En Primeur 2022 New Release: Clos Cantenac

“An elite wine in a legendary vintage” Matthew Jukes

We are pleased to launch the 2022 vintage of Clos Cantenac today at GBP 365 per 12.

Here at Bordeaux Index we count ourselves lucky to be friends with many of the producers we work with. We work hard to support these producers year after year. We have known Martin Krajewski for many years, since his days as owner of the great Bordeaux Rose producer Chateau de Sours, and have followed his adventures in wine very closely.

Having sold Chateau de Sours, Martin and his family purchased Clos Cantenac, a small St Emilion property close to the Dordogne river with some exceptionally complex soils combining clay, gravel and limestone. After several years of making wine across the world firstly at Plumpton College in the UK, and Trinity Hill in New Zealand, Martin’s daughter Charlotte (Lolly) was eventually convinced by her father to stay and be the primary winemaker both here at Clos Cantenac and at another even smaller, jewel-like Pomerol property: Chateau Seraphine.

Clos Cantenac is a small, 6ha family property with 5ha planted to Merlot, 0.7ha planted to Cabernet Franc and 0.3ha to Cabernet Sauvignon. This year the estate started harvest on the 25^th August for the Merlot destined for their Rose, and finished with their last parcel of Cabernet on the 23^rd September. Charlotte avoided any delestages this year to avoid any overextraction, instead preferring gentle pumping over after the brief ‘cold soak’ before the fermentation started. This is a truly boutique and bespoke estate that we are very proud to be working with. As well as the Grand Vin, we are pleased to offer the estates second wine Petit Cantenac 2022 at GBP 210 per 12.

Critic Scores

“This is a classy and resonant wine with intensity and focus, coupled with serious balance, refinement and actively challenging tannins with layer after layer of tender black fruit and brittle acidity. An intriguing wild cherry perfume signals a wine of intent, and when the palate takes over, it is a measured performance where the elements act together without any over-enthusiastic ingredients breaking from the pack and ruining the precise symmetry found on the palate. Nothing is rushed, and everything is polished, making this an elite wine in a legendary vintage.” - Matthew Jules, 18.5+/20 points

“It has an almost Burgundian bouquet with plush red berry fruit, a light marine influence, incense, and warm gravel. The palate is medium bodied with pliant tannins, slightly granular in texture and impressive mid-palate depth with seamless, sumptuous but not overbearing finish. This will be very tempting in its youth, but it has the substance to age. This deeply impressed me.” - Neal Martin, 92-94 points

GBP 365 per case/12 IB

Other formats are available:
Magnums – GBP 380 per case/6 IB
Double magnums – GBP 167 each IB
Imperials – GBP 299 each IB

Buy Clos Cantenac

Buy Petit Cantenac