France

Chateau de Camensac

Chateau de Camensac 5eme Cru Classe Haut-Medoc

Bordeaux

Haut-Médoc

First time tasting this En Primeur sample, and it is delicious, well balanced, strikingly fragrant with crushed red rose petals and blackberry fruits. 40% new oak (see En Primeur note for the full review).

Inside Bordeaux

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2022 de Camensac is a little closed to start off, opening out to wafts of lavender, cedar chest, and pencil lead, giving way to a core of blackcurrant jelly and kirsch. The medium to full-bodied palate has a firm, grainy backbone and seamless freshness framing the generous black fruits, finishing with impressive length.

by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

The 2021 de Camensac has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. Notes of damp earth and dried herbs slowly emerge from the glass, giving way to a core of stewed cherries and fallen leaves. The light-bodied palate is uncomplicated, offering a soft texture and a refreshing finish.

Savoury bilberry, loganberry and raspberry frut, tomato leaf, liqourice, logangerry, soft but present tannins that caress the fruit, adding a welcome extra layer of interest. Graphite, crayon, mint leaf, grilled sandalwood, this enjoyable, not trying too hard to be overly serious, will age well but no need to wait the full 10 years. Harvest September 10 to 25. Valentin Perrot technical director along with cellar master Christian Alquie. 40% new oak.

The 2019 de Camensac is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. It comes bounding out with exuberant notes of kirsch, crushed blackcurrants, and bay leaves, plus suggestions of graphite and tree bark. The medium-bodied palate delivers an impressive intensity of black and red berry layers with firm, ripe tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with great length.

The 2018 de Camensac has a deep garnet purple color. It offers cedar and sauteed herbs, over a core of cassis, black raspberries, and warm plums, plus a waft of cardamom. Medium-bodied, the palate is elegant and refreshing, with lightly chewy tannins and an earthy finish. 

Everthing comes together here, and the 2016 is a better vintage at Camensac than the 2010, even though on paper there are similarities in terms of weather. The team has here drawn out a sculpted, savoury personality, a little earthy on the finish but unfussy and welcoming, with ripe raspberry and blackberry fruits, slate, pummice stone, white pepper, pulses of energy and confident tannic hold. 60% new oak. Eric Boissenot consultant, Clare Thomas-Chenard technical director.

Grilled cedar on the nose, ripe fruits, soft raspberry and black cherry flavours, clear mint leaf and liqourice, this is good quality, and one of the rare wines in this northern stretch of the Médoc where I can clearly see that the 2015 is a greater success than the 2014, reflecting the specific progress at Camensac. 60% new oak. Eric Boissenot consultant, Clare Thomas-Chenard technical director. Harvest September 21 to October 9.

Enjoyably enticing aromatics, and this has depth through the palate, a clear step up in uality, with greater clarity of fruit, and at this point in the vertical there are hints can Camensac can be a sleeper hit. Liqourice, black chocolate, blond tobacco, cocoa bean, cassis, roses, black pepper, tannic grip, savoury, balanced, mouthwatering finish. 60% new oak. Eric Boissenot consultant. Harvest September 22 to October 17. Clare Thomas-Chenard technical director

A challening year, and although there is delicacy and finesse, with a focus on floral notes, the fruit is not fully ripe, and here the raspberry and tomato leaf take precedence. Subtle charred notes, with a hint of sweet strawberry, help maintain interest, but things drop pretty quickly. Clare Thomas-Chenard technical director, Harvest October 1 to 11, 50% of normal yield, with Cabernet Sauvignon less impacted by rot than Merlot, so this is a Cabernet dominant year in the blend. 60% new oak, Eric Boissenot consultant.

Ruby in colour, the tannins are soft and approachable. Well balanced in its fruit-acidity combination, with touches of raspberry leaf, and smoked earth, this is charming but a little underpowered. Clare Thomas-Chenard technical director first year. Harvest October 3 to 16 (following a year when the harvest was entirely in September, showcasing how much a team needs to be present and alert to what is happening on the ground). 60% new oak, Eric Boissenot consultant.

Slim, savoury, Cabernet Sauvignon character dominant, enjoyable cassis and rosebud. A little subdued on the nose, you can see that the fruit didn't reach the same level of ripeness as in the previous two vintages, but this shows finesse, with its mouthwatering finish and gentle pulses of white pepper. Harvest September 12 to 24, so entirely within the month of September after a dry but not overly hot summer, followed by some rains in August. 60% new oak, Eric Boissenot consultant.

The most structured in the vertical to date, not as luscious and welcoming as the 2009, but this is overflowing with Cabernet Sauvignon and Left Bank character - meaning crayon, slate, mint leaf, cassis, black chocolate. The tannins have a slate minerality to them, grip and slowing down through the palate. Harvest September 29 to October 21, onoe of the longest on record. A little slim and austere right now, although there is lots of life ahead, and you can see the potential of the estate begin to take shape. Eric Boissenot consultant. 60% new oak.

The first year with sufficient quality grapes, plus an improved global outlook, at least with the Chinese market, to allow the new owners to show what they had achieved over the previous four or five years. It is one of the more balanced and reserved 2009s of the 1855 grouping, but you see a tighter more confident structure to the wine than in earlier vintages, and a greater clarity to the fennel, crayon, liquorice notes, and beautiful crushed roses on the aromatics. Fruits remain brambled blackberry and loganberry rather than tight cassis or bilberry. It's enjoyable, ready to drink but will age. Eric Boissenot consultant. Harvest September 23 to October 7. 60% new oak.

Charming, soft edges of woodsmoke and undergrowth, building momentum through the palate, savoury black fruits that have a clear emphaisis on Cabernet Sauvignon, rose bud and liqourice. Harvest September 30 to October 18. A clear step up as it unrolls, and the tannic frame softens to show flesh on the bones of the blackberry fruit. An overlooked vintage, even following on from the 2007, largely due to the financial crisis at the time. 60% new oak.

A cool vintage, particularly over August, with a sunny September that helped grapes reach a gentle balance. Grilled sandalwood, toasted oak notes alongside raspberry puree, gentle tannins that are fully integrated into the structure. It's softly spoken but has a real charm to it, with raspberry leaf and crushed roses aromatics. Eric Boissenot consultant, harvest September 25 to October 18. Gerard Bouquinet technical director. 60% new oak.

A cooler year than 2005, with more angular tannins. Has the undergrowth and smoked earth that you find in the 2005, but the shape of the tannins are quite different, the fruit darker even a little younger right now, Cabernet dominant with emphasis on fennel, blueberry and cassis, and a juicy saline finish. Eric Boissenot consultant winemaker as of this year, plus improvements in the winery put in by new owners Céilne Villars-Foubet and her uncle Jean Merlaut. This was their first full vintage, and introduced things such as smaller concrete vats for fermentation, splitting them into smaller units of 120/180hl. Replanting programme also began in this year that would see 30% of the vineyard renewed by 2017. Harvest September 20 to October 9. Gerard Bouquinet technical director. 60% new oak.

Oyster shell and undergrowth notes on the nose, this has depth through the mid palate, earthy with waves of rose petal and fennel together with autumnal blackberry fruit that add complexity. This is a 2005 that is ready to drink, with melted tannins that are more advanced that some 1855s in the vintage. Captures the balance and quality of the year, and is thoroughly charming. Michel Rolland consultant, this is the first year under Céline Villars-Foubet and Jean Merlaut as owners, but they were not present for the growing season. Harvest September 26 to October 12. 60% new oak. Gerard Bouquinet technical director.

2023	No priceNot available	Excellent
2022	No priceNot available	Excellent
2021	No priceNot available	Very Good
2020	No priceNot available	Excellent
2019	No priceNot available	Excellent

Category	Red wine
Vinmonopolet no.
Producer	Chateau de Camensac
Vintages	1992
Country	France, Bordeaux, Haut-Médoc
Bottle	75 cl

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