The 2022 vintage Château Tertre Rôteboeuf, grown on the steep southern slopes of Saint-Laurent-des-Combes, is a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru red wine made by François and Émilie Mitjavile. The Merlot variety forms the base, with the Cabernet Franc variety complementing the blend. Following hand-picked harvesting with low yields, and vinification in small fermentation tanks, the wine is aged in French oak barrels.
The year 2022 was hot and dry throughout the Bordeaux region: the year began with warm days, and the growing season was characterized by high temperatures. From the beginning of May to the end of September, there were 38 days with temperatures exceeding 32 °C. Rainfall fell fortunately during the June and August periods and played a significant role. The clay and limestone soils retained this moisture, and Saint-Émilion became a appellation to achieve above-average yields. Merlot's performance was particularly outstanding.
In Tertre Rôteboeuf, the harvest is generally late and tends to end later than at most neighbouring estates, while Mitjavile's goal is to harvest right at the very limit of overripeness. For the 2022 vintage, the wine has remarkable depth and sweetness in the fruit, with softer tannins. It shows rich flavors even when young, so it may be tempting to open it too early. It is best enjoyed between 2031 and 2061.
Robert Parker (96)
95-97
Both the suavest and the most exotic cuvée in the Mitjaville portfolio, the 2022 Le Tertre Roteboeuf is a full-bodied, supple and fleshy wine evocative of blackberries, espresso roast, rose petals, spices and smoked meats. Concentrated, refined and seamless, it concludes with a long, aromatic finish. Readers might think of it as a cousin of the 2009 vintage, with its sweetness of fruit but rather ethereal, harmonious profile, which stands in contrast with more overtly powerful years, such as 2020 or 2010.
Jancis Robinson (17.5)
Tasted blind. Dark and glowing. Sweet and appealing with glowing ripe fruit, and a bit of oak, doing its best to distract from the massive phenolic charge underneath. Exciting wine! [Tertre importer Mark Savage was convinced that Tertre and Valandraud had been mistakenly switched.] Jancis Robinson
Vinous (96)
The 2022 Tertre-Rôteboeuf was bottled in August 2024— as Mitjavile explained, warmer winters require a longer élevage. As expected, it has an intense bouquet with layers of black cherries, cassis, violet and wild mint. The palate is medium-bodied and lightly spiced with grainy tannins. This comes across fresh, sapid and just a touch brittle toward the finish, which offers blood orange and dark chocolate. Excellent, and quintessentially Tertre-Rôteboeuf.
