As we wait, wait and then wait some more in the hope that the 2016 Bordeaux en primeur campaign may gain momentum, it seems like an opportune moment to highlight a great value Bordeaux for current consumption.Simon's offer on Domaine des Cambes 2012, below.
I doubt you will have heard of Domaine des Cambes. I doubt you will know much of the Côtes de Bourg (situated on Bordeaux's Right Bank, at the confluence of the rivers Dordogne and Garonne). However, you may have heard of Francois Mitjaville, and you may well have heard of his Château Le Tertre-Rôteboeuf, which ranks among St. Emilion's finest, though Mitjaville makes no bones over St. Emilion’s high society nor rankings.
Francois Mijtaville has crafted a reputation for producing wines that boast ripe fruit and glorious textures; his wines are mouth-filling, opulent wines where the enjoyment is not precluded by the need to cellar them for years, yet they invariably age gracefully. He produces two wines from the Côtes de Bourg area, Roc des Cambes (which is classified as Côtes de Bourg) and the wine in question: Domaine des Cambes. The latter is from a lower-lying vineyard towards the Gironde estuary and, as it lies just outside the appellation limit, it is therefore simply classified as AC Bordeaux. Domaine des Cambes is often mistakenly viewed as the second wine of Roc des Cambes, but it is very much a separate vineyard, with more clay in its soil composition and less limestone.
We recently had a chance to taste the 2012 vintage of Domaine des Cambes and, to put it succinctly, its quality belies its humble price. Counting ourselves as Tertre-Rôteboeuf fans, we were intrigued to taste this often overlooked wine and I am pleased to say that the inimitable Mijtaville signature style was very much in evidence. Please see my full note below.
2012 Domaine des Cambes
£295 per 12 bottle case in bond
A blend of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc with 5% Malbec, aged entirely in new oak. This impressive 2012 reveals fresh, ripe soft fruits on the nose…there is an immediately appealing sumptuous quality to the fruit. The palate follows in a similar vein with abundant fruit character of black cherry, damson, blackberry, even spiced raspberry, all with a hint of fresh mint. There is much more refinement on show than you might anticipate. Pure, generous and forward, you would be hard-pressed to find a Right Bank wine that delivers on this level at this price point. Certainly if it were from a more heralded appellation, it would surely be at a loftier price. Vibrant to the last with a juicy, more-ish nature, the 2012 Domaine de Cambes is drinking superbly and will comfortably hold for another five years in bottle if desired. 2017-2022 (SL)
Please let us know of you interest – we have a limited volume of the 2012 vintage currently available.