Chateau Roc de Cambes

In the glass

Aroma: cassis, dark red berry, sweet spice, cigar wrapper, dried herbs, smoked meat

Palate: full-bodied, fleshy, layered, concentrated, ripe powdery tannins, mineral limestone core

Francois Mitjavile's Cotes de Bourg cult wine, modelled on the exacting principles of his Saint-Emilion estate Tertre-Roteboeuf: very late harvesting, low yields, and 100% new oak since 1996. Pushed the Cotes de Bourg to its quality ceiling.

What it pairs with

• Magret de canard with pepper sauce
  Rich duck fat and the wine's cassis and spice complement each other; peppercorn echoes the dried herb character.
• Entrecote with bone marrow butter
  Full body and firm tannins cut through marrow richness; limestone minerality lifts the finish.
• Wild mushroom and Pont-l'Eveque tart
  Earthy mushroom and washed-rind cheese find a partner in the wine's smoked meat and cigar wrapper register.
• Slow-roasted lamb shoulder
  A great match for Merlot-led Right Bank reds; gelatinous slow-cooked fat is tamed by the wine's tannic structure.

History

Francois Mitjavile acquired the Roc de Cambes estate in 1987-1988 from bankruptcy, renaming it Domaine Roc de Cambes and applying the same painstaking approach he uses at Tertre-Roteboeuf in Saint-Emilion. The Malbec and Cabernet Franc planted at acquisition have since been replaced entirely by Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. From 1996 the wine has been aged in entirely new oak.

1. 1988 — First vintage produced under Francois Mitjavile's ownership
2. 1996 — 100% new oak regime adopted, aligned with Tertre-Roteboeuf approach
3. 2005 — Wine Advocate awards 95 points, establishing Roc de Cambes as cult Cotes de Bourg

Facts

Producer

Chateau Roc de Cambes

Grapes

Merlot (80%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%)

Classification

Cotes de Bourg AOC

Oak

18-24 months in 50% new French oak barrels; entirely new oak since 1996

ABV

14.0%

Price

€75-110 at retail

Drinking window

5-20 from vintage

First vintage

1988

Scores

• Wine Advocate 95 (2005 vintage, reviewed 2008)
• Decanter 95 (2018 vintage, reviewed 2021)

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