2011 Chateau Tertre Roteboeuf, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Picked on 22nd September, the Tertre-Rôteboeuf has a very pure, lifted bouquet with great precision and minerality. It is not powerful, but it has great refinement and finesse. The palate is introverted, remaining its shell, but it has crisp, almost chalky tannins and very pure, pixelated dark berry fruit with hints of spice on the linear finish. It is not expressive at the moment, but it has great potential. – eRobertParker.com, May 2012

A true terroir wine in 2011, this is another example of where 'hands-on' winemaking has helped give the sense of 'hands-off' winemaking - that is to say, it feels like an expression of both the vineyard and the vintage. Wild strawberry, warm earth and almost a touch of something animal and musky... High toned and enticing but with a rustic edge which just helps to add further interest. This is a totally individual wine packed with personality.

Deep ruby-red. Intense aromas of red cherry, coffee and mocha. Spicy and sweet, with ripe red fruit, cassis and mocha flavors that come across as tighter and less immediately sexy than in most vintages. Finishes smooth and long, with very good clarity and cut. This will need plenty of time to develop more creamy flesh, but it's yet another outstanding Le Tertre Roeteboeuf in the making. For the first time in years, owner François Mitjaville showed this wine before his Cote de Bourg property Roc de Cambes, which, though less complex, is just as voluptuous a wine in 2011 as its much more famous stablemate.

Saturated ruby. Sexy floral nose combines red cherry, candied rose and toffee, along with a spicy topnote. Sweet, fine-grained and dense, offering bright blackcurrant and red cherry flavors plus a touch of vanilla. Finishes with strong spicy cut, excellent length, and youthfully gripping tannins. This has fleshed out since the Primeurs, and though it will never rank as one of the most exotic or lush Tertre Roteboeufs, it's another outstanding wine from Francois Mitjavile in what is a difficult vintage.

Stunning, expressive ripeness – has a quality of fruit that just can't be faked. Long, elegant, fragrant nose. Sensitive oak character – opulent and luxurious but never excessive. Very firm tannin – deserve loads of time. Handles the high alcohol ably. (RH)

Dark with garnet rim. Sweet dark-cherry fruit and some sweet tobacco, quite firm on the palate, though the tannins are fluid if dry and the whole is fresh. Deep, savoury core. Much still hidden. Julia Harding MW