Tertre Rôteboeuf 1995

A very powerful, concentrated Tertre Roteboeuf, but completely closed at present, this wine has a deep ruby/purple color, and a sweet nose of black cherry and plum jam intermixed with hints of vanilla, chocolate, and espresso roast. The wine is medium to full-bodied, quite tannic, powerful, and one of the more backward wines I have tasted at this estate. It requires much more cellaring than I originally anticipated.

Very intense ruby with, already, a suggestion of tawny at the rim. Much fresher and more vigorous than a typical right-bank wine with lots of ripe tannins well covered by its inherent richness. So flattering that one Master of Wine thought it was a 1985. Bodes well.

This is the third vintage (1989 and 1990 were the other two) where Le Tertre-Roteboeuf exhibits a Le Pin-like exotic richness and opulence. The wine exhibits a dense ruby/purple color, and a compelling set of aromatics consisting of pain grille, ripe black cherry and cassis fruit, intermixed with truffles, mocha, and toffee. Dense and full-bodied, with layers of intensely ripe fruit, this plump, gorgeously pure, expansively flavored, multidimensional wine is even better out of bottle than it was in cask. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2018. If wines were whores, Le Tertre-Roteboeuf would certainly be a potential candidate. These lavishly rich, sumptuously-textured, hedonistic wines hit all the sweet spots on the palate.