2012 Le Tertre Roteboeuf St Emilion

The 2012 Le Tertre Roteboeuf St Emilion 1.5 L is from the St.-Emilion appellation of Bordeaux, France. Tertre Roteboeuf was unknown 20 years ago, but since then it has become a cult wine producer in St. Emilion and the price of Tertre Roteboeuf has gone up significantly. Owned and operated by Francois Mitjavile since 1978, Tertre Roteboeuf is from a 5.7-hectare vineyard on an 18th-century estate that Mitjavile inherited from his father-in-law. The original chateau was known as Le Tertre, but that was too similar to the many other chateaux also using Tertre in the title, so he added "Roteboeuf" (which roughly translates to "belching beef") to set himself apart from the pack. A marketing tactic that definitely works for me, as I can never forget the name of the "belching beef" chateau. While Mitjavile got his start in winemaking with a two-year apprenticeship at Chateau Figeac, he has developed a style all his own that is popular among all critics, because he has been able to achieve consistent excellence in body and elegance. Tertre Roteboeuf is a blend of 85% merlot and 15% cabernet franc grapes, which are always picked late when fully ripe and sometimes seemingly fragile. The wine is typically described as suave, exotic with smooth, caressing tannins. Delicious and worth every penny.