Even better, the magical 2016 Le Tertre Rôteboeuf is another heavenly wine from François Mitjavile that flirts with perfection. A normal blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc brought up in new oak, its deep purple color is followed by a huge nose of sweet cassis, caramelized blackcurrants, toasted bread, espresso, and smoked herbs. Full-bodied, deep, and powerful, it just dances on the palate with no sensation of weight or heaviness, has remarkable purity of fruit, and is perfectly balanced. It should be drinkable in 4-5 years and will cruise in cold cellars for 2-3 decades. Bravo!

Proprietor François Mitjavile and his daughter, Nina, craft uncompromisingly gorgeous wines from a tiny cellar in Saint Émilion that looks more like Burgundy than Bordeaux. Their 2016 Tertre-Rôteboeuf is a real head-turner. Sweet, voluptuous and racy to the core, the 2016 exudes depth in every dimension. This is one of the more overt, exotically ripe 2016s readers will come across. Then again, that is one of the signatures of Tertre-Rôteboeuf, one of the most deeply personal and unique, artisan wines readers will find in Bordeaux today. Harvest took place on October 14 and 18.

The 2016 Le Tertre Roteboeuf is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc cropped at 35 hectoliters per hectare between 14-18 October. This year I was hosted by François' daughter Nina Mitjavile, who has been working alongside her father for several years. It has a wonderful bouquet, very pure and fresh. I anticipated that François Mitjavile might have been tempted to pick a little later like others, but it was an assiduous decision to have the fruit in the vat by the 18 October and lock in that freshness. The palate is very well balanced with fine tannin, extremely well judged acidity, the new oak present at the moment but in proportion with the fruit. This is a stylish Le Tertre-Rôteboeuf, very sensual and luxuriant with layers of crushed strawberry, blood oranges and raspberry fruit. In a word...irresistible.