2014 Chateau Tertre Roteboeuf Saint Emilion Grand Cru 750 ml

Fully Under-the-Radar Saint-Émilion Top Dog

One of the greatest joys of my job is getting to turn people on to incredible wines they would likely never hear of otherwise, and this wine is a perfect example. On a trip to Bordeaux this past May I tasted a lot of spectacular wines. But at a private tasting at a top négotiant office, just outside the city of Bordeaux, this 2014 Château Tertre Roteboeuf Saint-Émilion Grand Cru was a definite standout. Bursting with youthful black fruit intensity, dense plush tannin, complex oak spice, and extreme length, I rated it 96 points. The famously eccentric proprietor of Tertre Roteboeuf has kept his estate willfully unclassified, and out of normal Bordeaux channels. In France, however, his Saint-Émilion Grand Cru is highly-sought after and considered on the level of Premier Grand Cru Classé estates Château Ausone and Château Cheval Blanc. This is a Right Bank wine that will mesmerize you, and your guests—if you choose to share it—for years to come. Offered at $189 per bottle we have a mere 12 cases up for grabs.

The story of Tertre Roteboeuf began in 1978 when owner Francois Mitjavile, dubbed “Saint-Émilion’s philosopher in residence” by Antonio Galloni, took over his in-laws’ vineyard in south-eastern Saint-Émilion. Robert Parker himself once said that Terte Roteboeuf “is the single greatest discovery I have made in the Bordeaux region. No compromises are made in making the wine, and the result is the only St.-Emilion that can be called the Petrus of St.-Emilion - it is that rich and compelling.” Now that I have experienced the wine for myself, I completely agree.   

In a time before garagiste producers, Roteboeuf set out to produce a single wine of extreme quality, one expressive of terroir and vintage, and one that ages exceedingly well. Over the years, he achieved his vision. By 1985, he was turning out “spectacular wines,” according to Parker.

But most revealing, is how Parker and the Advocate continued to upgrade the 1985 Tertre Roteboeuf, some three decades after first tasting it. If you need any evidence that these wines develop gorgeously in the cellar, consider this timeline: By 1993 Parker was tasting it again and rated it 89 points while suggesting it would drink well until 2000. Tasted again in 1997, he upgraded the wine to 90 points. By 2002, re-tasting the wine once more, it was still a 90-pointer, and felt it would drink well until 2008! And incredibly, 14 years later in 2016, the Advocate’s Neal Martin encountered the wine at a tasting—and UPGRADED it to a whopping 95 points, with a recommended drinking window until 2030!!

Situated about a mile and a half from Château Pavie, this small 14-acre property is planted on a hillside to vines aged 40 years and older of Merlot and Cabernet Franc (85 percent and 15 percent respectively). In winemaking, they spare no expense, starting with comically low yields for dense concentration, long hang time to develop ripe flavors and lush tannins, extended maceration for a dense, plush texture, and capping it off with elevage in 100 percent new French cooperage, artfully framing the wine with complex oak spice.

The result is a fine wine, often compared to Burgundy in its youth for its fruit focus and high aromatic intensity, but one that develops incredible depth, flavor and meaty texture with years of aging. This 2014 effort earned dual 94-point scores from Robert Parker and Deb Dunnuck, the former praising its “Burgundy-like” complexity, the latter finding it with an “undeniable hedonistic, opulent personality.” It is deserving of recognition, and a place in the cellar of any serious Bordeaux collector.  

Theoretically, with such a high commitment to quality, Tertre Roteboeuf should be much better known than it is. But the eccentric and highly vocal Francois Mitjavile prefers to stay out of the limelight, focusing only on making the best wine he can from each vintage. If you’re like me, you think that is a beautiful thing. I am very excited to have secured a small allocation of the 2014 Tertre Roteboeuf to share with you, and hope you enjoy it as much as I do over the coming years!