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Tertre-Rôteboeuf

The drought of '98 reminded Francois Mitjavile of 1988; both vintages produced wines with good color, he explained, but in both years there was the risk of hard tannins and lack of fruit. "But the best '98s have dynamic, fresh, aromatic fruit as well as flesh and charm," he says. "These wines are elegant and powerful, and not at all rude; they are the opposite of roti." Mitjavile switched over to cordon de royat after the '95 vintage, an old pruning method (typically the cordon is trained just to one side of the vine) that he says has given him smaller grapes and more concentrated fruit. The '98s here are as complete as any I've tasted from this talented winemaker: they already suggest great aromatic complexity and have the vibrancy to develop slowly and last well in bottle. Mitjavile habit of picking late has given his wines thoroughly ripe tannins. During my visit, Mitjavile compared great wine to great cigars or great coffee: "The objective is to get as much fullness and richness-and sweetness-of aromas and flavors as possible, without having bitter or intrusive tannins or acids, without having any rough edges. Rude tannins in a wine are like an off-note in a piece of music."

From 1998, 1997 and 1996 Bordeaux (May 1999) by Stephen Tanzer

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1998 Cotes de Bourg

Color: Red

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1997 Cotes de Bourg

Color: Red

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1997 Saint-Emilion

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1998 Saint-Emilion

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Tertre-Rôteboeuf

1998 Cotes de Bourg

1997 Cotes de Bourg

1997 Saint-Emilion

1998 Saint-Emilion

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