Wine Advisor
Tertre Roteboeuf 1995
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at an off-line dinner in Singapore. The Tertre-Roteboeuf ’95 has always been a difficult wine to pin down. Here: a soft, earthy, mushroom-scented bouquet, a touch of iron filings and copper piping. But somehow, it is attractive and certainly well defined. The palate is sweet and succulent on the entry, very smooth and supple with touches of plum and Mirabelle. Meaty and savoury towards the finish that suggests this will not be a long-lived Tertre-Roteboeuf, but it certainly has “individuality”! Drink now. Tasted November 2009.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A mature, deep brick rim. A nose of moderate intensity, surprisingly leafy and earthy and lacking fruit concentration. Smooth entry. A soft textured palate with something slightly Oriental about it. Hoi sin sauce? Sweet cherry, quite acidic on the finish. Moderate length. Underwhelming considering the vineyard and vintage.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This is the third vintage (1989 and 1990 were the other two) where Le Tertre-Roteboeuf exhibits a Le Pin-like exotic richness and opulence. The wine exhibits a dense ruby/purple color, and a compelling set of aromatics consisting of pain grille, ripe black cherry and cassis fruit, intermixed with truffles, mocha, and toffee. Dense and full-bodied, with layers of intensely ripe fruit, this plump, gorgeously pure, expansively flavored, multidimensional wine is even better out of bottle than it was in cask. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2018. If wines were whores, Le Tertre-Roteboeuf would certainly be a potential candidate. These lavishly rich, sumptuously-textured, hedonistic wines hit all the sweet spots on the palate.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1995 Le Tertre-Roteboeuf may have the potential to rival the fabulous 1989 and 1990. The color is an impressively saturated purple, and the nose offers exotic, smoky, cassis, vanilla, kirsch, and mineral scents. The wine is full-bodied, with wonderful sweetness and ripeness of fruit, low acidity, that multi-layered, silky texture this estate routinely obtains, and a long, lusty, pure finish. It will benefit from 2-3 years of cellaring and last for 15 or more years.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1995 Le Tertre-Roteboeuf may have the potential to rival the fabulous 1989 and 1990. The color is an impressively saturated purple, and the nose offers exotic, smoky, cassis, vanilla, kirsch, and mineral scents. The wine is full-bodied, with wonderful sweetness and ripeness of fruit, low acidity, that multi-layered, silky texture this estate routinely obtains, and a long, lusty, pure finish. It will benefit from 2-3 years of cellaring and last for 15 or more years. Last tasted 11/97
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
When you combine an obsessive/compulsive proprietor with (1) a desire to make blockbuster wines, and (2) a terrific terroir, it is not surprising to end up with wines such as the 1994 and 1995 offerings. The spectacular 1995 may turn out to be every bit as thrilling as this estate's great 1989 and 1990. The color is opaque purple. The extremely low acidity results in a blockbuster, multi-layered feel in the mouth with no hard edges. There are gobs of ripe fruit that ooze across the palate with an amazing amount of glycerin and extract. This thick, full-bodied, stunningly-proportioned, and layered wine, with fabulously ripe fruit, is a compelling example of Le Tertre-Roteboeuf. Drink it over the next 12-15 years. Yummy! All of the wines in this segment were tasted between March 19 and March 28 in Bordeaux. Most of the important wines from both the 1994 and 1995 vintages were tasted three separate times during my ten-day stay in Bordeaux.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A very powerful, concentrated Tertre Roteboeuf, but completely closed at present, this wine has a deep ruby/purple color, and a sweet nose of black cherry and plum jam intermixed with hints of vanilla, chocolate, and espresso roast. The wine is medium to full-bodied, quite tannic, powerful, and one of the more backward wines I have tasted at this estate. It requires much more cellaring than I originally anticipated. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2020. Last tasted, 12/02.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Black-ruby color to the rim. Profound, faintly roasted nose of black cherry, black raspberry, cedar, and pain grillé. Lush, creamy black raspberry fruit on the palate; thick, sweet and layered, but the juicy acidity keeps the wine fresh and delineated. Really stuffed with fruit. The velvety, even tannins are beautifully integrated. Finishes very long, with notes of smoke, meat and toffee. A flamboyant wine that may be better suited for aging than the incredibly complex but faster-evolving '89.
About the Producer
Tertre Roteboeuf is located in the Saint-Emilion region of Bordeaux, France, and is one of the top local wineries. Chateau Rotbouf owns 5.7 hectares of vineyards, mainly located in the southeast of Saint-Émilion. The soil in the garden is mostly limestone and clay soil. 80% of the vineyard is planted with Merlot and 20% with Cabernet Franc. The average age of the vines is 40 years, with some Cabernet Franc vines approaching 50 years old. The way of cultivating vines in Rotpov Winery is different. The vines are mainly cultivated in a low cultivation method, which is conducive to the formation of a unique microclimate in the vineyard, making the temperature of the vineyard higher than that of other nearby vineyards. These are conducive to the ripening of grapes. Due to the fact that the vineyards are located in cooler climates, Rotpov often delays the picking of the grapes. The picked grapes are screened, pressed, and then fermented in traditional cement vats. The wine obtained from fermentation will undergo malolactic fermentation (Malolactic Fermentation) in wooden barrels. The winery will mature the wine in new French oak barrels for 18 to 24 months. Chateau Rotbouve has reached the standard of classified winery, but the winery insists not to join the classification system. Such a decision did not affect the status of Chateau Rotbouf in Saint-Émilion or even Bordeaux at all, and the price and market demand of the winery of the chateau have always been at the forefront.
1989(1)1990(2)1991(1)
Package Size
