2023 Chateau Tertre Roteboeuf - Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe

Decanter.com – 96 pts – PK: *As ever an outlier - with the highest pH among reds tasted in Bordeaux this vintage (3.9!), according to Henri Mitjavile, who drew a sample from a new oak barrel in the dark cellar - this 14.5% alcohol red is a winner! Savoury aromas include violet, aniseed, black cherry skin, and freshness in the form of eucalyptus. 'We harvested late so a bit of a Mediterranean style', he said. But the difference with 2022 is superior freshness, as the ripe and vivid dark and red fruit, delivered in velvety tannins, also comes with quite a bit of energy. Grapes in 2022 had lost 20% of their weight so you felt concentration that was very ripe, but in this vintage, a more even ripening over a longer period of time conveys more balance for this richer style of St-Emilion. Long finish.* - 04/2023

Falstaff Magazin – 95 pts – PM: *Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Anklänge von Amarenakirsche, Holunder, Bitterschokolade, floral und pfeffrig, Noten von Milchschokolade. Am Gaumen wirkt der Wein aus einem Guss, sehr weich ansetzend, dann mit einem druckvollen, sehr feinen und komplett ausgereiften Tannin ausgekleidet, das in den cremigen Körper fast komplett eingeschmolzen ist, kreidige Mineralität im Finale.* - 05/2024

Vinum Magazin – 97/100 pts: *Wie immer ein Duft zum Eintauchen, man könnte sich darin verlieren, das Aufzählen von Aromen macht wenig Sinn, ein Fächer, ein Gemälde; satt am Gaumen, präzise Tannine, reife Frucht, ausgezeichnete Länge, grosse Harmonie. Einmal mehr ein Unikat.*

JancisRobinson.com – 17,5/20pts – JL: *80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample. Bright purple hue. Dark, rich and toasted, those Radoux barrels showing as always at this stage. Ripe but not over the top. Really glossy palate with gourmand fruit, svelte but powerful tannins and freshness. Couldn’t be anything but Tertre Roteboeuf but with a little more tension than usual.* - 04/2024

Vinous.com – (91-94) pts – AG: *The 2023 Tertre-Rôteboeuf is a potent, backward wine. Dark-toned fruit and huge, sweeping tannins make a strong first impression. The 2023 is a somber, brooding Tertre-Rôteboeuf that will need at least a few years to come into its own. It's difficult to say whether the searing tannins will ever fully soften; I would say that is a 50/50 proposition at this stage. En primeur at Tertre-Rôteboeuf is more akin to Burgundy than Bordeaux; wines are tasted straight from barrel rather than from prepared samples, so there is always a bit of variability. I observed this in the two barrels I tasted.* - 04/2024

Vinous.com – (92-94) pts – NM: *The 2023 Tertre Rôteboeuf was picked from September 26 with a normal duration of picking. It has a typical bouquet for this Saint-Émilion that plays by its own rules: black cherries, dark chocolate, a touch of melted tar and licorice, well-defined and actually gaining precision as it opens in the glass. The palate is very smooth and a little savory in style, displaying hints of meat juices and white pepper, almost /garrigue/-like toward the finish. There's an appealing dash of black pepper on the aftertaste that seems to linger temptingly. Those who love this Chateau will love the 2023.* - 04/2024

Thewinecellarinsider.com – (94-96) pts – JL: *Licorice, black raspberries, flowers, smoke, truffle, and cherries are all the place in the nose, and on the palate. The wine is balanced between its freshness, concentration, depth, and energy. The fruit offers an almost racy profile, with its mint-accented, dark red berries, peppery spice, and licorice on the palate. The finish continues with more of those sweet, spicy, and fresh black raspberries. The blend is 85% Merlot, with 15% Cabernet Franc, 14.5% ABV. Harvesting took place on one day, September 26. Drink from 2028-2050.* - 05/2024