Following a wonderful Wine-pairing Lunch at Château Le Bon Pasteur, Pomerol, with Dany Rolland, GM Benoit Prévot and Chef Frédéric Bozzo - Bordeaux Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours, France, we drove back to Saint Emilion of a visit of Tertre Rôteboeuf with Owner and Winemaker François Mitjavile.
Tertre Rôteboeuf Owner and Winemaker François Mitjavile is a maverick, whose wines have become very expensive; unusually in this price category, he does not sell his wines through the “Place de Bordeaux” system.
Owner and Winemaker François Mitjavile was our host at Tertre Rôteboeuf.
Tour and Tasting
We started the tour in the garden of Tertre Rôteboeuf, with a magnificient view of the vineyards of Tertre Rôteboeuf, before going into the cellar to taste from bottle and from barrel.
We met a very articulate and eloquent winemaker, a very cultivated person and a passionate communicator, who likes to illustrate what he wants to say about his wine with parallels from music, art and philosophy.
Tertre Rôteboeuf
Tertre Rôteboeuf is one of the finest châteaux in Saint-Emilion. Yet, relatively unknown. Why? First, it is not in the prestigious group of classified châteaux, although its wines are clearly in the same league as those wines that are made by châteauxx that are classified. And, François Mitjavile does not sell his wines through the Place de Bordeaux, but has his own distribution channels. Nor is he a member of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB). This is as far as I know unique for a Bordeaux producer who is able to sell his wines at a price level at which François Mitjavile does. Obviously, François Mitjavile is far away from St. Emilion mainstream. He does not bother to be included in the prestigious Saint-Emilion classification, he does not sell his wines through the Place de Bordeaux nor does he care about a UGCB membership.
25 years ago, Tertre Rôteboeuf was unknown. But since then, Tertre Rôteboeuf has become a cult wine producer in St. Emilion and the price of Tertre Rôteboeuf has gone up significantly.
Tertre Rôteboeuf looks a bit garagiste - a small estate with a vigneron house build in the 18th century lovingly tended by Miloute and François Mitjavile, two kilometers south-east of the village of Saint-Emilion, not far from Château Troplong Mondot and Château Larcis Ducasse.
History
The origins of Tertre Rôteboeuf lie with a vineyard named Le Tertre that was owned by François Mitjavile's late father-in-law. After he passed away in 1961, the property was inherited by his daughter Miloute. She leased it to her cousins, who owned Château Bellefond-Belcier.
Meanwhile, François Mitjavile was working at his family's successful haulage business. He decided to change course in life and try his hand at winemaking.
Between 1975 and 1977, he went through the school of Château Figeac. When he returned to Le Tertre after the 2 year apprenticeship, he suffixed Rôteboeuf (its literal translation is the unsavory "hill of the belching beef").
1978 was the first vintage that François Mitjavile made entirely by himself. His breakthrough on the wine scene was with the 1985 vintage. Since the 1994 vintage, he removed the word “Châteaux” from the label of his wines.
The Wines
The limestone based vineyards of Tertre Rôteboeuf (5.7 ha) are planted with 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. The Merlot vines are on average 45 years old, while the Cabernet Franc ones are 5 years older.
François Mitjavile's winemaking approach: He picks the grapes as late as possible and maintains low yields. The wine stays on the skins for a long time and is aged in 100% new oak barrels for 18 to 24 months. The very late harvest combined with long alcoholic fermentation and extraction at 35°C results in a voluptuous, full-bodied, and very complex wine. Super-ripe Merlot is the key.
The estate does not produce a second wine.
Wine Searcher Average Prices: Tertre Rôteboeuf
2015 US$229
2010 US$277
2005 US$368
2000 US$342
Roc des Cambes in Cotes de Bourg
Roc de Cambes is a Côtes de Bourg estate and one of the finest producer in the appellation today. François Mitjavile bought it in 1988.
There are 12 hectares of vines, planted with 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec. The soil is a blend of chalk and clay. Vines are on average 50 years old. The grapes are harvested as late as possible, and are then vinified in temperature controlled cement vats.
When François Mitjavile bought Roc de Cambes, it was in quite bad shape. But in just a few years, François Mitjavile made Roc de Cambes one of the top producers of the Côtes de Bourg. The second wine labeled - Domaine de Combes - comes under the basic Bordeaux appellation.
Domaine de l’Aurage
Domaine de l’Aurage is the most recent addition of the Mitjavile family. Francois’s son Louis Mitjavile is completely in charge (with his wife Caroline Mitjavile) of the estate. The vineyard area totals 18 hectares, with 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Annual production is around 7,500 cases.
What we Tasted in the Wine Cellar
2017 Tertre Rôteboeuf (from barrel)
2016 Tertre Rôteboeuf (from barrel)
2015 Tertre Rôteboeuf (from bottle)
1999 Roc des Cambes (from bottle)
Bye-bye
Thank you very much François Mitjavile for a phantastic event.
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