Freddy R. Troya

9.2

Château Cantemerle 2023 – Haut-Médoc, BDX, France 🇫🇷

Overview
A beautifully expressive Left Bank blend of Cabernet Sauvignon 71%, Merlot 18%, Petit Verdot 7%, and Cabernet Franc 4% that delivers immediate charm while retaining classic Haut-Médoc structure and aging potential. The wine shows vibrant fruit purity, polished tannins, and a well-judged touch of oak, making it approachable young yet capable of evolving gracefully over the coming decade.

Aromas & Flavors
Ripe blackberry, black cherry, cassis, and plum layered with subtle cedar, vanilla spice, graphite, and a gentle floral lift. Fresh berry brightness carries through the palate, framed by light savory notes and a refined oak accent that enhances rather than dominates.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied with supple texture and finely integrated tannins. Juicy, energetic entry with excellent balance between fruit concentration and freshness. Smooth mid-palate flow and a clean, persistent finish that stays lively and inviting.

Food Pairings
Grilled steak, roast chicken, lamb chops, mushroom risotto, charcuterie boards, aged Gruyère or Comté, and classic bistro fare. A versatile table wine that shines across a wide range of savory dishes.

🍷 Personal Pick
Cantemerle never disappoints, this is pure drinking pleasure wrapped in Bordeaux elegance. Juicy, polished, and instantly enjoyable, yet grounded with just enough structure to remind you why Haut-Médoc remains timeless. A perfect bottle when you want serious pedigree without serious effort.

Did You Know?
Château Cantemerle is classified as a Fifth Growth in the historic 1855 Bordeaux Classification and is known for producing some of the most consistently approachable and age-worthy wines of the Médoc, often offering outstanding value relative to its pedigree. — 5 months ago

Jess

9.1

Pale, lemon colour.
Aromas of lime, orange blossom.
Off-dry. Flavors of lime, honeysuckle, mineral.

Intensity: 4/5
Complexity: 2/5
Balance: 4/5
Finish: 4/5 — 2 years ago

Winston Jones

Host OrganicWineReview, Assistant Buyer Savvy Cellar Wine Bar

9.3

I had this at Vintage Bistro in Athens. Mind blowing! — 4 years ago

Katie Carney

9.3

New fave cheap nightly wine — 6 years ago

Alvaro Bustillos

9.1

Oppliger bill h jkh 6/17
Bl bistro amarillo tx — 6 years ago

jean-jacques peyre

9.1

Mineral accentef aromas of raspberry and tangerine carry a suave floral top note. Impressive intensity and depth on the palate offering ripe red berries and a touch of honeysuckle. Clean and good length. — 7 years ago

Rufus King

9.3

Deep red, full bodied, crisp, dry Rosé from Rhône Valley at Blue Talon Bistro in Williamsburg — 8 years ago

Scott E. Becker

9.0

[Tasted on October 11, 2025 at 360 Bistro in Nashville]

Cherry and raspberry fruit, with a savory note. — 9 months ago

Daniel M

9.2

You're not 40 every day and I wanted a special wine to celebrate that special day. Fortunately the wine bar / open kitchen restaurant we went to had that special wine, amongst 400 references, that I had been desperate to taste for a long while. I didn't take notes so it's all from memory, but the nose is what I liked the most. Coconut notes, leather, cherries, coffee... I spent probably 15 minutes in total smelling that wine. The palate was great with some acid drive, some matter but not in an overwhelming way, some gentle, well integrated tannins in the rear, before a long finish with savoury notes, red fruits, coconut and that gentle grainy tannic layer. A great experience to top up a day to remember.
Oh and if you happen to be in Warsaw, Poland and be looking for a great wine place, make sure to check out Kontakt - wino & bistro. — 2 years ago

Eda Gunyuz

9.0

Quality Bistro, NYC 2023 february — 3 years ago

barak heller hayun

9.0

very confused 🙈 tasting.

black olives and black pepper screamed syrah. red fruit and jaminess called for granache. but medium + acidity added confusion.

i was gambling a south rhone blend but something felt very Spanish. 🧩

this is mostly mensia 🍇 with bastardo and granache tintorera.

medium + acidity
medium - tannins
medium + body

zippy fresh red fruit with some raspberry jam, black olives, black pepper and a bit of oak spices and green pepper on the side.

medium + 🎯

perfect bistro (or the Spanish equivalent term) wine.
paired lovely with roasted 🥔, veggie hot dogs and cabbage with tahini and feta style cheese.
worked great with the salty feta.

2 hours later it opened up nicely with tannins felt more and a silkier texture.

very hard to stop drinking it, slowly. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

Haut-Bailly Dinner in SF with Veronique Sanders of Haut-Bailly.

The 2010 is an excellent vintage but, it is for the later part of your life or your children.

This is drinking beautifully with a 4 hour decant. The structure & tension are just starting to their softening stage. The length and balance are in the forget about it range and will just get better & better. Ripe, stunning fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, plum & a touch of blue fruits. Moist clay & top soils, stones, mint, graphite, fresh tobacco, dark cola, anise to black licorice with stunning, withering floral bouquet. Acidity is perfect. The finish is everything you want in a Bordeaux.

Definitely a 99-100 point wine in 15 years plus.

Served with the Cheese Plate; Red Hawk, Hop Along & Roquefort. @Mathilde French Bistro

Photos of; Clyde Beffa Owner of K&L Wine Merchants & Veronique Sanders, dinner menu & pairing, Veronique talking terroir/vintages & dinner guests. — 6 years ago

Jay

8.9

Le Bistro @ CIL — 7 years ago

Tim Edge

9.0

Chunky bistro wine. Goes down easy — 8 years ago

Sophy Lu Barbieri

9.0

Lima Bistro Aruba — 9 months ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

A surprisingly gorgeous evening in DC tonight at a favorite classic bistro. This Giggie has loads of ripe fruit, but is drinking really well already. Very soft, decent acids. Some savory notes. The alcohol (15%) pooks through on the back half of the palate. But it was served a little warmer than I’d like, so that probably amplified it. — 10 months ago

C.C. Fridlin

9.0

Tried this when visiting Purdue at Wine Cellar Bistro in Lafayette. Brought home their last bottle. Enjoyed whole cooking dinner last night. We’ve really been trying and enjoying more of Southern Italian wines. — 4 years ago

Andrew Schirmer

9.0

A cut above! Fragrant, palate is iron-rich, olives, roasted meat, moss/foliage, big finish with a touch of heat. Great QPR. If I owned a bistro I’d sell the shit out of this. — 6 years ago

with Alsu

Chris Shultz

8.9

I’ve had a few bottles of this. It’s $12-14, first of all. The first night it comes off as a pretty basic bistro wine. Good acid, small tannins with some tack, straight up blackberry, very juicy. The next day the fruit turns more to ripe sour cherry and violets explode in the nose, it gets really perfumed. There is a perfect roasted green pepper note (which I happen to love) and Lots of spice on the finish the second day. — 6 years ago

Tyler Schlater

9.0

Glass at wine bistro upstairs at urban space manhattan. Sweetest reisling she had, though I thought it had nice balance. Paid 14 for glass for a bottle that cost 16 — 7 years ago