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History
In the Middle Ages, the château of Cantemerle, seat of the jurisdiction of the same name, bordered the Garonne River and made up part of the line of fortifications that defended the banks of the Médoc region, just over half a mile from the present château.The oldest manuscript known which mentions the name of the Lords of Cantemerle is the “Grand Cartulaire” of La Sauve Majeur Abbey, dating to the twelfth century. Grapes grown on the estate was first recorded in 1354.In the fifteenth century, the feudal domain of Cantemerle belonged to the Caupène family, originally from the Landes region. According to a title deed of 1422, the squire Jean de Caupène was described as Lord of Cantemerle. His son, Médard de Caupène, later became Lord until the end of the fifteenth century.In 1575, only three “tonneaux” of wine were collected - that is, 12 Bordeaux barrels - on the Cantemerle estate. During the Middle Ages and up until the sixteenth century, the Médoc was devoted more to cereal-growing than to wine production. On 20 August, 1579, Jean de Villeneuve, second president of the parliament of Bordeaux, bought the noble houses and outbuildings of Cantemerle, la Raze and Nestérieu for 12,500 livres or "4,166 crowns and two-thirds of a crown". In 1852, Fleuret-Jean-Baptiste, Count of Lavergne, was a pioneer in the fight against powdery mildew. The first attempts to control it, by dusting the vines with sulphur, were carried out at the château of Cantemerle.On 19 September, 1855, the chamber of commerce classed it as a fifth growth. The 1855 classification of the château Cantemerle is explained in the following section.In 1867, the château Cantemerle received a silver medal at the World Fair in Paris as a reward for the quality of its wine. Cantemerle was not only the worst hit of the Médoc classified growths during the phylloxera crisis, but the vines were also attacked by downy mildew between 1879 and 1887. The wines of Margaux, Cantenac, Ludon and Macau fared better than those of Saint-Julien Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe. Consequently, the price obtained for 1884 Lafite fell to 1400 francs per tonneau (compared with 5000 francs for Margaux) and Cantemerle was one of two fifth growths, the other being Dauzac, to fetch 200 francs more per tonneau than the Lafite wines.In 1892, the descendants of the last of the Villeneuve family, Jeanne Armande, Baroness Charles d'Abbadie, sold Cantemerle to the Dubos family, thus ending the Villeneuve de Durfort family's "reign" of over three hundred years.Théophile-Jean Dubos, husband of Charlotte Delbos, took over the estate in 1892, with the assistance of his two sons, Pierre and Bernard.As well as being owner-producer of Cantemerle, Théophile Dubos was also vice-president of the Syndicate of Médoc classed growths and négociant for the Dubos Frères establishment (sold in 1914).After Théophile's death in 1905, Pierre and Bernard Dubos shared ownership of Cantemerle until 1923, when Pierre became sole owner.Pierre died in 1867; his great-nephew Bertrand Clauzel managed the estate alone until it was sold in 1981 to the SMABTP group.
Nowadays’ owner: Groupe SMABTP
Technique Information
Location: Chateau Cantemerle, in the commune of Macau, is the second major chateau that one passes heading north on Bordeaux's Route du Vin.
Appellation: Haut-Medoc
Neighboring Chateau: Chateau La Lagune(3rd Growth of Haut-Medoc in 1855)
Acreage: 90 ha. 87 ha under production
Soil: Silica-gravel soils of the quaternary era
Grape Varieties: 50% Cabernet Sauvignons, 40% Merlots, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.
Average age of vines: 30 years
Cultivation density: 9600 plants per hectare
Viticulture: Harvest by hand
Winemaking: The grapes are handpicked and sorted with the greatest of care. Grapes from each separate plot are fermented separately in large oak vats, allowing for slow, gentle extraction of the tannins. The wine is aged in barrels for twelve months and then fined before bottling at the château.
Yield: 50/55 hl/ha
Brand: Chateau Cantemerle(First Label)(A.O.C. Haut Medoc)
Les Allees de Cantemerle(Second Label)(A.O.C. Haut Medoc)
Annually production: Chateau Cantemerle(First Label): 300 000 bottles
Les Allees de Cantemerle(Second Label): 150 000 bottles
Character:
Chateau Cantemerle (First Label): Cantemerle has a brilliant colour, a powerful bouquet, and a soft, lively flavour. It is rare to find such refined fruitiness. This great wine can be enjoyed young, when it is charming, fruity, and marked by a vanilla taste which comes from well-integrated oak. It can also age extremely well. Fine, old vintages have impeccable class, with incomparable flavours of sheer elegance. Cantemerle therefore belongs to that rare category of the world's wines which can not only age, but also improve over several decades.
Best vintages: Chateau Cantemerle (First Label): 2000, 2005, 2006
Awards: Chateau Cantemerle classified as Fifth Cru Class in 1855.
Website: http://www.chateau-cantemerle.com
Serving Suggestion
Cellar Humidity and Temperature: 75-85%, 15 ℃
Serving Temperature: 17-19 °C
Optimal drinking and aging potential: 10-15 years
Food match:
Chateau Cantemerle(First Label):
Western Food: Distinguished and feminine, Cantemerle is nonetheless a powerful wine. It is a perfect accompaniment to many dishes, including most meat dishes, red fruits, soft french cheeses, etc. Its delicate nature marries particularly well with light game dishes, such as partridge or roast pigeon, calf sweetbreads or braised duckling, or quite simply roast veal with boletus mushrooms.
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