Château Tertre Roteboeuf 2008

Characteristics and tasting advice for Château Tertre Roteboeuf 2008

Tasting

Color

The color shows a moderately saturated ruby hue with remarkable chromatic intensity. Despite a decade of aging, the wine retains a youthful tint with little sign of evolution at the rim, attesting to significant aging potential still ahead.

Nose

The bouquet gradually unfolds with aeration, revealing remarkable complexity. Initial aromas suggest dark red and black fruits, alongside notes of Earl Grey and autumn leaves. With aeration, the nose gains nuances of iris, truffle, smoke and licorice, while floral and mineral touches add an extra dimension. Woody notes of vanilla, coconut and roasted coffee complete this highly pure aromatic profile.

Palate

The attack is fresh and lively, carried by firm yet finely grained tannins. A silky texture generously fills the palate, revealing a striking minerality typical of this limestone terroir. Flavors of ripe red and black fruits intertwine with notes of dark chocolate, licorice and leather. The well-balanced acidity supports the overall structure without ever dominating. The finish lingers at length with notes of berries, fine spices and a distinctive mineral lift.

Food and wine pairings

This wine pairs perfectly with top-quality grilled red meats, particularly rare to medium-rare steaks. It also elegantly accompanies game, roasted duck and goose, as well as braised meats. Dishes featuring noble mushrooms such as porcini or truffles find an ideal partner here. Its versatility also allows it to harmonize with certain meaty fish preparations such as tuna or salmon, as well as semi-hard and hard cheeses.

Serving and cellaring

Château Tertre Roteboeuf 2008 is best served at around 15.5°C. In its youth, decanting for 2 to 3 hours allows the wine to fully open up and integrate its oaky notes. While it can be enjoyed now, this vintage will express its full potential after a few additional years of aging in the cellar.

An intense, mineral Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, true to the distinctive style of Tertre Roteboeuf

The estate

Created in the late 1970s, Château Tertre Roteboeuf is a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru from Bordeaux located in Saint-Laurent-des-Combes, on a south-southeast-facing clay-limestone amphitheater. Owned by the Mitjavile family, it is now run by François Mitjavile, his wife Miloute and their children Louis and Nina. The vineyard, around 6 hectares and planted mainly to Merlot and Cabernet Franc, favors low yields, very ripe harvests and minimalist vinification in concrete vats, resulting in a confidential production that has become a cult wine, unclassified by choice.

The vineyard

The Château Tertre Roteboeuf vineyard covers around 5.7 hectares in Saint-Émilion, planted to 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. The Merlot vines average 45 years of age, while the Cabernet Franc vines are close to 50 years old. The terroir is made up of five different clay types resting on a limestone bed, characteristic of the southern slope of the appellation. The south-southeast amphitheater exposure and very low vine training allow the vines to fully benefit from heat radiating from the soil, creating a microclimate slightly warmer than neighboring vineyards, conducive to optimal ripening of the grapes.

The vintage

The 2008 vintage in Bordeaux proved particularly demanding, marked by a wet start to the season followed by a fine, late ripening period. These conditions enabled producers who mastered vinification techniques to obtain wines with deep color, a vigorous fruit profile combining flesh and firmness, with bright acidity and harmonious tannins. For Tertre Roteboeuf, expertise in very late harvesting made it possible to achieve extreme grape ripeness, producing a vintage with an elegant, Burgundian style rather than monumentally concentrated.

Vinification and aging

Château Tertre Roteboeuf 2008 was vinified using a distinctive method developed by François Mitjavile, favoring gentle extraction at high temperatures that can reach 32 to 35°C. This approach, carried out in concrete vats, encourages the development of complex aromas while preserving the finesse of the fruit. Aging takes place exclusively in new oak barrels from the Radoux cooperage, a practice maintained since 1985 with a consistent toast profile. The barrels are stored at a relatively warm temperature to promote early oak integration and the development of aromatic complexity.

Grape varieties

Merlot (85%)
Cabernet Franc (15%)