winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, ...
appellation
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...
of the
Bordeaux wine
Bordeaux wine ( oc, vin de Bordèu, french: vin de Bordeaux) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the b ...
region of France, in the commune of
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
. The wine produced here was the final estate to be classified as one of eighteen ''Cinquièmes Crus'' (Fifth Growths) in the
Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855
The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 resulted from the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris, when Emperor Napoleon III requested a classification system for France's best Bordeaux wines that were to be on display for visitors from ...
. Its absence from the classification map featured at the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris created some controversy, even though it has been listed on all maps published after 1855. Some sources will include an
asterisk
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often vo ...
next to Château Cantemerle listing in reference to this controversy. The estate has a long history in the Haut-Médoc with records detailing its existence since at least the 12th century and wine production since at least the 14th century. In the 19th century, the estate was hard hit by the
phylloxera epidemic
The Great French Wine Blight was a severe blight of the mid-19th century that destroyed many of the vineyards in France and laid waste to the wine industry. It was caused by an aphid that originated in North America and was carried across the Atl ...
as well as grapevine attacks of
downy mildew
Downy mildew refers to any of several types of oomycete microbes that are obligate parasites of plants. Downy mildews exclusively belong to the Peronosporaceae family. In commercial agriculture, they are a particular problem for growers of c ...
, after which production dropped nearly 50%. Towards the end of the 20th century, the estate was sold to French insurance group ''Les Mutuelles d'Assurance du Bâtiment et des Travaux Public'' who have contributed significant investment in the estate's vineyards and winemaking facilities.P.H. Mansson ' Château Cantemerle: Patience pays off in the Haut-Médoc "'' The Wine Spectator, 8 April 2003
Listing controversy
In the past, the status of Château Cantemerle as an original 1855 classification wine had been erroneously questioned since it was not included in the first publication of the classification, nor was it shown on the map that was displayed at the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris. It has in fact been included in all listings dated after 16 September 1855. This was the result of an intense lobbying effort by Caroline de Villeneuve-Durfort who had supplied documentation to the brokers originally responsible for the price-based 1855 classification. Hence, its entry in the classification today is often accompanied by an asterisk denoting the only change in the classification that had occurred in more than 110 years. The second, and so far only other change, occurred in 1973 with the elevation of
Château Mouton Rothschild
Château Mouton Rothschild is a wine estate located in the village of Pauillac in the Médoc region, 50 km (30 mi) north-west of the city of Bordeaux, France. Originally known as ''Château Brane-Mouton'', its red wine was renamed by ...
from Second Growth to
First Growth
First Growth (french: Premier Cru) status is a classification of wines primarily from the Bordeaux region of France.
The best of the best wines were assigned the highest rank of Premier Cru; only five wines, Château Lafite Rothschild, Ch� ...
status.
History
The property has a long pedigree, with the first mention as early as 1147, of the Pons de Cantemerle. In the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, the original chateau was part of a line of fortifications defending the banks of the left side of the river Gironde. Later, with Aquitaine ruled by the English, the Lord of Cantemerle fought on the side of the English Henry III against the King of France. In 1241 he fought and lost the Battle of Taillebourg. His domain remained under his rule and his descendant, Ponset de Cantemerle was Lord of the seigneury in 1340.
Mention of viticulture dates back to 1354 with the Ponset de Cantemerle recorded as paying debt in wine, a ''tonneau'' of clairet.
In the fifteenth century, the feudal domain of Cantemerle belonged to the Caupène family, originally from the Landes region. According to a title deed of 1422, the squire Jean de Caupène was described as Lord of Cantemerle. His son, Médard de Caupène, later became Lord until the end of the fifteenth century.
In 1579 it was purchased by Jean de Villeneuve, second president of the parliament of Bordeaux, who married into the Durfort Family. The Durforts controlled this and other châteaux for many centuries, increasingly focusing on wine, rather than the polycultural agriculture of old.
Later history
On 19 September 1855, the chamber of commerce classed it as a fifth growth. A. d'Armailhacq recounts in his work ''Vines in the Médoc'' that, in 1858, the estate of Cantemerle covered . Some of the vines were planted in Ludon, next to those of la Château La Lagune, while the remainder were situated on the best slopes of Macau. Annual production was 160 tons or tonneaux of principal wine and 30 of second wine, representing a yield of approximately 1900 litres per , relatively low in comparison with today's production.
In 1866, the surface area given over to vines was a tenure of just over 270 acres (of the property's total of 1000 acres ), producing an average 150 to 160 tonneaux, or Bordeaux casks, of principal wine and 50 to 60 of second wine – that is, a yield of 1800 litres per and, thus, slightly less than that of 1858.
In 1867, the château Cantemerle received a silver medal at the World Fair in Paris as a reward for the quality of its wine.
Cantemerle was not only the worst hit of the Médoc classified growths during the
phylloxera
Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belong to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, ...
crisis, but the vines were also attacked by downy mildew between 1879 and 1887. Consequently, potential average annual production dropped by 50% (in comparison with the bench mark period of 1864 to 1878). In 1884, mildew was responsible for a complete upheaval in the usual hierarchy of the great growths. The wines of Margaux, Cantenac, Ludon and Macau fared better than those of Saint-Julien Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe. Consequently, the price obtained for 1884 Lafite fell to 1400 francs per tonneau (compared with 5000 francs for
Margaux
Margaux (; oc-gsc, Margaus) is a former commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Margaux-Cantenac.Dauzac, to fetch 200 francs more per tonneau than the Lafite wines.
In 1892, the Villeneuve-Durfort family sold the property to Théophile-Jean Dubos, and the estate was passed on to his son Pierre J. Dubos who was considered one of the great proprietors of his generation, and a keeper of meticulous weather records. After his death, he was succeeded by his son-in-law, Henri Binaud, but with ownership split between several heirs, there became a shortage of funds for investment.
Modern day
In 1981 the estate was sold by the Dubos family to le Groupe SMABTP (''Les Mutuelles d'Assurance du Bâtiment et des Travaux Public''). Following the acquisition, the ''cuvier'' was virtually rebuilt, extensive repairs were made to the ''chai'', and a scheme to replant the vineyards was begun. At the time of its purchase, the estate was in near ruins. Of the 115 hectares (284 acres) that were planted when the estate was classified in 1855, only 20 ha (49 acres) were in working condition in 1980. After purchasing the estate for 25 million
franc
The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centur ...
s (US$5.9 million), the new owners invested heavily in reviving the estate spending nearly 60 million francs (about US$8 million) in the 1980s planting an additional 70 hectares (174 acres) and purchasing new
oak barrels
Oak is used in winemaking to vary the color, flavor, tannin profile and texture of wine. It can be introduced in the form of a barrel during the fermentation or aging periods, or as free-floating chips or staves added to wine fermented in a ve ...
to replace the use of stainless steel tanks in production of the estate's first wine. New harvesting and grape sorting equipment was installed which made the estate more efficient in separating out less desirable grapes.
In the vineyards, the managing partners of Château Cantemerle brought over teams of Mexican vineyard workers from California to assist in
grafting
Grafting or graftage is a horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the rootstock. The succ ...
and replanting the vineyards. Believing that the talents of Mexican workers would lead to higher success ratio, the estate converted the majority of weaker
Cabernet franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being use ...
plantings into increased acreage of
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Leban ...
and
Petit Verdot
Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen it adds tannin, ...
.
Grand Contournement opposition
Château Cantemerle, particularly its director Philippe Dambrine, were in ardent opposition to a plan by the
French government
The Government of France (French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, wh ...
to build a ''Grand Contournement'' road that was to pass through the
Médoc
The Médoc (; oc, label= Gascon, Medòc ) is a region of France, well known as a wine growing region, located in the '' département'' of Gironde, on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, north of Bordeaux. Its name comes from ''( Pagus) Med ...
as well as
Côtes de Bourg
Côtes de Bourg is an ''Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) for Bordeaux wine situated around the small town of Bourg-sur-Gironde near Bordeaux, France. The first vineyards in the area were founded by the Romans. In the Middle Ages, Bourg w ...
and
Blaye
Blaye (; oc, Blaia ) is a commune and subprefecture in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. For centuries, Blaye was a particularly convenient crossing point for those who came from the north and went to Bordea ...
. The plan, which was initially approved in 2004, would have included construction that divided Château Cantemerle's vineyards in half. (Some versions of the plan would have called for the demolition of the estate itself) As of March 2007, there have been no further development on the plans.J. Anson ' Bordeaux 'Super Rocade' plans dropped "'' Decanter Magazine, 2 March 2007
Production
Today the Chateau owns 190 hectares (470 acres) of land and 90 (222 acres) of those are planted with vines. Of these, 87 (215 acres) are under production. The
grape varieties
This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Vit ...
cultivated are mainly 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40%
Merlot
Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to t ...
, with additional 5% of Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. On average, the vines are 30 years old.
The Chateau annually produces on average 25,000 cases of its ''Grand vin'', and 12,500 cases of its
second wine
Second wine or second label (French: ''Second vin'') is a term commonly associated with Bordeaux wine to refer to a second label wine made from '' cuvee'' not selected for use in the ''Grand vin'' or first label. In some cases a third wine or ev ...
, Les Allées de Cantemerle. Depending on the
vintage
Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product—wine (see Harvest (wine)). A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In cer ...
, a third wine might also be produced-Baronne Caroline with a production between 5,000 and 10,000 cases.
Sotheby's
Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...
Wine Encyclopedia'', Château Cantemerle wines are characterized by rich, oaky, fruit flavors that balance well. The wines have good coloring for a classified Bordeaux wine and typically reach their peak between 8 and 20 years. The typical blend is a composition of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.T. Stevenson ''"The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia"'' pg 76 Dorling Kindersley 2005