Chateau du Tertre

Chateau du Tertre is located in the south-western reaches of Margaux, on a large gravel plateau. Tertre refers to a hillock or knoll, the highest hill in the commune, and is the origin of the name of the estate. It once belonged to the Seigneurie d’Arsac, one of the oldest of Medoc’s noble families.

Guillaume Guiral and his descendants had a stronghold at Arsac until the 16^th century, when the brother of the son-in-law of the owner at the time, Thomas Montaigne, assumed the title of Seigneur. The estate subsequently was passed to the Arrerac family before coming to the ownership of the Marquis de Segur, when the family had acquired many cru classe and cru bourgeois estates.

When the estate was ranked as a fifth growth in the 1855 classification, it was in the hands of Charles Henri, who later sold to Henri de Koenigswarter. It fell into bad times with phylloxera, global depression and the wars. Later it was purchased by the Gasqueton family, also owning Calon-Segur.

With heavy investment, the quality improved and in 1995 the estate was sold to Eric and Louise Albada Jelgersma of Chateau Giscours, and the wine quality further improved. The estate itself was also renovated, with a garden and a pool.

The vineyards cover 50 ha, a single block adjacent to the chateau. The soil is gravelly, with pebbly mound typical in the region. Planted with 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, the vines average 35 years of age, but many vines actually dated from 1950s and 1960s.

Now there is better training and care of the vines, with green harvesting, to improve quality. The harvested fruit is fermented in traditional wooden vats under temperature control, with maceration up to three weeks. The wine spends up to 18 months in oak, with 50% replaced each year, plus racking every three months and fining with egg white before bottling. The wine is transferred throughout the process by gravity without mechanical pumping.

I have recently tasted the 2003 and 2004 vintage. Below are my tasting notes:

Good quality Margaux GCC with medium ruby color, a fairly intense and complex nose showing aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry and bilberry, toast, smoke and cedar, liquorice, chocolate, cream, wet leaves and earth. Medium in acidity, the tannin is ripe and integrated. Fairly full-bodided, the wine has a reasonably intense palate, with flavors of blackcurrant, blackberry and plum, liquorice, smoke and cedar. With a reasonable finish, it has a good balance and harmony. A good value for money and ready to drink now, but can benefit from further ageing of another 2-3 years.

Good quality Margaux GCC with deep ruby color and garnet rims, the nose if of reasonable concentration, showing good complexity of blackcurrant, blackberry and blueberry, black olive, liquorice, cedar, cocoa, game and tar. Good acidity accompanying a ripe and silky tannin, the wine is fairly full-bodied with reasonably intense flavors of blackberry and plum, coffee, black olive and liquorice. A reasonable finish, it is more vegetal comparing with the 2003 vintage tasted earlier. Ready to drink now though can benefit of another ageeing for another 4-6 years.