2014 Château Tertre Roteboeuf

A virtual unknown in the world of great wine until the mid-1980s, Chateau Tertre Robeboeuf became something of a sensation after businessman-turned-winemaker Francois Mitjavile took the reins of his wife's inherited property. He quit his job at his family's haulage firm, spent two years interning at Chateau Figeac, and turned the chateau around. The name of the vineyard comes from the oxen that are used to plow the land. Literally translated, it means "hill of the belching beef." Never mind the bovines, the Merlot/Cabernet Franc blends are deeply endowed with plump plum and smoky earth and oak that seamlessly integrates with the opulent core.