Wine Advisor
Roc de Cambes 1990
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1990 is another explosively rich, deep, intense wine with gobs of fruit, a lavish texture, and a heady, long finish. Small yields and super-ripe grapes appear to be the secret ingredients to this exciting wine. Drink it over the next decade.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Francois Mitjavile has again produced an explosively rich, deep, intense wine with gobs of fruit, a lavish texture, and a heady, long finish. Small yields and super-ripe grapes appear to be the secret ingredients to this profound wine. Like the 1989, the 1990 Roc de Cambes is worthy buying by the case.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
I have been a big believer in this Cote de Bourg made by the obsessive/compulsive Francois Mitjavile, who is better known for his outstanding small St.-Emilion estate, Le Tertre-Roteboeuf. I initially rated these wines 89 for the 1990 and 88 for the 1989. In this recent tasting I was thrilled to see how well the wines showed. Both are fully mature, yet capable of lasting another 7-8 years. With the price escalation for wines such as Le Tertre-Roteboeuf, I suppose Roc de Cambes will now be known as the "poor person's Roteboeuf." The 1990 barely edged out the 1989. The deep ruby/garnet-colored 1990 offers a creamy, smoky, roasted nut, jammy black-cherry-scented nose, followed by soft, round, supple flavors, outstanding concentration, and a low acid, plush finish. This delicious offering is proof that wines from lowly regarded appellations can be just as delicious as those that possess higher pedigrees and cost 5-6 times as much. Both the 1989 and 1990 are at their peak of maturity, but with its greater length and riper fruit, the 1990 will outlive the 1989 by 3-5 years. Readers who bought these wines early should be pleased that their $16-$18 investments now taste like wines costing $50-$100.
About the Producer
This is his property in the Côtes de Bourg, a vineyard reminiscent of Tertre Roteboeuf, being as it is, a natural amphitheatre with a perfect aspect overlooking the Gironde River. It comprises fourteen hectares of old vines planted on the most highly reputed slope of the Côtes (les Croutes), where the heat of the sun on the slope is regulated by the effects of the estuary and cool clay/limestone soils. This makes for regular growth and wonderfully ripe, concentrated fruit. Essentially François Mitjavile’s approach was to coax optimal quality in a region with great, but often unrealised, potential. He made Roc de Cambes flourish. With his son Louis (now owner of L’Aurage) and his daughter Nina (increasingly at the helm) his experience and philosophy from St Emilion come into play here. Together they control vigour and pick only when the grapes are super-ripe. They have succeeded in creating a wine which has led to many an embarrassing moment at blind tastings when compared to received “great” wines, first growths included. Roc de Cambes has a wow factor in spades.
