Appellation: Cotes de Bourg, Bordeaux
Grapes: Merlot, Cab Sauv, Malbec
size: 75cl
 
Francois Mitjavile
took over Tertre Roteboeuf in 1978 from his father-in-law (Gilard family), and this vintage was the first one he made entirely by himself. Before that, he worked two years at the famous Château Figeac and afterwards spent several years at Tertre Roteboeuf to learn as much as possible about wine. His breakthrough on the wine scene was 1985-vintage. A new cult wine was born, and since then, the quality has improved, so Tertre Roteboeuf can easily compete with the finest Grand Cru Classés.
There are no secrets to his success beyond the minute attention to detail at every stage and a willingness to devote more man hours per vine than any other Bordeaux vineyard in order to produce fruit with perfect physiological maturity by the time of harvest. His obvious passion is backed up by his profound understanding of his own ‘terroir’ and the ‘savoir faire’ needed to realise its full potential. Most importantly, in his efforts to exaggerate the character of the vineyard and the individual vintage, he manages to achieve spectacularly successful results without recourse to the fashion for overextraction that has in my view blighted so much modern winemaking by destroying the subtle nuances of character that distinguish the wine of one ‘cru’ from another. As a result, his wines never lose their sense of originality and they have the balance and structure that allow them proper longevity. He appears to be particularly adept at dealing with the more difficult vintages and it is often in such years that his wine stands out from the field. 1997 was a good example and remains a special favourite. As for his other vineyard on the finest ‘terroir’ of Bourg, Roc de Cambes, and its somewhat lighter sibling vineyard at the foot of the slope, Domaine de Cambes, this has set a new standard for the Cotes de Bourg appellation during the 25+ years of the Mitjavileownership and the wine fully merits comparison with the greatest growths of the Bordeaux winefield.
ROC DE CAMBES
Francois Mitjavile purchased Roc de Cambes vineyard in 1987 and it was certainly a huge challenge because the vines were in quite a bad shape. After significant renovation and modernisation, Roc de Cambes became an an unrivalled top-wine of the appellation in just two years. Roc de Cambes' vineyard is situated on slopes, creating almost an oval circle down the valley. The vineyard is separated from Dordogne's right bank by Domaine de Cambes, whose vineyard stretches from the slope almost down the water. The vineyard is planted with 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec. The soil is a blend of chalk and clay, and the vines are 50 years old. The vineyard lies close to the river, ensuring a stable micro-climate and preventing winter-frost or summer-frost from attacking vines here.