Château Cantemerle 2018

It hasn’t yet shed its oak influence. No worries, though, as the fruit is attractive and the wine has enough substance to absorb it, despite a still rather strict finish. It just needs a little time.

Balanced use of oak, fresh attack, well built, grippy, fairly long, with the necessary freshness; a safe bet.

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Cantemerle leaps from the glass with scents of Morello cherries, raspberry pie, fruitcake and prunes, plus hints of potpourri and unsmoked cigars. The medium-bodied palate is chewy and a little tart, featuring some otherwise pleasant fruitcake flavors, finishing just a little drying and rustic.

A vanilla note frames a mix of warmed plum and cassis flavors, while a nice touch of dark earth infuses the finish. Open-knit and ready to go, too. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2023. 22,166 cases made.

Some reduction on the first nose here. It really takes time before the fruit starts to emerge, revealing nuanced layers of raspberry and chocolate, with a tiny touch of bitterness on the finish. There is clear power and depth here. Give it time in bottle.

Rich aromas of blackberries, dried currants, chocolate, walnuts and tile on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins. Polished and structured with a nice core of black fruit. Give it at least a couple of years of bottle age. Lovely balance to it. Try after 2023.

67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot. Deep cherry red with a ruby rim. Rich on the nose with the complexity of a more varied blend than most, lifted by the Cabernets, especially the Franc. I assume it’s the Petit Verdot that adds that hint of something more floral. Ripe but not overripe, as shown by the moderate alcohol (for this vintage). Smooth, generous, rounded – deep velvet tannins and so much lovely fruit. Much better than when I tasted it en primeur. (JH)

The 2018 Cantemerle has an initially perplexing nose, very outgoing with predominantly red berry fruit that feels too oaky. Then it coalesces with aeration, though there is quite a lot of reduction in evidence. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and, again, mainly red fruit plus a touch of sea salt. Yet it lacks precision and delineation, feeling rather forced on the finish. Not my favorite vintage from this reliable performer, and I must admit that it left me scratching my head.

The mix of flowers, tobacco, and spicy red fruits on the nose deserves the attention it receives. On the palate, the wine is softly textured, medium-bodied and forward, with a light, fresh, bright red-berry character that will drink relatively well on release.

Deep ruby-garnet, purple glints, faintly lighter at the rim. Delicate notes of nougat and figs, dark berry jam, fine balsamic touch, pleasant wood nuances. Juicy, elegant, and balanced, fresh sweetheart cherries, integrated tannins, lively structure, red berry nuances, mineral and persistent. A vibrant supper companion. (2020-2035)

A ripe, full-bodied, slightly chewy wine that brings plenty of character, the 2018 Château Cantemerle offers lots of smoky black fruits, graphite, background oak, notable overall balance, and impressive, polished tannins. It needs 2-4 years in the cellar, but this solid, seriously good Haut-Médoc should still be going strong at age 15.

Kunz barrel sample 19: spicy, light bouquet, blueberries, mocha, nougat. Medium-bodied palate with delicate fruit, a firm, gritty structure, sandy tannins, a bitter-tinged aroma, and a dry finish. Has room to improve.

Spicy, light bouquet with blueberries, mocha, nougat. Medium-bodied palate with delicate fruit, a firm structure, sandy tannins, bitter aromatics, dry finish. Can still improve. 16/20 2024 - 2038

Concentration and power through the palate, lovely quality, with depth and texture to the brambled fruit, wrapped with freshly cut herbs, gunsmoke and cocoa bean, while maintaining the elegance and chalky minerality of Cantemerle, a touch abrupt on the finish. A ripe vintage where they focused on stripping back interventions in the cellar, with low yields after hail. Worked with less intervention, plus older, more elegant Cabernet Sauvignon; still some lower yields because of hail this year. 40% new oak for ageing, Eric Boissenot consultant, Philippe Dambrine estate director.

The 2018 Cantemerle is deep garnet-purple in color. There is a lot of oak to begin, giving way to fresh, juicy blackberries, cassis, and boysenberries, with touches of camphor, leather, and a medicinal waft. Medium to full-bodied, it is slightly chewy with a rustic finish.

Great finesse, with just a slight lack of vinosity. One to follow as it evolves.

A pleasing nose with lovely wild berry aromas that makes you want to take a bite; a powerful palate with notes of blueberry, oak still present, and a very well-structured finish. Promising.

As usual, Cantemerle opts for subtlety. The bouquet is elegant and inviting, with floral and fruity notes. Nuances of peony and blackcurrant. Juicy, suave character on the palate. This sweetness is pleasant and nicely offsets the tight, compact tannins. Lovely fruity intensity on the finish with a candied touch.

The nose is fruity, racy, and offers subtle power as well as structure. It reveals notes of wild blackberry, woodland strawberry, and, more delicately, small red fruits, combined with hints of toasted bread and coffee, as well as discreet touches of tonka bean. The palate is fruity, mineral, balanced, finely tight, well-driven, and offers a touch of freshness along with a mineral backbone. On the palate, this wine delivers notes of fleshy/wild blackberry, wild raspberry, and, more subtly, ripe/crunchy wild red berries, accompanied by fine hints of violet, chocolate, toasted bread, as well as discreet touches of coffee and toastiness. The tannins are well handled and very finely firm. Good length.

A well-constructed wine that is ripe with black fruits and integrated tannins, this is in a good place for aging. Black-currant fruitiness is balanced by a dry, smoky core that holds promise. Drink this wine from 2026.