Château Tertre Roteboeuf 1988

Characteristics and Tasting Advice for Château Tertre Roteboeuf 1988

Tasting

Appearance

The wine displays a deep garnet hue with slightly brick-red highlights.

Nose

The bouquet is complex and captivating, revealing earthy and forest-floor aromas alongside notes of black fruit and dried fruit. Hints of licorice, caramel and chocolate enrich the whole, while touches of tobacco and smoke add an extra dimension to this sophisticated aromatic palette.

Palate

On the palate, this wine offers a broad, concentrated structure with remarkable purity. The tannins, full and silky, elegantly wrap the palate. The rich texture unfolds flavors of raspberry and cherry, lifted by notes of herbs, spices and minerality. The finish stands out for its impressive length and its harmonious balance between power and refinement.

Food and Wine Pairing

This Château Tertre Roteboeuf 1988 pairs beautifully with roasted or grilled red meats, feathered game, braised lamb and duck. It also matches well with mushroom and truffle dishes, as well as aged cheeses.

Serving and Cellaring

To fully appreciate this Château Tertre Roteboeuf 1988, it is recommended to serve it at a temperature of 15.5 to 16°C. At this stage of maturity, light decanting is sufficient to separate any sediment.

An exceptional, opulent and balanced Saint-Émilion

The estate

Located in Saint-Laurent-des-Combes in the Saint-Émilion appellation, Château Tertre Roteboeuf spans 6 hectares of vineyards on south/southeast-facing clay-limestone hillsides. Taken over at the end of the 1970s by François Mitjavile, who now runs the estate with his wife Émilie, the domaine stands out for its artisanal viticulture: very low-trained vines, cover cropping, late hand-harvesting, fermentation without added yeasts and extended aging in new barrels, revealing the most accomplished expression of Bordeaux hillside wines.

The vineyard

The vineyard of Château Tertre Roteboeuf covers around 5.7 hectares located on the edge of the hillsides of Saint-Émilion, close to Château Pavie. The vines grow on a distinctive terroir made up of four types of clay over a limestone subsoil, creating cool, arid soils that harden under the effect of summer heat. This south-southeast exposure and the low training of the vines generate a microclimate conducive to optimal ripening. The vines, over 40 years old, are planted at a density of 5,555 vines per hectare and farmed according to sustainable viticulture principles, including permanent cover cropping.

Winemaking and aging

The grapes for Château Tertre Roteboeuf 1988 were hand-harvested. Vinification took place in concrete vats with high fermentation temperatures reaching around 35°C. Immediately after alcoholic fermentation, the press wine was blended with the free-run wine. Malolactic fermentation took place directly in French oak barrels. Aging lasted around 22 months with frequent rackings.

Grape varieties

Merlot (80%)
Cabernet franc (20%)