TERTRE ROTEBOEUF
ROC DE CAMBES
L’AUR AGE
FR ANÇOIS AND LOUIS MITJAVILE TERTRE ROTEBOEUF, ROC DE CAMBES & L’AUR AGE 2020 VINTAGE, EN PRIMEUR EXCLUSIVE TO CORNEY & BARROW IN THE UK, HONG KONG AND SINGAPORE
“The harvest was the earliest that I have ever known….and I am no longer a young man, far from it!” FRANÇOIS MITJAVILE
FRANÇOIS AND LOUIS MITJAVILE TERTRE ROTEBOEUF, ROC DE CAMBES & L’AURAGE
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2020 VINTAGE, EN PRIMEUR
“L’Aurage 2020 is undoubtedly the most balanced and successful vintage I have made.” LOUIS MITJAVILE
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INDEPENDENT WINE MERCHANT SINCE 1780
INTRODUCTION Opulent wines, of freshness and definition That may sound like a contradiction but if anyone can successfully bring together the hedonistic and the precise, it is the Mitjavile family. These three estates, one in prime Saint-Émilion, the others on the banks of the Dordogne (albeit in opposite directions), are united by a common approach. This Mitjavile approach, which could be called a quest for ultimate fruit expression, is about so much more than simply harvesting late. It finds its best outlet in these mature vineyards (over 40 years old at Tertre and Roc, up to 25 years old at L’Aurage) whose vines possess a certain natural harmony and can safeguard freshness alongside high levels of fruit ripeness. The personality of the Merlot grape is also deeply entwined with the melded intensity and velvety opulence of these wines. An absolute joy in 2020, Merlot accounts for 80% at Tertre Roteboeuf and Roc de Cambes and 95% at L’Aurage. As Antonio Galloni recently wrote, “Quite frankly, Roc de Cambes takes the Côtes de Bourg to a whole new level.” L’Aurage is in the process of putting Castillon on the map in just the same way. The combination of purple-hued Mitjavile fruit and a certain upright, classical finesse has made for a set of resounding beautiful 2020s, which must rank among the best we have tasted.
GUY SEDDON May 2021
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FRANÇOIS AND LOUIS MITJAVILE TERTRE ROTEBOEUF, ROC DE CAMBES & L’AURAGE
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2020 VINTAGE, EN PRIMEUR
THE 2020 VINTAGE ...IN THE WORDS OF FRANÇOIS MITJAVILE “This strikes me as a very fine vintage, full of long-term potential, yet promising to show very attractively in its youth.” FRANÇOIS MITJAVILE April 2021
6 “Let us attempt an understanding of this vintage (it is still too soon to say much more). Springtime was very wet, the summer hot and dry (but with some nice storms in mid-August), severe heatwaves in September (up until the 18th), causing slight dehydration in the berries and part of the foliage. This was followed by rain showers and a return to cooler temperatures. The harvest was the earliest that I have ever known…. and I am no longer a young man, far from it! So, it was 21st September for Tertre Roteboeuf and some ten days later at Roc de Cambes. The fruit, and hence the vintage, is dense and the acidity relatively low due to the heat of the summer; the rains have softened the tannins, which are expressive, aromatic, and on the palate the wine is fleshy. There is also great freshness in the wine, the style of the fruit being bright and ripe, in some contrast to the preceding vintages where we were more in the realm of almost crystallised fruit, with a sensation of depth.”
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INDEPENDENT WINE MERCHANT SINCE 1780
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François Mitjavile
FRANÇOIS AND LOUIS MITJAVILE TERTRE ROTEBOEUF, ROC DE CAMBES & L’AURAGE
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Caroline and Louis Mitjavile
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2020 VINTAGE, EN PRIMEUR
To find out more about Corney & Barrow visit www.corneyandbarrow.com
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INDEPENDENT WINE MERCHANT SINCE 1780
…IN THE WORDS OF LOUIS MITJAVILE “I don’t remember such a rainy winter! It was also very mild, with almost no frost. The beginning of April was hot and dry, turning wetter at the end of the month. Summer remained hot and dry, with some showers here and there. September continued in the same vein, with some showers and slightly cooler temperatures at the end of the month. This is the second time that we have harvested in two periods at L’Aurage: • 29th and 30th September for the young vines (the 3 year olds) • 6th and 7th October for the older vines (5-25 years old) 2020 has a different type of concentration than 2018, for example – there is less sense of small dense berries and more opulence. It is richer than the 2019. L’Aurage 2020 is undoubtedly the most balanced and successful vintage I have made.”
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FRANÇOIS AND LOUIS MITJAVILE TERTRE ROTEBOEUF, ROC DE CAMBES & L’AURAGE
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2020 VINTAGE, EN PRIMEUR
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THE PROPERTIES
TERTRE ROTEBOEUF Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Best viewed from the bottom of François’ garden, from where Tertre Roteboeuf stretches out below you, a sweeping six hectare amphitheatre on clay-limestone soils. The limestone, visible in the underground cellars’ walls, is one of the keys to Tertre Roteboeuf. François’ trademark late picking finds a counterbalance in the naturally cool soil. This safeguards the wines’ characteristic freshness alongside the so-called “degraded” structure which François seeks. The blend reflects the vineyard plantings of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. The average vine age is over 40 years.
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ROC DE CAMBES Côtes de Bourg
L’AUR AGE Castillon-Côtes de Bordeaux
In the words of Antonio Galloni, “Quite frankly, Roc de Cambes takes the Côtes de Bourg to a whole new level.” The Côtes de Bourg appellation lies some 45 minutes to the north-west of SaintÉmilion, on the banks of the Dordogne, just where it meets the Garonne and combines into the Gironde estuary.
Castillon-la-Bataille sits on the banks of the Dordogne river, some 12km to the south-east of Saint-Émilion. The ‘battle’ in this pretty town’s name commemorates a thrashing inflicted on the English in 1453, which brought to an end the Hundred Years War.
The property is over twice the size of Tertre Roteboeuf, comprising 14 hectares of old vines, with an average age of over 40 years. Roc de Cambes lies on the ‘Les Croutes’ slope, where the heat of the sun is tempered by the adjacent river. Cool clay-limestone soils take time to warm up in the spring so that late ripening is the norm. The plantings are 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Louis ‘Loulou’ Mitjavile started making wine alongside his father at both Tertre Roteboeuf and Roc de Cambes. Louis and his wife Caroline purchased the property in 2007. After two vintages as Domaine de l’Aurage, the name was simplified to L’Aurage in the 2009 vintage. The property’s vines run right up to the Saint-Émilion border. Merlot accounts for almost the entirety of the 15 hectares, with diminishing amounts (currently 5%) of Cabernet Franc.
FRANÇOIS AND LOUIS MITJAVILE TERTRE ROTEBOEUF, ROC DE CAMBES & L’AURAGE
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2020 VINTAGE, EN PRIMEUR
2020 TASTING NOTES Tertre Roteboeuf
Roc de Cambes
Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Côtes de Bourg
This is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, reflecting the vineyard plantings. Deep purple-ruby colour. The nose here is a mix of savoury – cedary spice and forest floor – and sweet – liquorice and blackberry fruit. The palate is currently tightly wound, abundant nervy limestone minerality pulling focus on dark, resonant forest fruits. A cedary and vanilla pod richness complements the briny blackberry fruit, that classic Mitjavile freshness sustaining the flavours through to a long finish.
Roc de Cambes is also 80% Merlot, the remaining 20% being Cabernet Sauvignon rather than Franc, as in Tertre Roteboeuf. Mid-ruby colour. Highly Mitjavile-esque aromas of violets, coffee, lush blackberry and lacquered sweet redcurrant. The palate is supple and velvety, blackcurrant and raspberry fruit with mocha and cedary spice, framed by ripe tannins and lifted by an arc of fresh acidity. Brimming with personality and yet without a hint of excess.
Corney & Barrow Score 18+ 12Recommended drinking from 2027 - 2047
Corney & Barrow Score 18 Recommended drinking from 2024 - 2038 £260/case of 6 bottles, in bond UK
£790/case of 6 bottles, in bond UK
£270/case of 3 magnums, in bond UK
£800/case of 3 magnums, in bond UK
£205/case of 1 double magnum, in bond UK
£555/case of 1 double magnum, in bond UK
L’Aurage
Castillon-Côtes de Bordeaux
95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, mirroring the vineyard plantings. Profound ruby colour. A intricately red-berried nose of wild strawberry and tomato leaf, backed up by prune, damson and cedar. Detailed and beguiling, with impressive poise. The palate is cool-fruited and focused on the attack, the ripe raspberry fruit refreshed by juicy acidity on the mid-palate, which then fleshes out, opening onto a darker, blueberry and blackberry-fruited core. A true Mitjavile degraded fruit profile, with supple, rounded tannins and excellent tension throughout. Corney & Barrow Score 17.5 - 18 Recommended drinking from 2023 - 2032 £285/case of 12 bottles, in bond UK £305/case of 6 magnums, in bond UK £115/case of 1 double magnum, in bond UK
Tasting Guide Our tasting notes provide full details but, at your request, we have also introduced a clear and simple marking system. We hope these guidelines assist you in your selection. For the benefit of simplicity, wines are scored out of 20. We will often use a range of scores (e.g. 16.5 to 17) to indicate the potential to achieve a higher mark. When a ‘+’ is shown it adds further to that potential. Wines from lesser vintages will, inevitably, show a lower overall score. Wines are judged, in a very broad sense, against their peers. Why? Well, you cannot easily compare a Ford with an Aston Martin, other than they are both cars and have wheels. It is not that different with wine. A score is a summary only. The devil is in the detail, so please focus on the tasting notes and, as always, speak to our sales team.
To find out more about Corney & Barrow visit www.corneyandbarrow.com
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INDEPENDENT WINE MERCHANT SINCE 1780
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FRANÇOIS AND LOUIS MITJAVILE TERTRE ROTEBOEUF, ROC DE CAMBES & L’AURAGE
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sales@corneyandbarrow.com PLEASE NOTE These wines are released en primeur. Delivery dates to be confirmed. All prices are quoted in bond UK.
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2020 VINTAGE, EN PRIMEUR
To find out more about Corney & Barrow visit www.corneyandbarrow.com
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INDEPENDENT WINE MERCHANT SINCE 1780
CONTACT US We have offices and sales outlets in England, Scotland, Hong Kong and Singapore. Please see below for details Our Locations LONDON 1 Thomas More Street London E1W 1YZ T +44 (0)20 7265 2400 F +44 (0)20 7265 2444 sales@corneyandbarrow.com
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