Chateau Cantemerle

A fifth growth which is ranked last in the 1855 Medoc Classification, many people may believe that it is of inferior quality as compared with other GCC, but in fact it is a completely wrong assumption. 

The name Cantemerle was first recorded in 1147, with the Pons de Cantemerle donating land to the monks at La Sauve Majeur Abbey. First mention of viticulture can be found around 1354, and the estate subsequently changed hands many times.

The estate was located in Macau, Haut-Medoc, which in the 15th century was the feudal house belonging to the Caupene family. Through marraige the la Roque family took over the ownership in the beginning of the 16th century. In 1579 Jean de Villeneuve, the second president of the parliament of Bordeaux, purchased the estate.

Throughout the years, the wine was sold direct to merchants in Holland. But in 1854, Caroline de Villeneuve-Durfort, owner at the time, decided to sell in the Bordeaux market through the traditional network of brokers. When she learned that the estate was not part of the 1855 Classification, she presented the historical selling price records to the committee and appealed, and successfully adding the estate back to the list.  

In 1892 the estate was sold to the Dubos family, ending the Villeneuve’s family reign of over 300 years. But during the difficult years of the world wars many parcels were pulled up and only 61 hectares had remained in production by 1981. The quality of its wine also deteriorated because of under-investment in the later years.  

Bertrand Clauzel, the great-nephew of Pierre Dubos, then decided to sell the estate to the insurance group SMABTP, which spent a lot to replant the vineyard, renovate the cellar and estate. Some relics were discovered in the vineyard and there is a small museum within the estate now showing those on exhibition.

Starting in 1993 the estate began to control its own operations and sales, with the beginning of selling directly to negociants by 1996. Currently it is managed by Philippe Dambrine.

The vineyard now has 91 hectares, divided roughly into three equal parts, with silica and gravel soils. Planted with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, the average vine age is 30 years. Green harvesting and leaf thinning are practiced, including selection during picking.

In the cellar, the grapes are completely destemmed before going through selective sorting again, followed by maceration and fermentation for at least 30 days. The best parcels are put in wooden vats, with the rest in stainless steel. A unique practice of selective devatting is adopted, with only the middle section of the cap used for pressing.

The different plots are fermented separately and the wine is matured in 50% new oak barrels for a year and then blended. The wine is further put in vat to age for another 4 months before light fining and bottling. Annual production is about 560,000 bottles, with a second wine called Les Allees de Cantemerle.

The wine is easy to drink yet also suitable for ageing, providing good value for money. It is one of the best entry-point in my opinion to understand Bordeaux Medoc GCC.