Updated: Aug 26, 2024
This wine blends 70% merlot, 24% cabernet franc, and 6% cabernet sauvignon. It has a medium red-ruby colour and offers red and black cherries, liquorice, camphor, violet, and espresso aromas. On the palate, it is sweet and juicy with a good amount of vinosity and grip. The flavours of cherries, bitter chocolate, and espresso are well supported by most new oak. The wine has a firm and brisk style with enough lurking fat to support the tannins, which have been significantly tamed. The nose is more open than the palate and seems to open up a better palate.
This wine has received high scores from renowned critics and publications, reflecting its exceptional quality, balance, complexity, and potential for ageing. This makes it a highly regarded choice for collectors and connoisseurs.
Robert Parker gave it a score of 88, noting that there was a lot of oak and perhaps too much extraction. Nevertheless, he found the wine generous, structured, and with lots of depth. The 2007 vintage gives a mixed message of whether it will pull itself together or become ragged and disjointed. Time will tell.
Gilbert & Gaillard rated it 94, highlighting its velvet character, smooth and round texture, and potential for further development over the next 7 to 8 years due to its tannins and acidity.
Wine Enthusiast scored 93, noting its deep colour, dense nose, ripe fruit, a touch of chocolate, and floral undertones. The clean, full-bodied palate develops solid tannins, making it a unique and quite racy wine.
This wine is a true standout with a deep ruby hue and youthful appearance. Its pure fruit and violet reflections add a unique charm that is hard to resist. While somewhat restrained, the oak reveals hints of red berry confit and candied orange zest, adding a delightful twist. The palate has a delightful blend of sour cherries, a tannic structure, and a chocolaty finish that is a true delight. As the bottle breathes, it transforms into a medley of cassis, dark cherry fruit, and aromatic herbs, creating a unique and complex flavour profile. The fresh acidity and ripe tannins create a balanced, lingering taste that is hard to forget. This wine has the potential to age beautifully, promising even more refinement with time.
The wine has received favourable scores, with the highest rating of 92 from the esteemed Wine Enthusiast. Their review is summarized as follows:
This estate, part of the same family that owns the esteemed Château Pontet-Canet, is continuously improving. The 2013 vintage is a testament to this: its ripe fruit, delicious acidity, and a firm, dry backdrop of solid tannins. It's a wine meant to be savoured, and we recommend enjoying it from 2020 onwards.
Updated: Sep 8, 2025
Deep ruby coloured; medium rim. Suppressed dark fruit(blackberries) and red fruit(plums, cherries and strawberries). The 43% Cabernet Sauvignon gives a structure with the right acidities. Yet, its open and easy-drinking nature from the high proportion of 20% Cabernet Franc offers an intriguing combination of fruity, vegetal, graphite, liquorice and earthy flavours. We like the 2012 vintage, which is a fruity and easy vintage. Starts drinking. You either like it or don't like it, though.
The word Du Tertre means 'of the soil' on top of Arsac and the gravelly site of the commune. The site is excellent; fruit quality is fine with the gravity method. Partial oak fermentation: There is always some weight and creaminess on the finish. There is 50% new oak; hence, the nose is still shy. Although not a super complex Margaux, the style is easy to understand. The Giscours team made it. The scores are high, such as RP91 and Smedley 92.
Parker wrote that this 125-acre vineyard is beautifully situated in the southern sector of the Margaux appellation. Dense ruby/purple with sweet cassis fruit, Du Tertre's 2012 has an aromatic, elegant, lush, velvety-textured mouthfeel and impressive purity and depth. Drink it over the next 15-20 years. He said the wine-drinking window is long, with ten more years to go.
MW D Smedley said the sensory experience of Du Tertre 2012 is a journey through ripe, very black fruit. The nose is filled with cassis richness, backed by the depth of black cherry and a hint of liquorice and dark chocolate. The ripe and sweet tannins create a velvety texture on the back palate, with the long finish leaving a lingering taste of cassis. This wine invites you to savour each sip, promising a rich and complex experience. He was of the view that there were still five years to go.
