Château Le Tertre Rôteboeuf

Just 2000 cases ofLe Tertre Roteboeuf are produced each year from this St-Emilion superstar. It is owned by François Mitjavile and is easily his most celebrated wine, one revered by many. There are just 6 hectares of vines which François farms entirely independently. He removed the word château from his labels in 1994, perhaps seeking to avoid any assumptions of haughtiness or pretence. He has no interest in being associated with St-Emilion’s Premiers Crus Classés, preferring not to enter the system - despite its position as one of Bordeaux’s most sought after gems, it remains a ‘simple’ St-Emilion Grand Cru. And in the vineyard, he’s different, too. His vines are the lowest trained in the region, and he picks later than anyone else, allowing his wines to gain a voluptuousness and silkiness that’s found nowhere else. Yet they’re never heavy: Le Tertre Roteboeuf really is the work of a genius.