Chateau Cantemerle 2015

Wow. Real Cantermerle with stupendous power and depth. Mineral, stone and violet character. Full and structure. It starts slowly and then goes on for minutes. Perhaps best ever?

The 2015 Cantemerle is a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot. It offers plenty of blackberry and raspberry fruit on the nose, not the best defined that I encountered among the Haut-Médocs, but with plenty of "stuffing." The palate is medium-bodied with supple red and black fruit on the entry matched with a fine thread of acidity. There is a pleasing crescendo in the mouth driven by that Merlot content and it finishes with some swagger. This is a very fine Cantemerle exuding joie-de-vivre that I can see doling out plenty of drinking pleasure over the next decade and beyond. Tasted thrice with consistent notes.

Fresh, with a good sanguine note weaving around red currant and bitter cherry flavors. There's a stony echo developing on the finish.—J.M.

Deep crimson. Brimming with fruit on the nose but there is rather less on the palate. At most medium weight with some oak in evidence but a pretty Cantemerle with good ripe fruit.