to check in. I had the 2009 over the last few months, it was lovely, but not any type of blockbuster, just a solid quality Bordeaux.
I’ve enjoyed many a Cantemerle through the years, including the 05, 09 and 10.
Always a strong QPR in a moderate even classic style, but I haven’t had any head-turning vintages from here since the ‘89 (the closest being a delightful 96, which I haven’t tried in ages). The 80’s were so wonderful at this chateau it’s kinda unfair to compare now to then, but I can’t help it.
Sounds like your 10 fits in this patterns.
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Grab one and report back!
I wonder if it would be a waste to even try a 2019 Cantemerle at this point…
I tried one about a week ago and it was not at all what I was expecting – no old-school blackcurrant, crisp acidity, cedar or tobacco to be found. It felt very merlot-heavy and oak-dominated. I’ll chalk it up to it being young and unintegrated but it definitely did not remind me of previous Cantemerles I’ve tried. Tasted more like a ripe WA right bank blend.
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My note on the 2010 being pedestrian is in line with notes from several other palates I respect - Julian, Salil, etc (salil gave it an 82, which might be a bit harsh). I felt the 2019 is very similar to your description of the 09 - classic, not flashy, and a very solid claret, I think it has a bit more structure than the 09, halfway between the 09 and 16, which is more of a serious wine that reminds me a lot of branaire Ducru.
I got a bit of the unintegrated oak, but not the merlot. Seemed pretty classic left-bank to me when I tried it (granted, at UGC towards the end of the night). I think these riper years are the best for Cantemerle, which can be a bit thin in less ripe years (like ‘11 and ‘07).
My thoughts entirely. The 89 has always been my benchmark Cantemerle and I’m still waiting for something as good.
I’m probably a bit more critical than most because in France, a Cru Bourgeois like Lanessan costs half the price of a Cantemerle, whereas with transport and duty, I imagine, in the US the difference is a lot less. Bearing in mind the improvements made at the best Crus Bourgeois over the last twenty years, wines like Belgrave, Cantemerle and Camensac are never that much better, and sometimes not as good. I would certainly pick several Crus Bourgeois over Cantemerle in 2010, even if the prices were the same - it’s not a bad wine, just nothing very special.
You mention the 2015 as being very good. Has anyone tried it alongside the 2015 Siran? I have the chance to get either at about the same price.
This is exactly the kind of stuff that has me greatly slowing down buying young Bordeaux and also selling a lot of my younger stuff. So many wines are just not that good/interesting, and seem like they’ll never become what many of us prize from the glorious 80s. I thought I was safe with Cantemerle. Bought 2010, 2014, and recently 2019. Looks like I might have picked some of the worst young vintages. What to do…
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I opened one of these a few months back. I don’t necessarily disagree with what others have described - I think part of it depends on what you expect a wine to deliver at this price point. In certain vintages, I’d say this overperforms for the price point a lot in most vintages (certainly in 2015, 2016, 2019), but I can’t figure out if 2010 is simply shutting down a bit and will re-emerge, or whether this is where it settles. I actually still find enjoyment in this vintage and like it, but if you are looking for something more captivating, this probably isn’t the one right now. That said, I personally rated it 92-93, so I probably enjoyed it a bit more than the OP.
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This wine is still young. Bordeaux wines go through different stages of evolution. It is still possible that the wine is closed and the ideal drinking window is in the future. 2010 is certainly not an early drinking vintage. Quite the opposite.
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My Bordeaux buying, at least in significant quantities, lasted until the 2005 vintage. I still buy post-2005 vintages in singles for curiosity and only if price is reasonably discounted. The 70s/80s ones, wines that I discovered in the last 20 years more so because of my associations with generous others whom I offline with, and to a relative similar degree, the 90s vintages, are just so much more classic with the secondary and tertiary characters are just so much more appealing to me. Maybe these recent ones would turn into the classics, but I have more than enough for my needs with vintage 2005s and earlier at my disposal. To this day I can’t even drink 1995s and recent without saying that the wine will need more cellar time.
Btw, I was quite impressed with the 2000 Cantemerle and finished off an at-release case purchase a few years ago. I also concur that the 89/85/96 Cantemerle are truly great examples.
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Hmmmm. I am still enjoying the 2000 and 2001 (which IMO have been delicious balanced and still show future promise for development). I did not plan to touch the 2010 batch for many years.
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(Continuing a little thread drift): well-stored bottles of the 82 and 83 Cantemerle are also so good.
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