Château Tertre Roteboeuf 1989

Tasting notes and advice for Château Tertre Roteboeuf 1989

Tasting

Appearance

The wine displays a deep ruby hue with purple highlights. The core retains fine intensity while the rim evolves toward brick tones, a sign of harmonious maturity.

Nose

The bouquet is opulent and complex, revealing aromas of roasted black fruits accompanied by spicy notes. Truffle and mocha fragrances enrich the whole, while evolved tertiary nuances add an extra dimension to this generous, exotic aromatic palette.

Palate

The attack is broad and velvety, offering a remarkable silky texture. The palate reveals great richness with flavors of concentrated black fruits, lifted by touches of spice and toasty notes. The tannins, perfectly integrated, underpin a harmonious structure that carries through to a finish of exceptional length.

Food and wine pairings

This Château Tertre Roteboeuf 1989 pairs beautifully with roasted or braised red meats, notably beef and feathered game. It also elevates dishes featuring noble mushrooms such as truffle or porcini. Aged hard cheeses make for a classic and successful match.

Serving and cellaring

Château Tertre Roteboeuf 1989 benefits from being decanted one to two hours before serving to fully reveal its aromatic complexity. The ideal serving temperature is between 16 and 18°C. This vintage, at its peak, can still evolve favorably for several years under optimal cellaring conditions.

The structure and complexity of a cult wine from Saint-Émilion

The estate

Located in Saint-Laurent-des-Combes in the Saint-Émilion appellation, Château Tertre Roteboeuf spans 6 hectares of hillside vineyards on south/southeast-facing clay-limestone soils. Taken over in the late 1970s by François Mitjavile, who now runs the estate with his wife Émilie, the property stands out for its artisanal viticulture: very low-trained vines, grass cover between rows, late hand harvesting, fermentation with no added yeasts, and extended aging in new oak barrels, revealing the most accomplished expression of Bordeaux hillside wines.

The vineyard

The vines of Château Tertre Roteboeuf thrive on the slopes of Saint-Émilion, in the Saint-Laurent-des-Combes sector. The clay-limestone terroir, laid out like an amphitheater, benefits from a privileged exposure while retaining a certain freshness. This distinctive configuration allows for slow, gradual ripening of the grapes, encouraging the development of remarkable aromatic complexity and a natural concentration of the berries.

The vintage

The year 1989 proved legendary in Bordeaux, offering exceptional weather conditions. A hot, sunny summer enabled optimal ripening of the grapes, leading to a harvest of outstanding quality. This vintage produced wines of remarkable richness and concentration, with considerable aging potential.

Winemaking and aging

Château Tertre Roteboeuf 1989 was made following a minimalist approach that favors the natural expression of the fruit. Fermentations took place in concrete vats, allowing for gentle, respectful extraction. Aging was carried out with care to preserve aromatic purity while adding structure and complexity to the wine.

Grape varieties

Merlot (predominant), cabernet franc.