2019 Roc de Cambes
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Tasting notes
The 2019 Roc de Cambes has an opulent bouquet with blueberry and black cherry scents, floral with a fair slathering of new oak. The palate is medium-bodied, quite toasty in style, with a lot of vanillary new oak, as the nose suggests, which occludes terroir expression on the finish. The bottle last year was far superior, so I will not score based on this example. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
James Lawther MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Bit of spicy oak on the nose. Tannins a little rustic but some very sincere ripe fruit and no excess of acidity. Honest stuff. (JR)
The 2019 Roc de Cambes has turned out brilliantly, offering up aromas of cassis, sweet berry fruit, cigar wrapper, first floor and rich spices, followed by a full-bodied, layered, elegantly muscular palate that's deep and concentrated, its fleshy core of fruit framed by ripe acids and ripe, powdery tannins. This is a terrific effort that may nip at the heels of the 2016. Despite its modest appellation, don't hesitate to cellar this, as Roc de Cambes is invariably better integrated and more interesting with a decade on the clock than on release.
The 2019 Roc de Cambes has retained an attractive Japanese nori scent that combines beautifully with the layered black fruit. The palate is very well balanced, poised and spicy, and fresh as a daisy, with fine concentration and a gourmand-like finish that lingers in the mouth. This is a fantastic Roc de Cambes.