Chateau du Tertre 1996

Ah another 1996!

Among all the Bordeaux Vintages from the last three decades, this is one that has been the biggest surprise of a vintage. Almost everything that came out of the vintage didn't get the due recognition when the vintage was first released.

Around the 20th anniversary mark, sometime in 2016 was when the wine aficionados started going back to their cellars to find the 1996s starting to shine so bright, that they were oveshadowing some of the best known vintages of this century, namely the 2000s and 2005s when the story really changed. So much that it is now hard to find well priced 1996 bottles across most well loved estates.

But don't take my word for it. Head over to Vivino where the wine has almost 300 reviews rating the 1996 4 or 5 stars with an average star rating of 4.1.

https://www.vivino.com/SG/en/chateau-du-tertre-margaux-grand-cru-classe/w/85917?year=1996&price_id=32029834

The estate & Wine
The 54-hectare Chateau du Tertre vineyard is planted to 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. This marks a major change in the vineyard with less Cabernet Sauvignon and more Merlot.
The du Tertre vineyard is planted in one large single block of vines. This is one of the largest single blocks of vines in Margaux, as well as in all of the Medoc.
It is important to note that their vineyard is also one of the few estates that is the same size today, as it was at the time of the 1855 Classification of the Medoc where it acheived the 5th growth classification.
The terroir is mostly gravel, with some sand soils on two, gentle, sloping hills. The elevation close to the chateau graduates up to 27 meters, making it one of the highest peaks in the Margaux appellation. The location for much of the vineyard is situated close to a forest, which produces a slightly cooler, micro-climate.
The cooler ambient temperature adds more freshness to the wines. Geographically, they are next to their sister property, Chateau Giscours. In fact, only a small stream separates the two vineyards. Their best parcels are located just behind the chateau, and as well as on the peaks of their gravel hills.

The owners of Chateau Calon Segur acquired the estate in 1961 and made significant investment in the estate to transform and restore its former glory. The estate was subsequently sold to the owners of Chateau Giscours following the death of Philippe Gasqueton in 1995. The Jelgersma family, already fairly established further invested in the estate until 2021 when it was sold to a private consortium.

Review courtesy: The Wine Doctor:
At twenty years of age, this wine now has a confident appearance, with a dark core, and only a thin oxblood rim. It has a gorgeously evolved nose, rather further on than the appearance in the glass would suggest, complex and convincing. There are scents of cooked blackcurrant, admittedly with a calcareous oyster-shell freshness which I tend to find in wines older than this, and tinges of smoky black pepper, rosemary and green olive. On the palate I sense the coolness and freshness of slate, with cherry stone and blackcurrant, pebbles and pepper, charged from beneath with lots of fresh, acid-driven tension. It is long, precise, impressive, energetic and yet it feels largely resolved. Despite the fact the tannins have faded, the palate remains firm, bright and well formed, a feature I admire very much and which seems to go with the vintage. Ultimately, this is a joy to drink, and yet there is – if you have any tucked away – seemingly no rush here. 17/20 (7/11/16), TheWineDoctor

“A sleeper. Du Tertre 's 1996 exhibits a black ruby/purple color, a sweet black fruit-scented nose, medium to full body, well-integrated tannin, and fine purity and depth. This wine should age nicely, yet have a degree of accessibility young.” 90/100 Robert Parker