Roc de Cambes 2020

A rich and fruity wine from Côtes de Bourg

The estate

Nestled against the first hillside of Côtes de Bourg, facing the estuary, Roc de Cambes forms an amphitheater of slopes sheltering a 14th-century cellar. Here, the light, softened by the Gironde, has long provided steady photosynthesis and fruits of beautiful precision. In 1988, François Mitjavile acquired the estate and recognized the evidence of a great site: having been unable to expand in Saint-Émilion after Tertre Roteboeuf, he chose these slopes with their protective microclimate, where frost, hail, and heat spikes fade away. The first vinification, that same year, left a vibrant memory: standing before the vat, the maceration complete, he tasted the wine while gazing at the hills and already perceived the singular aromatic landscape of the cru.

The vineyard

The estate extends over about ten hectares in the Côtes de Bourg appellation, planted primarily with Merlot (80–85%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (15–20%), with a historical presence of Malbec. The vines, often forty or fifty years old, carry the memory of seasons and concentrate the sap of years. On slopes of heavy clay and limestone, water drains when it rains too much, the rock nourishes when drought returns, the cold slides toward the plain, and hail proves less cruel: so many graces that allow the vine to endure.

Vinification and aging

The vinification remains true to the estate's spirit: concrete vats, malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels, followed by patient aging of 18 to 24 months, half of which in new wood.

Grape varieties

This Roc de Cambes 2020 is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec.