Château Cantemerle is a winery in the Haut-Médoc appellation of the Bordeaux wine region of France, in the commune of Macau.

In the 19th century, the estate was hard hit by the phylloxera epidemic as well as grapevine attacks of downy mildew, after which production dropped nearly 50%.

This was the result of an intense lobbying effort by Caroline de Villeneuve-Durfort who had supplied documentation to the brokers originally responsible for the price-based 1855 classification.

[2] In the Middle Ages, the original chateau was part of a line of fortifications defending the banks of the left side of the river Gironde.

[2] Mention of viticulture dates back to 1354 with the Ponset de Cantemerle recorded as paying debt in wine, a tonneau of clairet.

[2] In the fifteenth century, the feudal domain of Cantemerle belonged to the Caupène family, originally from the Landes region.

In 1867, the château Cantemerle received a silver medal at the World Fair in Paris as a reward for the quality of its wine.

Cantemerle was not only the worst hit of the Médoc classified growths during the phylloxera crisis, but the vines were also attacked by downy mildew between 1879 and 1887.

[5] In 1981 the estate was sold by the Dubos family to le Groupe SMABTP (Les Mutuelles d'Assurance du Bâtiment et des Travaux Public).

Following the acquisition, the cuvier was virtually rebuilt, extensive repairs were made to the chai, and a scheme to replant the vineyards was begun.

[6] Château Cantemerle, particularly its director Philippe Dambrine, were in ardent opposition to a plan by the French government to build a Grand Contournement road that was to pass through the Médoc as well as Côtes de Bourg and Blaye.