Haut-Médoc · vintage 2018
Why this vintage
- 94-95 from James SucklingBarrel-sample tasting range. And 2 other scores above 90/100.
- The 2018 vintage in Haut-MédocAfter a spring marked by mildew, the heat concentrated a small crop: rich, ripe wines with great depth of material.
Critic scores
- James Suckling94-95
- Wine Enthusiast94
- Decanter91
The 2018 vintage in Haut-Médoc
Vintage benchmark: 95/100 (appellation benchmark, not a score for this wine)
Vintage character: After a spring marked by mildew, the heat concentrated a small crop: rich, ripe wines with great depth of material.
Overall reading of the year’s season across Haut-Médoc. An estate can depart from it sharply, in frost or hail years, where two neighbours did not make the same vintage. What this particular wine actually gave is on its technical sheet and in the scores above.
Tasting
The result was grapes which, after meticulous sorting of the berries, produced wines of exceptional richness. Very strong color, concentration and maturity of tannins, acidity, we have in the cellar the main components of a wine with great ageing potential. The quality of the ageing will nevertheless be decisive in giving its true dimension to this very beautiful vintage in the making.
Blend of the 2018 vintage
- 67 % Cabernet-sauvignon
- 20 % Merlot
- 7 % Cabernet franc
- 6 % Petit verdot
Shares for this vintage, as recorded on the 2018 technical sheet. The vineyard itself is planted with cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot — a vintage blend departs from the area under vine as the year dictates.
Figures from the 2018 sheet
- 40 yrsVine age
- 400,000 bottlesProduction
Winemaking
The production of each plot is vinified separately in large oak vats favoring a slow and gentle extraction of tannins.
Ageing
12 months in French oak barrels, 40% of which are new
Terroir
The soil at Cantemerle is siliceous gravel. This gravel, the product of the ancient erosion of the Pyrenees by the Garonne, is one of the essential elements of a quality terroir. It makes for poor soils, and the vine must struggle if it is to produce concentrated grapes. These soils of sand and pebbles are also very free-draining and play an active part in ripening the grapes, since they reflect the sun's rays and retain at night the heat accumulated during the day. As they age, the vines send their roots deeper into the soil and express more fully the typicity of the terroir that carries them.
An offer on Château Cantemerle 2018
Availability, allocations and terms: the Compagnie Médocaine will reply promptly. The estate and vintage are already filled in in the message.
Texts and documents 2018
The texts below copy in one click for your product sheets, catalogues and social channels. The printable sheet condenses the whole page onto a single A4 page.
Visuals
This wine’s visuals are grouped in the media library. High-definition packshots, labels, back labels and lifestyle photos are reserved for clients and partners, on the Compagnie Médocaine’s VinCod media library.
Sheet checked on September 21, 2026. Technical data: the estate’s VinCod sheets. Critic scores: sources cited above, with their date. Vintage benchmarks and character: Compagnie Médocaine’s own editorial read. Soils and relief, where shown: the Compagnie Médocaine’s parcel survey and the Mapbox/IGN terrain model.