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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 1990
Early, uniform flowering, a hot but unspectacular summer and an exceptionally hot period at the end of August 1990 and the first half of September. It was this heat that allowed the record harvest not only to fully ripen, but also to concentrate the fruit. Harvesting began on September 14 and was completed before the start of heavy rains on October 2. Another reason for the success of the vintage was that most châteaux had invested in their cellars and were able to work with such a large and hot harvest. It was now possible to control fermentation temperatures better than in previous warm vintages, such as 1947. The grapes produced wines with such a high level of natural alcohol that chaptalization became unnecessary. They showed deep color, high and unusually sweet tannin levels and better acidity than expected, as well as great concentration of fruit. The hype was great, particularly thanks to the advent of new wine magazines - this was the vintage that cemented Robert Parker's reputation. Prices rose quickly and haven't looked back since. I remember that all Premiers Crus (including Pétrus) were offered to end consumers for around 50 euros en primeur in 1983.
The scene of the arrival of the 1990 vintage was quite different. There was a surplus of very good to great wine on the market – for the first time, there was talk of three great vintages in succession. This led most châteaux to drop their prices by around 20% from their 1989 prices, even though the quality was exceptional. There had been a steady increase in prices during the 1980s, but they had now more or less returned to the opening prices of the 1982s. This was again a record harvest, but as most châteaux had already introduced a "second wine" and were more selective regarding quality, there was actually less wine bottled under the name "Grand Vin" than in 1982.
We have been following these two vintages since they were young, as they were both precocious and easy to drink from the start. The best wines from both vintages are spectacular, but the overall quality is much higher in 1990. Here, the wines have been equally successful on both sides of the river, and even the small châteaux have produced something special. We always found most Right Bank 1982s to be overly alcoholic and lacking in structure; Indeed, many age quickly.