Château Tertre Roteboeuf 2018, Saint Émilion Grand Cru

Tertre Roteboeuf has long occupied a singular place in Bordeaux. Shaped by François Mitjavile from a small family property on the limestone slopes of Saint Émilion, the estate became famous for challenging the conventions of the Right Bank through very late harvesting, low yields, and a style built around texture and aromatic intensity rather than strict classical structure.

The name itself is unusual. "Roteboeuf" loosely translates to "belching ox," a reference to the oxen that once labored up the estate's steep hillside, belching from the effort of the climb. It sounds almost absurd for one of Bordeaux's cult wines, which is part of the charm. Bordeaux can be wonderfully serious about wonderfully strange things.