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Wine Description
The Story
The grape mix is 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon with the all-important seasoning of 5% Malbec – a stunning wine and a perennial favourite. Fermentaton takes place in concrete vats before fifteen to eighteen months in oak, half of which is new. The wine tends to be dark and intense with a luscious cherried sweetness lifted by a stony minerality and a breezy freshness.
Bourg is richly steeped in history. Situated where the rivers Garonne and Dordogne meet, it was of particular strategic importance during the long and violent 100 Years War. It is believed that the cellars of Roc de Cambes, built in the 14th century, may well have played a role as a vantage point for an attack from the rear. The area is peppered with caves which have given up their military role in favour of more passive pursuits; mushroom growing and, in the case of Roc de Cambes, wine.
Once François Mitjaville had established Tertre Rôteboeuf, it was clear that its tiny production would always be a limiting factor in terms of any economies of scale. However, expansion within the great terroirs of St-Emilion would have been nigh on impossible – unavailable and, certainly, unaffordable. Through a mutual friend, François became aware of a possible property for sale in the Côtes de Bourg – an area whose reputation was largely blighted by failure to stifle naturally prolific production.
On seeing the property, the die was cast. Roc de Cambes has a wow factor in spades and despite a high price tag in appellation terms it still offers fabulous value for money. François was hooked.
Vintage 2003
2003 was the hottest vintage ever seen in Bordeaux. The most successful châteaux have passed their exceptional 2000s and some claim to have made their greatest wines in living memory.
Very dry and extremely hot summer days and nights (16 days > 95°F compared to 2 in 2000, 6 in 2005, 4 in 2009). Need to eliminate the superscript here. I can't figure out how to do it.) The deeply colored reds, low acidities and high tannins are a departure from the classic Left Bank profile. St.-Estèphe and Pauillac are the most successful. The reds have largely reached their peak. It remains a controversial vintage, with opinions sharply divided as to its intrinsic quality. The white grape harvest began in mid-August. Rich, fatty whites, some acidified, not for long storage.
The extreme summer heat presented winemakers with a significant challenge. Sugar levels increased dramatically in late summer as some growers took the plunge and harvested early to preserve acidity. However, winemakers who waited until their grapes were fully ripe were rewarded with rich, concentrated, dark-colored wines displaying astonishing depth of fruit and plenty of complexity.
Generally speaking, the great wines of 2003 come from the northernmost communes of the Médoc: and in particular from Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe. Highlights include Lafite, Latour, Pichon Baron, Montrose and Cos d’Estournel. Quality was more uneven in the south of the Médoc although Château Margaux, true to form, produced one of the wines of the vintage.
The right bank properties of St Emilion and Pomerol, where temperatures were even warmer, produced inconsistent wines and volumes were massively reduced. Vieux Château Certan, which usually produces 4,000 cases per year, only produced 800 last year. Estates that have resisted this model and produced exceptional wines include Figeac, Ausone, Fetyit Clinet and Angelus.
Graves and Pessac-Lèognan fared better, but many châteaux produced wines that were alcoholic and expansive, but lacked the fresh, linear fruit core that distinguished the best of 2003. The exceptions are Haut-Bailly, the powerful and concentrated Domaine de Chevalier, and of course the thoroughbred stable of wines from Haut-Brion and La Misson Haut-Brion.