Bordeaux en primeur 2023
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A medieval tower and grapes in the Medoc AOC
A medieval tower and grapes in the Medoc AOC
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A collection of Cabernet grapes
A collection of Cabernet grapes
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In a heterogeneous vintage, the wines of St-Estèphe and its border with Pauillac turned out time and again to be both homogenous and exceptional in their quality.
In a heterogeneous vintage, the wines of St-Estèphe and its border with Pauillac turned out time and again to be both homogenous and exceptional in their quality.
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A vineyard in the Medoc
A vineyard in the Medoc
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The ruins of Les Cordeliers church in Saint-Émilion
The ruins of Les Cordeliers church in Saint-Émilion
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While low yields typically indicate the presence of significant meteorological challenges they cannot be read as a proxy for quality.
While low yields typically indicate the presence of significant meteorological challenges they cannot be read as a proxy for quality.
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At their best, the vibrantly fresh, bright, vivid and dynamic wines of Sauternes deserve attention.
At their best, the vibrantly fresh, bright, vivid and dynamic wines of Sauternes deserve attention.
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A guide to Bordeaux 2023 in ten questions
On the eve of the first big releases in a make or break en primeur campaign, our Bordeaux correspondent Colin Hay, takes stock of the 2023 vintage.
Bordeaux 2023 – a good, perhaps very good, but not an exceptional vintage?
That is what I suggested on the basis of studying the meteorological conditions as that evolved over the growing season. And although, even then, I warned of the dangers of judging the quality of any vintage – above all this one – on the basis of the numbers alone, I am broadly going to stick with that assessment.
It started life as quite a tentative projection, a proposition in effect; it is now an assessment, based on what I know learned having tasted some 550 wines and having spoken to a great number of producers (largely ‘off the record’).
Whether, in the end, we judge this a good or a very good vintage depends, as ever, on the criteria employed in the assessment. Put brutally, the wider one cases one’s net and, crucially, the further from the leading châteaux one goes, the more what was potentially very good becomes just good (for reasons we will come to shortly).
For this was, fundamentally and above all, the latest in a series of challenging vintages. And both exposure to and, crucially, the capacity to respond to those challenges was unevenly distributed. Almost inevitably given that, those with resources coped best. Indeed, for them (if, alas, only them) this is an exceptional vintage – on a par with, if very different from, 2022 and 2020.
For many reading this article that may well be what counts. The best wines – and, notably, the wines around which en primeur campaign are built and focussed – are, with few exceptions, fabulously bright, crystalline, fresh and pure, but with significant aging potential too.
But, for me at least, that does not make this an exceptional vintage. It is simply too uneven for that. As I said in the second paragraph of my vintage review before tasting a single wine, it is a vintage in the end “whose heterogeneity prevents it from being regarded as exceptional even it if is likely to have produced a number of truly exceptional wines”.
That was much hunch then; it is my assessment now. When they are (eventually) published my ratings will demonstrate that the greatest wines of the vintage, in my judgement, are certainly as great as those of 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2022 (and invariably better than those of every other vintage since 2010). But, no less significantly, there is a relatively sharp and, at times, almost exponential descent from the summit – certainly more vertiginous than that for any of these 4 legendary vintages. The peaks are high, but the troughs are quite low too.
Finally, and again I emphasis, in my judgement, this is not because of the quality of the wine-making – which has notably improved and is notably more consistent in my view today than it was even in 2016 – but despite it. Such was the severity of the challenges the vintage posed and the importance of the work required in the vineyard throughout the growing season to cope.
Crucially, then, to note the heterogenous character of the vintage is not to imply, and should not be taken as, a criticism. I think these wines, even when they disappoint, show a region whose viticultural practices have coped, given available and unevenly distributed resources, remarkably well with what nature has thrown at them.
A Cabernet vintage?
In a year as complex as this, simple and sweeping generalisations are not going to get us very far. That this is a Cabernet vintage is probably the simplest and the most sweeping of those generalisations; it is also the one I hear the most. Its crude simplicity in a vintage as complex as this also renders it amongst the most problematic. But what applies to this convenient generalisation applies to many others too.
There is of course a grain of truth to it. It is certainly more true to suggest that this is a Cabernet vintage than to suggest that it is a Merlot vintage. But actually not by much. Let’s consider why. There are really three factors here, each of which gives us an insight into Bordeaux 2023.
First, it is perhaps important to note that to talk of this as a Cabernet vintage is really just a slightly more polite way of saying that it is not a Merlot vintage. The claim is (generally) not so much that the Cabernet is excellent, but that the Merlot isn’t. But neither is correct. There is certainly less Merlot to be found in the final blends of the grands vins of all of the leading appellations, that is sure. But that does not mean that excellence cannot be found in monocépage Merlot. Petrus, Le Pin and Moueix Pomerols like Trotanoy are all stars of the vintage, as my tasting notes will indicate. There is, in short, great Merlot to be found and there is great Cabernet to be found. But both are qualitatively heterogeneous.
Second, and rather less positively, we need to remember that this is a vintage that can be difficult for Cabernet Sauvignon too. As Axel Marchal and his colleagues from the University of Bordeaux’s Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin have noted (and they would know), quite a lot of it was picked in anticipation of considerable mid-September rainfall that turned out not to be as considerable as was forecast. It would not have been picked so early had the meteorological picture been more propitious. For it was not ripe. Such fruit has brought a recognisably herbaceous, even vegetal, note to the wines in which it is present.
Third, the underlying reason for this being considered a Cabernet vintage and not a Merlot vintage is a genuine one. It is the inference drawn from it that is problematic. Merlot typically suffered more. Merlot is more prone to mildew in the first, it tends also to be planted on somewhat cooler terroirs that are likely to be more prone to mildew contagion and it is also more susceptible to the desiccation and sun-burning of grapes that occurred in the two heatwave events in the second half of August and early September.
While the Cabernet basked in the Indian summer sunshine, the Merlot stressed, shrivelled and, in some cases, burnt on the vine as it concentrated very rapidly. But the principle consequence of this is that Merlot yields are lower. It is not that the Merlot that made it into the final selection of the grands vins of leading properties was lower in quality. The ‘lots’ from Merlot parcels (above all young Merlot parcels and those hit early in the year by mildew) are less likely to have made the cut. But those present in the final blend bring great depth and richness to the mid-palate of the best wines, above all those on the right-bank.
A left-bank vintage?
The answer to the proceeding question probably already goes a long way to answering this one. If 2023 is not a Cabernet vintage or, more precisely if inelegantly, not a ‘not-Merlot’ vintage, then it is probably not a left-bank vintage either.
After having tasted over 250 wines from either side of the waters, I am sure that is correct. But, quite honestly, I was never expecting this to be a left-bank vintage. If all generalisations are problematic in this vintage, then some are more problematic than others. And the idea that this is a left-bank vintage is, if anything, more problematic than the previous one.
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In a heterogeneous vintage, the wines of St-Estèphe and its border with Pauillac turned out time and again to be both homogenous and exceptional in their quality.
It is, then, more credible to consider this a Cabernet vintage than to consider it a left-bank vintage. It is not difficult to understand why. For, whilst neither claim is accurate, the former is a somewhat problematic inference drawn from a credible claim (that Merlot suffered more), whilst the latter is a problematic inference drawn from the same somewhat problematic inference. It is, in short, a second-order inference that merely compounds the initial inferential error! We say, in effect, that if Merlot suffered more (a credible and empirical claim) that this is likely to be a Cabernet vintage and that if that is true (and it turns out not to be) then, since Cabernet is more prevalent in the wines of the left-bank, this is more likely to be left- than a right-bank vintage. It isn’t. And the weak link in the causal logic we have already dealt with.
Putting logic and causal inference to one side (I sense your relief), what is true is that there is invariably less Merlot in the final blends of the grands vins of both left- and right-banks. It is also true (though less universally) that monocépage Merlot tends to have lower yields and/or a stricter selection for the grand vin (with more second wine or wine sold off in bulk) than for assembled wines.
Final blends throughout the leading appellations are, then, somewhat skewed towards Cabernet Sauvignon (on the right-bank) and Cabernet Franc (on the left-bank). Yet, somewhat paradoxically perhaps, and not for the first time, this actually contributes to raising the quality of the wine itself. Whilst many leading wines turn out to have somewhat unusual and unfamiliar final blends, this is certainly not at the expense of quality.
What is true is that there is invariably less Merlot in the final blends of the grands vins of both left- and right-banks.
A northern-Medoc vintage on the left-bank?
Here we descend a level of detail and we come across a perhaps rather more interesting proposition. This is one that seemed credible to me both ‘on paper’, reading through the month-by-month mereological conditions that defined the vintage and, rather more significantly, as I started to taste through the wines themselves.
In St-Estèphe, above all, and perhaps too in the northern sector of Pauillac, it is certainly credible to think that the meteorological conditions proved somewhat less challenging than they were further south. First, there was a little less intense rainfall and a little less heat following the periodic downpours that characterised June —and provided elsewhere the perfect conditions for mildew propagation. In short, mildew pressure was lower; and yields here are correspondingly higher.
It is also credible to think that the Northern Médoc’s typically cooler and more clay-dominated soils allowed the vines to cope better with the unprecedented heatwave conditions of the late summer, with proximity to the ocean also helping to ensure significant variations in temperature between the night and the day into the crucial ripening period.
The Northern Médoc’s typically cooler and more clay-dominated soils allowed the vines to cope better with the unprecedented heatwave.
These factors led me to anticipate a particular concentration of great wines from St-Estèphe and the northern half of Pauillac; essentially, the vineyards north of the town of Pauillac itself – such as Lafite, Mouton, Clerc-Milon, Duhart-Milon, Pontet Canet and Pedesclaux.
And this is, broadly speaking, what I found. In a heterogeneous vintage, the wines of St-Estèphe and its border with Pauillac turned out time and again to be both homogenous and exceptional in their quality.
There are plenty of fantastic wines from elsewhere in the Médoc from La Lagune and Cantemerle, through Margaux, St-Julien and upwards, and the left-bank more generally, throughout Pessac-Léognan, in red and in white, and most certainly in Barsac and Sauternes.
But if there is a particularly high concentration it is to be found in the north.
… And a limestone vintage in Saint-Émilion?
It seems unfair to reflect on the relative quality of the wines of the left-bank without doing something similar for the right-bank, not least as just as many of the stars of the vintage are to be found here.
But it is not easy to identify an equivalent proposition to that above for the right-bank. So I have cheated a little in descending a level of detail further to consider a within-appellation proposition. This, again, seems credible both ‘on paper’, considering the capacity to cope with the meteorological challenges of the vintage, and in the barrel cellar (from my tastings).
Purer limestone soils may be a little easier to treat than the clay soils onto which tractors venture with trepidation after significant rainfall —sometimes never to return.
My suggestion here is that, if there is a particular (figurative) hot spot to be found on the right-bank in this vintage, it is those wines chiselled from the limestone plateaux and côteaux (slopes) of Saint-Émilion, and perhaps beyond in a number of satellite appellations, notably Castillon, Fronsac and Lussac.
These terroirs are typically windy and well-draining and both factors reduce mildew pressure. Purer limestone soils may also be a little easier to treat than the clay soils onto (and into) which tractors venture with trepidation after significant rainfall —sometimes never to return.
And, once again, these cooler soils typically reduce hydric and heat stress with the deep root systems their poverty encourages helping the plant to sustain itself and continue to ripen when others would shut down. Unremarkably, in the end, a great number of the vintage’s notable successes come from such terroir.
But so too, if for not entirely similar reasons, the plateau of Pomerol and the perennial Saint-Émilion sweet spot that includes Cheval Blanc and Figeac.
Is there a correlation between appellation (and/or vineyard) yields and quality?
This is one of those questions that I almost wish I hadn’t asked myself. It is a difficult question. But perhaps an important one.
Indeed, there are two questions here and the answer to each is subtly different. In general terms, there is a lot to learn from average yields, above all from a vintage like this. But one needs to know the back story. For there are different reasons why yields might fall, above all at the vineyard level.
The two most significant factors reducing yields are mildew losses and the desiccation of fruit — above all Merlot — on the vines under the intense heat and hydric stress of the heatwave episodes in the second half of August and into early September.
Though it has been widely reported that mildew accounts for the greatest proportion of these losses, what I was repeatedly told was that mildew losses in most grands crus classés and equivalent vineyards were small or negligible. Almost every vineyard that I visited with declared yields below 38 hl/ha reported that their losses had come almost entirely from the burning and desiccation of fruit at the end of the ripening season. Some properties lost 25 % of their potential yield in what was otherwise a generous vintage in this way.
Low vineyards yields — and the lower average appellation yields to which they contribute —are not in any sense directly linked to the lower quality of the final wine.
Yet even this is to paint too simplistic a picture. For where the fight against mildew was lost, the toll was devastating. And the fewer the resources one had access to, the more likely that was. Additionally, the battle against mildew was particularly difficult for those practicing organic and/or biodynamic viticulture, reliant as they were on multiple passages through the vineyard spraying the single authorised treatment, “La bouillie Bordelaise” — a solution of copper sulphate that is a contract treatment and that washes off the plant each time it rains.
Complicating things further, the desiccation of the fruit on the vines under the intense heatwave conditions of the late summer was greatest in Merlot plots already weakened by mildew damage. For this reduced the capacity of the vine to cope with stress of any kind. In short, even where mildew was not the proximate cause of yield loss, it was certainly an underlying factor.
All of this might make it tempting to assume that low average appellation yields (as for instance in Margaux) indicate greater meteorological pressure and hence lower average quality. But that is another in a now long line of ostensibly credible but ultimately somewhat problematic inferences.
It is wrong in two key respects. First, where there was significant mildew pressure it was highly unevenly distributed with the appellation, with neighbouring vineyards in Margaux, for instance, seeing differences in average vineyard yields of over 30 hl/ha in some cases. Second, and more importantly still, low vineyards yields — and the lower average appellation yields to which they contribute —are not in any sense directly linked to the lower quality of the final wine. For mildew ravaged plots do not make the cut for selection in the grands vins of leading estates, just as optical and densimetric sorting ensure that desiccated fruit is discarded.
Therefore, while low yields typically indicate the presence of significant meteorological challenges they cannot be read as a proxy for quality – either at the appellation or the vineyard level.
What of the whites and Sauternes?
As ever, the focus of attention when it comes to en primeur reporting are the red wines of the leading appellations of the left and right-banks. But we should not overlook the dry whites and the Barsac and Sauternes produced in the 2023 vintage.
Suffice it to say that, though also somewhat heterogeneous in quality, the dry whites and, above all, the Barsac and Sauternes often produced again in tiny volumes (typically below 5 hl/ha) are, at their best, vibrantly fresh, bright, vivid and dynamic wines that deserve attention.
In difficult market conditions, they have actually fared somewhat better than their red counterparts since 2019. If prices are right, they may well prove tempting offers.
A vintage to buy, but carefully?
We will come to the market conditions presently, but on quality considerations alone, this is undoubtedly a vintage to buy. But it is not a vintage to buy blindly.
Nature is fickle, increasingly so. And in this vintage, perhaps more so than any other recent Bordeaux vintage, there are multiple factors each of which correlate with quality. But, crucially, the distribution of these factors varies strongly between vineyards and even plots within vineyards, linked as they are to the age of the vines, the quality of the clone, the varietal, the exposition, the soil type, the kind of viticulture practiced, the speed and reactivity of the vineyard workers in treating, the extent to which it was possible for tractors to enter the vineyard before and after significant rainfall and so forth.
Generalisations are, as such, impossible – or, at least, distinctly unreliable. Moreover, in order to know how a 2023 en primeur sample tasted today is likely to evolve in barrel and in bottle one needs to know quite a lot about how it comes to taste the way it does today.
There are different reasons for how a wine can come to taste as it does en primeur on any given day, including of course the quality and representativeness of the sample itself, and to read much beyond that is tricky without knowing the circumstances in which the wine was produced. This is not a vintage to taste blind en primeur, if ever there were one.
Yet, as Axel Marchal explained in his presentation at the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB) press tasting on the vintage, the bottom line is that there are great wines to be found in every leading appellation. Reassuringly, the critical appreciation of the vintage thus far published also suggests that there is at least something of a consensus on what they are.
Why is the 2023 Bordeaux en primeur campaign so important?
I have already written at length on this, so let me be (perhaps uncharacteristically) brief, blunt, even brutal. The Bordeaux 2023 en primeur campaign is vital for the future of en primeur precisely because the en primeur system itself is broken.
It has stopped working for the consumer because, although Bordeaux continues to represent value for money at every price point, en primeur releases have stopped providing value for money relative to the secondary market prices of previous releases. There is, in short, little or no incentive to buy.
And it has stopped working for the négociants because, with the cost of capital at perhaps 3 to 4 times what it was two years ago, and with little incentive for the consumer to buy, there is no incentive for them to take allocations of wines they need to borrow to purchase and which they have little immediate chance of selling.
And, finally, it is about to stop working for the properties if there is not a significant price recalibration because, in such conditions, négociants have little choice other than to refuse their allocations.
But the solution is simple – or, at least, simply stated: a downward recalibration across the board to make en primeur releases competitive in the secondary market with previous releases.
What can we expect in terms of pricing?
It is always difficult to speculate on what market actors will decide. And, on the eve of the first key releases we will not have to wait long to see what they have decided.
But what is already clear is that the Bordeaux 2023 en primeur campaign is the most coordinated in advance that I have ever witnessed. And it needs to be. To know already the release dates of every single first growth is unprecedented, at least for me – and the information has been widely diffused. That I read as a quite conscious choice. The choice is to demonstrate before the campaign opens that Bordeaux has been listening, has got the message, and that some, at least, are ready to act.
What we can expect to see, it now seems sure, are symbolically significant early releases from Léoville Las Cases, Pontet Canet and, vitally, Lafite Rothschild this week. If I read the signals correctly, I anticipate release price reductions (relative to 2022) of between 30 and 35 per cent in each case (in euros).
The question is whether this coordinated price signalling will be followed – in short, whether the discipline will hold. I am mildly optimistic, despite the clear presence amongst decision makers in many leading estates of price recalibration ‘sceptics’ (for want of a better term). Crucial in all of this will be Mouton Rothschild’s release on May 6th. It will give us a first impression at least of how the other first growths are likely to positions themselves. At that point we should have a clear idea of how the campaign is likely to hold.
Buckle in for what could be a roller-coaster ride!
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Quality and quantity together, for once
The meteorological conditions that have helped to forge an uneven vintage.
Nothing it seems is easy in Bordeaux these days. After two vintages which, together, saw every conceivable climatic challenge present, 2023 might seem like a year of relative respite. But it did certainly not feel like that in the vineyards. Or at least, not until the harvest had been safely gathered in – and even then only for those whose attentiveness and reactivity in the vineyard had spared them from the ravages of mildew earlier in the summer and whose vigilance at the sorting table during the harvest itself had allowed them to remove all traces of desiccated fruit.
In the most general terms, 2023 is a vintage that is likely to be judged favourably – a good and perhaps even a very good vintage, but not an exceptional vintage. But it is also a vintage that would not have turned out well even a decade ago and whose heterogeneity prevents it from being regarded as exceptional even it if is likely to have produced a number of truly exceptional wines.
There are certain similarities here with 2018, even if the wines themselves are very different in character. For, as in 2018, we have a growing season in two parts – the first producing intense mildew pressure; the second producing precisely the conditions required to compensate for the deficit of the first half. However the contrast between the two halves was far less extreme than in 2018 – with the mildew pressure in 2023 coming not so much from excessive rain as from persistent rain in a context of already elevated temperatures; and with the second half of the season, though generally dry and warm, only becoming extreme in the final phases of maturation which took place under Indian Summer conditions.
In what follows I have had the good fortune to be able to draw on the first-hand witness testimony of those who responded to 2023’s particular challenges and from the excellent vintage reports produced, respectively, by Axel Marchal and his co-authors from the University of Bordeaux’s Institut des Sciences de la Vigne and du Vin (ISVV), by Gavin Quinney and by Saturnalia. In addition, I would like to thank Axel Marchal from the ISVV, Gavin Quinney and colleagues from the Conseil Interprofessionnel de Vins de Bordeaux (CIVB) for their help in compiling, checking and making sense of some of the data.
In all of these accounts of the vintage, the bottom line is clear. There are, in Axel Marchal’s now almost famous terms, essentially five pre-conditions for a great vintage. They are:
- Quick and even flowering and fruit set;
- Weather conditions in the late spring and early summer sufficiently dry and warm to facilitate even pollination and to provide the pre-conditions for even ripening;
- A gradual rise in hydric stress over the summer (with, above all, a warm and dry July), slowing and ultimately stopping vine growth before véraison (colour change);
- Ripe grapes with optimum photosynthesis continuing up until harvest (without any significant resumption in vegetative growth);
- Dry and medium-warm weather during the harvest itself (ideally, with good temperature variation between night and day), allowing picking at optimal ripeness (and freshness).
None of these conditions were present in 2021; they were all present in 2022; and most, but by no means all, were present in 2023. By and large conditions 1, 4 and 5 were met; condition 2 was largely met but with some exceptions; condition 3 was not met. But we need to be careful not to condemn the vintage on this basis. The devil, as ever, lies in the proverbial detail.
An overview of the growing season
Flowering, fruit set and pollination all passed off well, with high potential yields established early (and with no coulure or millerandage). Yet, with a wet and warm spring and early summer, not only did hydric stress fail to establish itself (save other than on late ripening plots just before the harvest itself), but crucially, the threat of mildew was intense. This ravaged untreated, poorly treated and particularly susceptible plots, parcels and, in some cases, entire vineyards.
It proved especially difficult for properties practicing organic and/or biodynamic viticulture – limited, as they were, in the treatments they could deploy. These difficulties were compounded for those in transition to organic viticulture, without the experience of the mildew-threatened 2018 and 2020 vintages to draw on. Rauzan-Ségla is a case in point. It suffered tragically significant losses, with a final yield, I believe, of around 18 hl/ha. By all accounts, the wine is excellent; there is just very little of it.
Yet even where the risk of mildew was so well managed as to keep losses to a minimum, the damp and humid conditions gave rise to a further problem – that of swollen fruit with the potential for dilution and a lack of mid-palate concentration. Fortuitously, that risk was in turn significantly, if not entirely, attenuated by the Indian Summer that would follow. For it allowed, above all, the late-harvesting Cabernet to ripen slowly at first, then increasingly rapidly on the vine, into early October.
So whilst picking conditions were not what would usually be considered ideal (with picking taking place in heatwave temperatures, leading to some shrivelling – and the need for very careful sorting – of the grapes), they were by that point precisely what was required to maximise the quality of the fruit.
In short, those whose vineyards had survived the ravages of mildew were, in general, very both deeply relieved and extremely happy with the quality – and, for the most part, the quantity – of the harvest.
The details of the growing season
The details of the growing season are, as ever, complex. And that complexity is important if we are to understand the characteristics of the vintage – not least because, as in 2022 if for very different reasons, there is quite a lot of inter-appellation variation (with differences in final yields of over 20 hl/ha between neighbouring properties in Margaux for instance). That means that the kind of generalised overview typically presented in the various reviews of the vintage can be misleading (more so than in other recent vintages other than 2022).
Yet in what follows I draw significantly on these accounts, using a combination of CIVB and IVSS data to descend a little further into the appellation-level details only when it is necessary to do so (I will return to more of that detail in my appellation-by-appellation profiles that I hope to publish early in May).
There is, however, no danger in overgeneralisation if we stick to the basics.
These are clear to see from Tables 1 and 2, with some additional appellation-level complexity added by Table 3....
Table 1: Average growing season temperatures in the Bordeaux region 2017-23
Source: calculated from Gavin Quinney’s Bordeaux 2023 weather and harvest report
Temperature (°C) |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
Average (April-Sept) |
18.2 |
19.0 |
18.2 |
18.9 |
17.7 |
19.8 |
19.4 |
Difference to 10 year average |
-.3 |
+.5 |
-.3 |
+.4 |
-.8 |
+1.3 |
+.9 |
Rainfall (mm) |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
March-Sept |
470 |
443 |
399 |
560 |
469 |
278 |
428 |
relative to 10-year average (%) |
+10 |
+3 |
-7 |
+31 |
+9 |
-35 |
= |
Annual* |
736 |
785 |
998 |
1157 |
885 |
639 |
1219 |
relative to 20-year average (%) |
-20 |
-15 |
+8 |
+26 |
-4 |
-31 |
+32 |
Table 2: Average rainfall in the Bordeaux region 2017-23
Source: calculated from Gavin Quinney’s Bordeaux 2023 weather and harvest report and www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie/annee/2023/bordeaux-merignac/valeurs/07510.html (* for Bordeaux-Mérignac alone)
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A vintage of reactivity, vigilance and surveillance
2023 is a vintage that is likely to be judged favourably – a good and perhaps even a very good vintage, but it is not one that would not have turned out well even a decade ago. Its heterogeneity prevents it from being regarded as exceptional even it if is likely to have produced a number of truly exceptional wines. but how did we get there? What were the principle feature of the growing season?
Principal features of the growing season
- Following the harvest, the autumn of 2022 was unusually hot, a continuation of the almost unprecedented summer conditions (and an augur perhaps of the Indian Summer that would ultimately prove so important to the ripening of the fruit).
- Yet the winter itself proved somewhat cooler than the, at least recent, norm (though in fact rather closer to longer-term averages due to climate change). January, in particular, brought a sudden drop in temperatures. In the end, 17 nights were recorded with temperatures below zero, around the norm for the last decade (though unusual in the context of the last 5 years). During the winter, the region saw significant, though by no means excessive, volumes of rainfall, contributing to a modest replenishing of the water table (which had been much depleted in 2022).
- Though the spring of 2023 was significantly warmer than normal, débourrement (budburst) took place if anything somewhat later than in recent years (following the relatively cool and overcast winter) in the final days of March in a homogenous manner across the region.
- The growing season had got off to a good start, not least as a less precocious budburst mitigated the risk of frost damage.
- When it came, the frost at the start of April was not sufficient to have any significant bearing on either budburst or potential yields (save other than in a handful of vineyards).
- From April onwards, the tone was set for the growing season ahead, with the spring turning out damp and increasingly hot. April and May were 1 degree above the 10-year average whilst June was a full 3 degrees above the norm.
- The combination of rain and sustained heat brought significant mildew pressure, on a par with 2018 and 2020 in terms of its potential severity though more unevenly distributed in its effect and eventual impact. Yet, perhaps surprisingly, the overall volume of rain was not in fact massively above the 10-year average. It still posed a thorough test of capacity and skill, requiring timely and repeated treatments, above all in the most exposed vineyards and those practicing organic and biodynamic viticulture.
- The mildew pressures was at its greatest in June at the moment of fruit set which took place in a context of already high ambient temperatures and alternating periods of strong rain followed by further spikes in the temperature.
- The vines at this stage were extremely vigorous in their foliage production, increasing the risk both of mildew establishing itself in the first place and of its subsequent propagation. A combination of mildew and, following in its stead, black rot ravaged many untreated, particularly exposed or ineffectively treated plots, parcels and entire vineyards.
- Exposure was, however, highly uneven – much more so than in recent mildew-afflicted vintages. It is a major (though by no means the only significant) factor contributing to the variation in the appellation-by-appellation aggregate yields (see Table 5, below). The damage it inflicted varied according to terroir type, varietal (Merlot being particularly susceptible), the age of the vines and, of course, access to the resources to protect the vineyard with timely treatments (often needing to be delivered at night or in a short rain shadow).
|
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
10-year average |
Relative to 10-year average (% change) |
Margaux |
49.2 |
36.3 |
38.6 |
31.3 |
37.7 |
39.7 |
-5.0 |
St Julien |
45.5 |
34.3 |
35.2 |
34.3 |
50.3 |
40.1 |
+25.4 |
Pauillac |
46.7 |
37.4 |
35.1 |
34.8 |
47.1 |
39.7 |
+18.6 |
St Estèphe |
49.7 |
41.2 |
40.7 |
31.5 |
51.6 |
43.4 |
+18.9 |
Pessac-Léognan rouge |
47.2 |
34.6 |
30.7 |
35.7 |
38.1 |
38.5 |
-1.0 |
St Emilion (GC) |
43.0 |
36.7 |
27.5 |
41.2 |
40.5 |
37.2 |
+8.9 |
Pomerol |
43.0 |
39.8 |
28.9 |
32.3 |
45.2 |
36.1 |
+25.2 |
Pessac-Léognan blanc |
46.3 |
38.6 |
30.7 |
31.6 |
50.3 |
37.3 |
+34.9 |
Sauternes/Barsac |
13.6 |
12.3 |
3.5 |
14.1 |
12.2 |
13.9 |
-12.2 |
Table 5: Average vineyard yield by appellation (hl/ha)
Source: calculated from Duanes data compiled by the CIVB Service Economie et Etudes
Reward of reactivity, vigilance and surveillance
- 2023 is undoubtedly, then – and, like 2018 and 2020 before it – a vintage that will have rewarded reactivity, vigilance and surveillance capacity in the vineyard. Those with resources were much better able to preserve the potential abundance the vintage had offered from the moment of budburst. A further factor here is proximity to abandoned vineyards, above all in the commercially-challenged Entre-deux-Mers. It is very difficult to protect one’s own vineyard from the threat of mildew if it borders that of an untreated and abandoned vineyard in which mildew is already rife.
- The best way to see all of this is in the numbers. If we compare (as in Table 6, below) average yields for the (relatively resource-rich) leading appellations of the Médoc with those of the (relatively resource-poor) AOC Bordeaux appellations, the effect is starkly revealed. Whilst yields in the former rose significantly between the (hardly generous) 2022 vintage and 2023, those in the latter fell no less significantly. The overall effect, as the data show clearly, is that whilst the overall regional yield (the data in the top row) fell, those in the most prestigious appellations (further down the table) rose. On the right-bank, these effects largely cancelled themselves out (with Pomerol and the St Emilion Grand Cru high yielding, the rest of Saint-Émilion and some its satellites much less so).
|
2022 |
2023 |
Change |
All AOP Bordeaux rouge & rosé |
38.3 |
36.1 |
-11% |
… AOC Bordeaux rouge |
39.7 |
33.3 |
-26% |
… Left-bank (Médoc & Graves) |
34.5 |
40.0 |
+13% |
… Right-bank |
42.2 |
42.6 |
+1% |
Table 6: Average vineyard yield by appellation (hl/ha)
Source: calculated from Duanes data compiled by the CIVB Service Economie et Etudes
- Flowering occurred under excellent (above all, drier and windier) conditions, helping to ensure an easy pollination and confirming the relatively homogeneous and generous size of the potential harvest, at least for those who had managed well the threat of mildew (those for whom it had remained a threat rather than becoming established in the vineyard).
- 2023 is a vintage of extremes, no more so in terms of yields – with abundance in general, but with catastrophically low yields and abandoned parcels wherever the mildew took hold. Whilst it is not a major factor in the finished wines, it has nonetheless taken a colossal toll in the region more generally.
- The summer was labour intensive, with considerable vineyard management required to restore order in parcels that had suffered mildew loss and which typically were characterised by a potentially dangerous overproduction and by excess foliage. The uneven quality of this work (again, linked as much to the access to resources) has no doubt contributed further to the unevenness of the vintage (both in qualitative and quantitative terms).
- Throughout June, the grapes swelled due to the general abundance of water and the absence of hydric stress. Indeed, in such conditions, vegetative growth continued beyond the start of véraison (the first colouring of the grapes). The fourth of Axel Marchal’s five condition for a great vintage was, then, clearly not met.
- Véraison itself began early, around the 10 July, reached its mid-point around the 23rd and lasted a whole month. In warm yet not particularly sunny conditions and with periodic storms the grapes continued to swell, raising fears that they would prove difficult to mature. There was a first peak in temperature at the end of June and the beginning of July but this was not as extreme as in 2022 (at 28 rather than 31 degrees). That said, in June itself there were 23 days in which maximum temperatures exceeded 25 degrees and 8 days of significant (often tempestuous) rainfall.
- July remained warm, but not excessively so and was both dry yet largely overcast (with significantly lower total recorded hours of sunshine than in recent vintages). From mid-July, temperatures moderated, with daily maximums of around 27 degrees in contrast to the 30 degrees of 2020 and 2022.
- August, in keeping with the theme of the summer, was a touch cooler than usual (with an average temperature of 21 degrees rather than the staggering 26.5 degrees of 2022). Rain swelled the fruit again, exacerbating the risk of dilution and a lack of concentration and giving the impression that the grapes were slow to ripen. Indeed, with véraison persisting into the second half of August in some cases and under far from summery conditions, fears grew for a difficult end to the growing season and late maturation of the fruit.
- But, just in time, dry and hot conditions were established in the second half of the month (around August 16th). In the context of an intense heatwave (almost unprecedented in the region so late in the year) growth stopped abruptly. This gave the whites, above all, the impetus they needed to attain full ripeness and decent concentration before picking began around the 23 August. They are aromatically fresh with moderate alcohol of around 12.5 - 13% and with a nicely elevated natural acidity.
- Between the 4 - 7 September temperatures peaked again, bringing forward the start of the harvest for the youngest parcels of Merlot. Rain between the 10 - 12 September brought a pause to proceedings, with the harvest only resuming in the second half of September and running into early October for the older vine Cabernet.
- Due to the hot and dry Indian Summer conditions which had, by this time, become established, fruit concentration was finally being achieved. Yet however much this was necessary, it also proved something of a mixed blessing. For the sustained intensity of the heat, as well as making picking extremely unpleasant, was challenging – above all, to Merlot parcels on well-draining soils. It typically fared better on limestone and clay-limestone terroirs, whilst the less hydric stress-sensitive Cabernet Sauvignon suffered least. The heavily clay-based soils of the northern Médoc also offered partial protection.
- Significant wilting, shrivelling and even burning of the grape skins nonetheless occurred in many vineyards (notably in Margaux and Pessac-Léognan). This, in turn, necessitated careful selection and sorting of the grapes and reduced yields – in some vineyards, considerably – with losses of up to 20 hl/ha. Even at Carmes Haut-Brion, a potential yield of a staggering 55 hl/ha was reduced to a (still rather impressive) 50 hl/ha in this way, there having been essentially no loss to mildew.
- But in general the final maturation process passed off well and the vintage was picked slowly, in waves (or tries), to maximise ripeness and to reflect the diversity of factors that had influenced the pace of ripening (notably the capacity to endure the heatwave conditions in the second half of August).
- Those able to harvest precisely, responsively and over a long period of time (parcel bloc by parcel bloc, row by row, even plant by plant) were able to bring in fruit of exceptional quality – much higher than those required, often again for commercial reasons, to pick the entire vineyard in a single day.
- Overall, pH is low and total acidity levels are high; tannin levels are moderate to high (rather higher, in fact, than you might imagine); and alcohol levels are at a pleasingly refreshing 13-13.5% depending on varietal and terroir
General factors influencing quality
The above analysis allows me to offer a few provisional and, at this stage, still tentative suggestions as to the principal factors likely to influence quality in the vintage.
- Dilution, above all, in the early harvested (typically young) Merlot parcels picked before the mid-September rain (10-12 September).
- Mildew pressure – the greatest single factor explaining inter and intra-vineyard heterogeneity. Losses were in some cases catastrophic, but in other places negligible or non-existent.
- The rain in mid-September which delayed the vintage and extended hang times, allowing the Indian Summer to play its magical hand, elevating the quality of the fruit that had yet to be picked and contributing to a vintage picked slowly over an extended period of time (25 August – 8 October).
- The sustained heat of the Indian Summer which helped to elevate the quality of the Cabernet Franc on the right-bank and, perhaps even more so, the Cabernet Sauvignon on the left-bank – yet which posed significant problems for Merlot on well-draining soils. As ever, the combination of terroir type, varietal and the age of the vines is crucial in determining quality – but no more so than in this vintage.
- The wilting, shrivelling and desiccation of the fruit under heatwave conditions in the last two weeks of August and, again, either side of the rainfall in September. This required careful selection and the vigilant use of sorting tables to exclude grapes that might otherwise have brought dried fruit notes to the final wine. The yield losses associated with this are, in many cases, significant.
- Some of the later picked old-vine Merlot (above all on clay and clay-limestone terroirs) is excellent; some of the later picked old vine Cabernet (above all on cooler soils) is exceptional.
- The northern Médoc, above all St Estèphe, appears to have been spared some of the excesses of the growing season, with less rain (and less associated mildew pressure) in the first half of summer (see Table 3) and with more capacity to cope with the heatwave conditions at the end of the summer (due to its cooler, denser, clay-based soils). It is not by accident that it is the highest yielding appellation in 2023. Many of the vintage’s most notable successes (and some of its surprises) may well be here.
Conclusion
In conclusion, 2023 is an extremely heterogeneous vintage. It is so quite simply because the conditions that have produced it were experienced very differently – depending on terroir type, varietal and the age of the vines. Overall yields are high, but the averages mask significant variation and, in some cases, hide very significant losses.
Those losses, however, do not come from a single factor. Some vineyards (Rauzan-Ségla is an example to which I have already referred) suffered massively at the hands of mildew; others, even in the same appellation, suffered essentially no losses through the ravages of mildew only to see their yields slashed by the desiccation of the fruit on the vines in the weeks immediately prior to harvest (Giscours is an example here); still others suffered both effects, to varying degrees. And, of course, some suffered essentially no losses at all.
In the end, however, yields are unlikely to correlate highly with quality. It is perfectly possible (as we saw in 2018, for instance) to produce excellence from small yields through strict selection (much of it, alas, conducted by nature itself). The grands vins of leading châteaux will not contain fruit from mildew-affected parcels. Nor will they contain desiccated grapes. That, in the end, is what sorting tables and optical sorting devices were made for!
But it is possible that, in and through a combination of both natural and manual selection, some grands vins will be rather different in composition than usual (more Cabernet Franc on the right-bank, more Cabernet Sauvignon on the left-bank). It is no less likely that the absence of certain habitual parcels from the final blend will have reduced the overall quality of the final wine. This is not, then, unlikely to be a vintage that can be bought on reputation alone.
Finally, it is important to note that malolactic fermentation was easily and quickly achieved under warm conditions. The result is that the wines have been in élévage since November. In theory, this should make the vintage easier to appreciate en primeur (aided further by the week of en primeur itself occurring at the end, rather than at the start, of April).
This is, arguably, just as well. For, as I have sought to explain and due to a range of factors, 2023 is likely to prove extremely heterogenous (more so, perhaps even than 2018 and 2022). It will require careful appellation-by-appellation and vineyard-by-vineyard analysis.
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Domaines Baron de Rothschild - and ratings
A note on the ratings
This year, as is now my habit, I have again decided to provide an indicative rating for each wine alongside the published comment. All such comments and ratings are necessarily subjective (they cannot be anything else when one thinks about it). I would urge you to look at the two together and, if anything, to privilege the comment over the rating. My aim is more to describe the wine in the context of the vintage, the appellation and recent vintages of the same and similar wines, rather than to judge the wine per se.
The ratings, of course, reflect my subjective evaluations and relative preferences between wines. Your palate is likely differ from mine. I hope that my comments give you at least enough information to be able to recalibrate my ratings and, in so doing, to align them more closely to your own palate. To give an example: if the idea of the ‘new classicism’ leaves you cold, you may well wish to discount the (typically high) ratings I have given to wines described in such terms.
2023, like both of its predecessors is, of course, a far from homogeneous vintage – and, consequently, my ratings span a considerable range (from the very top of the scale downwards). I see little interest, either for the consumer or the producer, in publishing very low scores. Consequently, I have decided not to publish scores for classed growths (or equivalent wines) that I have rated below 90 (here the range 89-91) and for crus bourgeois (or equivalent wines) that I have rated below 89 (here the range 88-90). Where no rating is published, the wine would have scored below these thresholds. Where my written assessment of the wine might also have proved unflattering to the property, I have simply chosen to publish neither the commentary nor the rating.
Finally, élevage is likely to be very important in determining the quality in bottle of these wines. I am no soothsayer and cannot predict how that will turn out (another reason for the use of banded ratings). But all en primeur ratings should be treated with caution and taken with a certain pinch of salt.
Tasting notes – Domaines Baron Rothschild releases
- Lafite Rothschild (Pauillac; 93% Cabernet Sauvignon; 6% Merlot; 1% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 45 hl/ha; pH 3.76; aging in oak barrels, 90% of which are new; 12.9% alcohol). This is so beautifully redolent of Lafite and could be no other wine. Carruades might have been starved in a way to make this, but you would, wouldn’t you! Gorgeous refined black currant and black cherry, oodles of cedar and a little graphite, HB pencil-shavings fresh from the sepia-tinged classroom of the 1960s and a hint of dark chocolate-coated violet. Soft, elegant, relaxed and plush, with a very soft-focused but dense and compact spherical core – a black hole of black fruit. Gracious and almost hinting at opulence but for the freshness of the vintage which brings instead a striking energy and vivacity. But this is relaxed and measured where Mouton is vivid and dynamic, cashmere replacing the fine silk layering of its near neighbour. I love the Cabernet fruit that pulses through all of its veins. There’s lots of fruity capillarity here! 96-98+.
- Carruades de Lafite (Pauillac; 60% Cabernet Sauvignon; 40% Merlot; pH 3.70; a final yield of 45 hl/ha; 13.2% alcohol). Very dark berry fruited with a little damson. Herbal and almost a little herbaceous. Quite strict and austere though with ultra-refined and super fine-grained tannins. A nice juicy sapidity. There’s a touch of crushed rock and rock salt minerality that lifts this on the chewy finish. Clean, lean and fresh on the finale which is nicely focussed and well-sustained. 92-94.
- L’Evangile (Pomerol; 79% Merlot; 21% Cabernet Franc; less than 1% Cabernet Sauvignon; pH 3.75; 50% new oak; 13.5% alcohol). Quite plump with a lot of Cabernet Franc for the property. Intimate and a little closed but very redolent of L’Evangile. Voluptuous and yet reserved, much less immediately opulent than is has tended to be, more intimate and introvert. Plump black cherries and their texture in the mouth. Wild bilberry. Mulberry too and maybe a little hint of damson. Thyme. Graphite. Superb texturally with a most gracious mouthfeel. Plush and sleek, with great mid-palate density. Very refined. Not boisterous. I love the Cabernet Franc notes, with a little injection and release of cassis through the stone fruit frame set by the Merlot in the mid-palate. It brings a plume of freshness just when it is needed. There is more of a link to Lafite than ever before I find (with Saskia de Rothschild leading the blending of both). 95-97+.
- Duhart-Milon (Pauillac; 80% Cabernet Sauvignon; 20% Merlot; a final yield of 45hl/ha yield; around 65% of the production made the selection for the grand vin; 15% press wine; 13.1% alcohol). Rather closed aromatically when tasted under light grey skies with rain in the air at the property. Cedar, fruits of the forest, cassis. A big, plump and quite spherical mouthful of sapid, juicy, fresh berry fruits. This feels cool, autumnal, almost slightly austere in a way, with a hint of wild herbs and heather – wild, almost sauvage. Not terribly dense or, indeed, compact, but crystalline, clear, translucent and quite pixilated by the tannins, whose glossiness and finesse brings polish. The acidity picks up on the finish, which helps give it lift. If I have a quibble it is that, like Moulin de Duhart, this feels just a little herbaceous on the finish. The frame is almost too ample to sustain the fruit intensity. 93-95.
Other scheduled releases
- Lynch-Moussas (Pauillac; 78% Cabernet Sauvignon; 22% Merlot; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin and at Batailley). A little less engaging when tasted after Lynch-Bages, which I guess is the cross it must bear, but soft, gentle, easy and lithe. Raspberry. A little sloe and damson. Lithe and quite plush if not exactly plump. The tannins are a little less refined on the finish, but the progress here needs to be underscored. A much stronger wine than it used to be and an impressive showing from a wine that used to be rustic and even a little coarse. 91-93.
- Trottevieille (St-Emilon; 53% Cabernet Franc; 44% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Sauvignon; 13.5% alcohol; 28 cuves for 8 hectares, giving them the liberty to to pick over such a long period of time and at optimal ripeness). Big, plump and plush with a lovely texture. Very broad shouldered but with a form of vertical gravitas and profundity that comes from so much Cabernet. The wild blueberries fill the space allowed them by the structure, chiselled as it from the limestone below. Violet and rose. Rose pepper corns. Cool and lithe and rippling with juicy, sapid dark berry fruit juice. Really succulent and sapid and refreshing, vivid, vibrant and quite energetic. There’s impressive density too. Full, but oh so fresh. The limestone tannins grip the fruit and pull it back to the spine, giving this an hourglass-shaped structure that has the same effect on my cheeks – so this almost finishes on a light, aerial whistle, leaving just the taste of grape skins. Picked like a Sauternes. 95-97.
- Lynsolence (St-Emilion; 100% Merlot; tasted at the Grand Cercle tasting at La Dauphine). Incense and bright fresh spring blooms, a little graphite and acacia wood, a twist of black pepper too. Soft and beguiling with a lovely fresh cassis element welling up from the depths brining both freshness and lift. Very good as it so often is. Elegant and beguiling. Subtle. 92-94.
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Margaux 2023: an impressive vintage in a tough year
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As in 2022, though for rather different reasons, Margaux did not have it easy in 2023.
More than any other leading left-bank appellation it suffered from the absence of winter rainfall, with the vines in effect experiencing a continuation of the hydric deficit of 2022 (a year which saw 12 per cent less rainfall than the 10 year average). It then saw less rainfall between budburst and the harvest than every other left-bank appellation save St-Estèphe, belying a little the idea that total rainfall accumulations increased during the year as one descended the Gironde. Unremarkably, then, and as Table 1 shows in more detail, it saw less rainfall over the entire year than every other left-bank appellation including Pessac-Léognan.
Pre-budburst (Nov-March) |
Budburst to Harvest (April-mid October) |
Total (1/11-15/10) |
|
Margaux |
398 (-19.3%) |
464.6 (+11.0%) |
862.6 (-5.7%) |
St Julien |
458 (-5.8%) |
441.3 (+13.3%) |
899.2 (+1.2%) |
Pauillac |
458 (-5.8%) |
441.3 (+13.2%) |
899.2 (+1.2%) |
St-Estèphe |
550.7 (+3.0%) |
411.8 (+4.7%) |
912.5 (+1.5%) |
Pessac-Léognan |
426 (-12.4%) |
469.4 (+14.5%) |
895.2 (0%) |
St-Emilion |
306 (-37.1%) |
490.8 (+18.1%) |
796.8 (-11.8%) |
Pomerol |
338 (-31.5%) |
470.0 (+14.5%) |
808.1 (-10.9%) |
Table 1: Rainfall during the vintage (relative to 10-year average)
Source: calculated from Saturnalia’s Bordeaux 2023 Harvest report
In a year of significant, intense and in some cases unprecedented mildew pressure that might seem like a good thing. But Margaux certainly got its fair share of the June rainfall that was the immediate precursor and catalyst of the mildew contagion. That rainfall came in the form of a series of intense downpours invariably preceded and immediately followed by spikes in temperature.
The combination was potentially devastating, above all on the Merlot plots more characteristic of the appellation. A further exacerbating factor is that, of all Médocain appellations, Margaux has the highest proportion of vineyards practicing organic and/or biodynamic viticulture. Suffice it to note that, restricted as such producers are to the repeated use of the contact treatment la bouillie Bordelaise, the now familiar fight against mildew is never as effective in such vineyards as for those able to deploy more conventional treatments.
The long and the short of it is that Margaux suffered significantly more mildew damage than any other leading appellation. And parcels already weakened by exposure to mildew in June were also more likely to suffer desiccation and burning of the fruit on the vines in the unprecedented Indian summer heatwave conditions of the second half of August and early September. Some properties, including at least a couple of classed growths, lost a quarter of their potential yield in this way.
The results are clear to see from the average appellation vineyard yields presented in Table 2. With the exception of 2022, Margaux average yields are the lowest since 2018. In stark contrast, those in St Julien and St-Estèphe are the highest in 15 years.
That is bad enough already. But what these aggregate data also fail to show is the great vineyard-to-vineyard variation, with neighbouring properties on ostensibly similar terroirs often varying in their average yields by a staggering 20 hl/ha. Some properties achieved final yields exceeding 50 hl/ha, many others struggled to get into the low twenties.
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
10-year average |
Relative to 10-year average (% change) |
|
Margaux |
49.2 |
36.3 |
38.6 |
31.3 |
37.7 |
39.7 |
-5.0 |
St Julien |
45.5 |
34.3 |
35.2 |
34.3 |
50.3 |
40.1 |
+25.4 |
Pauillac |
46.7 |
37.4 |
35.1 |
34.8 |
47.1 |
39.7 |
+18.6 |
St Estèphe |
49.7 |
41.2 |
40.7 |
31.5 |
51.6 |
43.4 |
+18.9 |
Pessac-Léognan rouge |
47.2 |
34.6 |
30.7 |
35.7 |
38.1 |
38.5 |
-1.0 |
St Emilion (GC) |
43.0 |
36.7 |
27.5 |
41.2 |
40.5 |
37.2 |
+8.9 |
Pomerol |
43.0 |
39.8 |
28.9 |
32.3 |
45.2 |
36.1 |
+25.2 |
Table 2: Average vineyard yield by appellation (hl/ha)
Source: calculated from Duanes data compiled by the CIVB Service Economie et Etudes
What is clear from this is that, just as in 2022 if for very different reasons, Margaux suffered both the most significant fall in vineyard yields relative to the 10-year average (indeed, it was one of only two leading appellation to suffer a fall) and the lowest actual average yield of any of the leading appellations (at a somewhat depressing 37.7 hl/ha).
But that is not the headline news here – certainly for consumers (it is, of course, rather more important for producers since it is, in a sense, their bread and butter).
For however surprising though it might well seem given the above, the leading wines of Margaux are the qualitative equivalent of the very best that the Médoc has to offer in this vintage. They are far from homogeneous but that is no less true of the peers throughout the region (with the partial exception of St-Estèphe).
More positively still, this is a vintage that, at its best, flatters the ‘new classicism’ (as I have referred to it before) that Margaux, above all, has sought to cultivate in recent years. These wines are lithe, supple, fine, elegant and highly aromatic; these are also highly expressive of the terroirs from which they hail.
Overall, then, the results are impressive in any context, all the more so when the difficulties of the vintage above all in Margaux are taken into account.
Who stood out?
Margaux is, as it so invariably is, the star of the show – a clear potential candidate for the wine of the entire left-bank (since I have yet to review the other appellations I will try not to reveal too much at this stage, but the competition is intense). It is a sublimely graceful and elegant wine than is more than ever expressive of the appellation with which it shares its name.
Very close behind, and in something of a tie for second place, if very different in their distinct personalities, are a radiant and exuberant Brane-Cantenac and a more shimmering and glistening Palmer. What they share is the sheer quality of their tannins, all the more impressive given their mid-palate density and concentration.
Gonzague Lurton and his colleagues at Durfort-Vivens have triumphed once again in producing a wine of ethereal beauty and supreme aromatic florality that elevates as it respects and honours this exceptional terroir.
Despite the difficulties of coping with the challenges of mildew whilst in transition to organic viticulture, Rauzan-Ségla has made the latest in a series of exemplary wines that have helped to restore the very identity of the appellation. In 2023 it is a study in the quality of Margaux Cabernet Sauvignon and it is highly recommended.
In terms of sheer value I would also like to single out three wines that I have underscored before: Desmirail, Ferrière and Siran – and one that I am doing so in this way for the first time, having admired it from the first vintage I tasted, Moutte Blanc. Each is likely to represent outstanding quality for the price demanded in a part of the Bordeaux market place that is intensely price competitive – and that is only likely to become more so with this campaign.
I could go on, as familiar readers of this column know all too well. But let me conclude, simply and briefly, just by drawing your attention to two wines that, in their different ways, I find particularly note-worthy in this vintage.
The first is Cantenac Brown, perhaps the wine that has improved the most within the appellation in recent vintages and that now challenges very seriously for a place in the top 5 wines of Margaux.
The second is Lascombes, and it is fitting I think that my profile of the appellation should conclude here. It is perhaps the single left-bank wine that I was most intrigued to taste. This is Axel Heinz’s first full vintage at the helm of this (frankly) long-languishing (if still much admired) second growth. It is a wine, to be fair, that I have always loved but which has never perhaps quite attained a level consistent with the quality of its terroir (or at least the best of its terroir). That has changed. In 2023 it has produced a statement wine that will become the new reference point for the property. The transformation is as instantaneous as it is startling.
Margaux 2023: tasting notes
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Here are the tasting notes on all the Margaux estates from this year's en primeur campaign - one of the most exciting appellations this year.
This year, as is now my habit, I have again decided to provide an indicative rating for each wine alongside the published comment. All such comments and ratings are necessarily subjective (they cannot be anything else when one thinks about it). I would urge you to look at the two together and, if anything, to privilege the comment over the rating. My aim is more to describe the wine in the context of the vintage, the appellation and recent vintages of the same and similar wines, rather than to judge the wine per se.
The ratings, of course, reflect my subjective evaluations and relative preferences between wines. Your palate is likely differ from mine. I hope that my comments give you at least enough information to be able to recalibrate my ratings and, in so doing, to align them more closely to your own palate. To give an example: if the idea of the ‘new classicism’ leaves you cold, you may well wish to discount the (typically high) ratings I have given to wines described in such terms.
2023, like both of its predecessors is, of course, a far from homogeneous vintage – and, consequently, my ratings span a considerable range (from the very top of the scale downwards). I see little interest, either for the consumer or the producer, in publishing very low scores. Consequently, I have decided not to publish scores for classed growths (or equivalent wines) that I have rated below 90 (here the range 89-91) and for crus bourgeois (or equivalent wines) that I have rated below 89 (here the range 88-90). Where no rating is published, the wine would have scored below these thresholds. Where my written assessment of the wine might also have proved unflattering to the property, I have simply chosen to publish neither the commentary nor the rating.
Finally, élevage is likely to be very important in determining the quality in bottle of these wines. I am no soothsayer and cannot predict how that will turn out (another reason for the use of banded ratings). But all en primeur ratings should be treated with caution and taken with a certain pinch of salt.
Detailed tasting notes:
Alter Ego de Palmer (Margaux; 53% Cabernet Sauvignon; 43% Merlot; 4% Petit Verdot; tasted at the property with Thomas Duroux; one third of the crop, coming from the more classic lighter gravel soils so characteristic of the appellation). Pure, quite herbal and wild, almost sauvage, with red and darker berries, sage, a little mint too. An iris floral notes comes through with aeration. And there’s cherry too – above all cherry skin. Very pure and intense with very impressively fine-grained tannins. Liquorice brings a delicate salinity. This maybe lacks a little complexity, certainly in comparison with the grand vin, but it’s certainly very fine texturally. 91-93.
Angludet (Margaux; 43% Cabernet Sauvignon; 40% Merlot; 17% Petit Verdot; 13.7% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Aromatically, I find this quite saline in its minerality and a little closed – which rather draws attention to it. A gentle if very subtle iris floral note, assorted crushed berries, predominantly dark, and a trace of walnut oil. This is a good Angludet, with impressive mid-palate density for the vintage and appellation. It perhaps lacks the complexity of the greatest wines of the appellation, but it is undoubtedly very well made and nicely energetic and dynamic. I prefer this to the 2022. 90-92.
D’Arsac (Margaux; 80% Cabernet Sauvignon; 20% Merlot; a final yield of a rather impressive 50 hl/ha; 13.4% alcohol; Boissenot Consulting). All of the Merlot here was picked after the mid-September rain. Pretty. Floral, with peonies, lily of the valley and a little violet, cedar too. Very lifted, fresh and pure, with quite a pronounced salinity to its minerality. Fine-grained glossy, yet grainy, grippy tannins reminding you ,all the way to the finish, just how long this is. Deceptive because of its finesse and delicacy, for there is depth and power here too. Impressive and likely to represent excellent value. 89-91.
Baron de Brane (Margaux; 48% Cabernet Sauvignon; 43% Merlot; a final yield of 45.7 hl/ha even after some green harvesting; 20% press wine; pH 3.54; 13.8% alcohol; all from the 5th terrace, close to du Tertre). Gently herbal with heather and bright crunchy red and some darker berry fruit notes. A lovely mid-palate density capable of shaming many a grand vin in this vintage in a blind tasting. Very pure, with those fantastically svelte, signature ‘Brane’, tannins. Nice concentration and I like very much the turn from berry to stone fruit as the wine unfurls and softens on and over the palate, finishing on grape and cherry skins. 91-93.
Blasson d’Issan (Margaux; 49% Cabernet Sauvignon; 48% Merlot; 3% Malbec; pH 3.50; 13.94% alcohol; tasted at the property). Limpid and glossy, quite viscous for the vintage, with a lovely wild strawberry note alongside the cassis. Gently floral, with redolent and archetypally Margaux rose petals. Excellent texturally. The tannic quality is really impressive and showcases the massive improvements made here both technically and in the vineyard in recent vintages. The tannins of the grand vin itself were not of this quality a decade ago. Chewy, a little crumbly even on the finish, but fresh and poised with nice clarity. Long on the finish with a parting note reminiscent of chewing on grape skins having spat the pips. 91-93.
Brane-Cantenac (Margaux; 77% Cabernet Sauvignon; 20% Merlot; 1% Carménère; 1% Cabernet Franc; 1% Petit Verdot; an impressive final yield of 45.7 hl/ha with some green harvesting, the mildew pressure successfully negociated; 14% press wine; pH 3.59; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin and then with Henri Lurton; all taken from Terrace 4 on the plateau de Brane; 100% new oak and malolactic in barrel). Radiant, exuberant and aromatically very expressive, yet at the same time intimate and enticing as if it’s focusing in on your wavelength and addressing you directly. Incense, parfumier’s violets, black cherries by the punnet-full, wild strawberries (from the Merlot I presume), mulberries, graphite, cedar, walnut shell. Wonderful texturally with the tannins and the acidity so finely integrated. They steer, shape, structure and sculpt this through the detailed and delineated mid-palate. Incredibly refined and so plunge-pool crystalline. Exquisite. Calm tranquillity on the one hand and yet so vibrant and energetic on the other. Another brilliant expression of its terroir and technically so accomplished. Chapeau à Christophe Capdeville and Henri Lurton. A wine with so much poise and élan! 96-98.
Cantenac Brown (Margaux; 71.5% Cabernet Sauvignon; 27% Merlot; 1.5% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 38.5 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Very pretty and very floral, with assorted freshly picked wild field flowers, wild herbs and a gentle dark berry fruit generously enrobed in cedar. There’s a little black cherry too. On the palate, it’s the lovely crystallinity of the mouth-feel that wows – and gosh, does it wow! Fluid, sinuous where Brane is more direct and linear, with a little less extraction too but the same gracious tannins. Very fine indeed. Very juicy. The competition amongst the top Margaux grands vins is, like the wines they have produced, intense. Bring it on! 94-96.
Chevalier de Lascombes (Margaux; 70% Merlot; 27% Cabernet Sauvignon; 3% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 35 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol; they have made more of this than the grand vin; 115 of the 120 hectares are currently in production). Already a statement of ambition, this is sourced from what they rather euphemistically call the ‘satellite’ parcels (just over half of the total surface area of this immense estate). Lovely croquant raspberry, blueberry and cassis notes, a little redcurrant too. Aerial. Less floral than the grand vin, but made in very much the same new style: very pure-fruited, limpid and very crystalline, pure and precise. Transparent in the mouth and very linear, but with decent substance too. A subtle balance, a gentle harmony. 90-92+.
Dauzac (Margaux; 66% Cabernet Sauvignon; 34% Merlot; a final yield of 35 hl/ha; 14% alcohol, suggesting perhaps that some of the Merlot here was quite late-picked; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). A parfumier’s essence of violet and rose petal, very attractive and very intense, is liberally interspersed with and generously infusing the cherry stony fruit, a little bramble and cassis as well. Finely textured and very impressive, though lacking the mid-palate density and layering of the very best wines of the appellation, the fruit stretched just a little thinly. But this I find very technically accomplished, the challenges of the vintage well-managed. 91-93.
Desmirail (Margaux; 55% Cabernet Sauvignon; 37% Merlot; 4% Petit Verdot; 4% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 46 hl/ha; 13% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). This has been improving at a most rapid pace in recent vintages, and I was almost expecting more, even if this wine would have clearly exceeded my expectations of a few vintages ago. Initially, less floral than the 2022 and a little closed. But actually, with aeration it starts to unfurl like a fern frond – and the wine starts to speak. Violet and lavender, iris too. Black cherry and cassis. Plump and plush on the palate, with lovely graphite notes and a hint of cedar. Not the most concentrated but with considerable depth and some layering. Not at the level of the 2022, nor as dramatic, but it’s very good nonetheless. One feels that exactly the right balance has been struck. 92-94.
Deyrem-Valentin (Margaux; tasted in Bordeaux from a sample sent by the property). A little oakier than Siran, tasted just before, but with some similarities. A pleasing Margaux typicity, with its redolent florality – here more lily of the valley and peony – intermingling with a predominantly red and darker stone fruit. White pepper. Fine-grained tannins chisel out a rather tighter frame and the finish returns us to the floral notes over chewy grape skins. Nicely done, if just a little dry towards the finish. 88-90.
Durfort-Vivens (Margaux; 92% Cabernet Sauvignon; 8% Merlot; a final yield of 35 hl/ha, some desiccation of the fruit requiring very careful selection; pH 3.66; 13.7% alcohol; tasted with Gonzague Lurton at the property). Glorious. This has a wider profile and broader shoulders than the other Margaux wines from Claire and Gonzague Lurton. It’s finer and glossier too. At the same time it feels more intimate, aided by the cool, voluptuous texture that draws you in. Dark stone fruits – black cherries and damson – and the pop of perfectly ripe dark berry fruits. Fruits of the forest. Graphite. Cedar. Mocha. Violet encrusted chocolate. Peony. Saffron. Iris. There’s a note of violet too, but only with further aeration. Broad, ample, silky and with enough texture and depth to cushion the breadth. Lovely concentration in the mid-palate. Actually one of the more substantial wines of the appellation, but so soft one scarcely notices it, so refined are its tannins and so gentle is the mouthfeel. Cool, almost crypt-like in the intimate sense of concentration it evokes and almost demands. Yet at the same time, this is joyous, vibrant and energetic – natural, above all. A wine that rises above the challenges of the vintage, shattering many a glass ceiling in the process. Sapid and juicy on the finish. 95-97+.
Ferrière (Margaux; 68% Cabernet Sauvignon; 28% Merlot; 3.5% Petit Verdot; 0.5% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 40 hl/ha; pH 3.70; alcohol 13.2%; tasted with Claire Lurton at the property). Lovely. Violets; peony bulbs, with a little of the earth still clinging to them. A little hint of wild rosemary and lemon thyme. Authentically Margaux. Raspberry, loganberry, blueberries. Very wild and pure. A little black cherry and graphite. Assorted cracked peppercorns. Gentle, supple, elegant and with lot of energy, dynamism and forward momentum over the palate. Nicely crystalline and the tannins very fine-grained and silky. Lovely tension, yet lithe and energetic. This is very pure and rather beguiling. 92-94.
Giscours (Margaux; 71% Cabernet Sauvignon; 23% Merlot; 6% Cabernet Franc; 50% new oak; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin and again at the property; fresh nights due to the proximity to the forest and the estate’s two lakes, important in this vintage; organic management but not yet seeking certification; average age of the vines is now 30 years, with 15 per cent over 50 years; the young plants in older parcels were identified by hand and picked earlier). Initially both saline and floral – with a delightful and quite intense if still subtle confit rose petal aromatic profile. Glossily textured and very refined, with the most lush and graciously fluid and silky of tannins. An ample frame and a lovely shape in the mouth too – very cylindrical and with a graciously calm mirror pool core. The fruit, if not stretched, is a little less dense and compact than in recent vintages, but I love the lithe, limpid and dynamic sensation that this produces already in the mouth. Vivid and more energetic than before I find. A wine with a distinct personality. Approachable early but with significant aging potential. There’s lots of menthol lift on the finish and incredible length. 94-96.
La Gurgue (Margaux; 62% Cabernet Sauvignon; 25% Merlot; 13% Petit Verdot; a final yield of just 25 hl/ha, this is a property that suffered with frost and also with desiccation of the grapes at the end of the growing season; pH 3.6; 13.2% alcohol; tasted with Claire Lurton). Quite spicy, unusually so. Full and stuffed with fruit, big for the appellation in the context of the vintage. A little closed but that reinforces the spiciness – nutmeg, freshly grated mace, even Chinese five spice, finely crushed black peppercorns. With aeration the blackberry fruit start to reveal itself, black cherries too and then a little wild hedgerow florality. Soft and supple in the mouth, more than you expect, the fruits more red berried than the aromatics. Grainy, grippy tannins that sculpt and shape this over the palate. Impressive density for the vintage and yet no dryness on the finish. Not at the level of the 2022 but well-judged in the context of a challenging vintage. 89-91.
D'Issan (Margaux; 70% Cabernet Sauvignon; 25% Merlot; 2% Petit Verdot; 3% Cabernet Franc; pH 3.66; a final yield of 30 hl/ha; alcohol 13.82; 50% new oak; tasted the property). Plump, lush and gloriously floral and fruity at the same time. Quite seductive and beguiling with cedar, rose petals and peonies, a little iris too and gorgeous black cherry fruit. Violet in the empty glass. There’s a delicious wild strawberry element as well. Tender and lithe. I love the little Cabernet leafy notes that start to reveal themselves as the wine relaxes and unfolds over the palate. Succulent in comparison with the slightly broader profile of, say, Lascombes. Quite sinuous and also extremely crystalline. More depth and concentration than you might perhaps imagine in a vintage like this, which raises for me the quality. Beautifully formed. Quite ethereal. Something of a coup de coeur. 94-96.
Kirwan (Margaux; 65% Cabernet Sauvignon; 23% Merlot; 6% Petit Verdot; 1% Carménère; a final yield of 50 hl/ha; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). A wine I often feel is a little underappreciated and which is now very classically ‘back’ in the heart of the appellation, seeking finesse and elegance and terroir typicity. It achieves it here. Graphite, walnut shell, a gentle lily and lilac florality and an intense bramble, loganberry and mulberry fruit. Very pure, very precise and very layered, this is broader in its frame than say Giscours and has a little less depth as a consequence, allowing it to glide and glisten as the fruit flows over the palate. Pretty, very Margellais and extremely sapid and refreshingly juicy on the finish. 92-94.
Labégorce (Margaux; 47% Cabernet Sauvignon; 45% Merlot; 5% Petit Verdot; 3% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 32 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Lithe, limpid, floral and intensely expressive aromatically with a lovely blend of red and darker berry fruits. Violets and violet-encrusted dark chocolate. Open-textured and quite clear and fluid in the mid-palate, but the fruit is a little thinly stretched in comparison with some of the greats of the appellation. But that for me is exactly the right choice and it prevents this from drying out on the finish. Some might crave more flesh, but I rather like this lighter, more subtle and elegant style. 91-93.
Lascombes (Margaux; 60% Cabernet Sauvignon; 37% Merlot; 3% Petit Verdot & Cabernet Franc; similar final yield to last year of 35 hl/ha, with little impact from mildew but some reduction from desiccation from the Merlot of deep gravel and often young vines (c. 20 hl/ha); 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin and then at the property with Axel Heinz; selected only from the historical core of the estate that was classified in 1855; very little moistening of the caps and a shorter maceration to preserve the brightness of the fruit). Sourced now only from the historic heart of the property, the parcels closest to the Château. This is the first full vintage under the tutelage of Axel Heinz (who arrived from Masseto at the end of the 2021 vintage). It already shows. What grace! I’m really excited to taste this and am actually overwhelmed at first by the aromatics. A statement wine. Parfumiers’ essence of violet over and around a gloriously plump and plush, crunchy, dark purple berry and stone fruit – damson, cherry, wild blueberry and mulberry. A sublimation of the quality of the fruit. Shimmering in the mid-palate with very impressive layering. So seductively soft on the entry, and so well packed with fresh fruits. Dense and compact and very much on track now to compete with its second growth peers. A work in progress but don’t underestimate what has already been achieved here. Crucially, for me, this is still so expressively Lascombes. We know where we are, despite – or perhaps even more so – because of the style change. The tannic grip helps maintain the precision on the finish. 94-96+.
Malescot Saint-Exupéry (Margaux; 58% Cabernet Sauvignon; 37% Merlot; 5% Petit Verdot; a final yield of just 20 hl/ha; 14% alcohol; not presented at the UGCB press tasting and so tasted from a sample kindly supplied by the property to me in Bordeaux). Intensely floral, as if one had pounded a bunch of violets and pink roses in a pestle and mortar before throwing in the raspberries and loganberries, maybe a mulberry or two too for good measure and repeating the exercise. A little rosemary and lavender too. There’s also a fleur d’oranger element. On the palate this is less substantial than it often is, finer, more fluid and refined as a consequence. Quite gracious for Malescot hinting maybe at a slight change in style. 92-94+.
Margaux (Margaux; 89% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5% Merlot; 4% Cabernet Franc; 2% Petit Verdot; pH 3.6; a final yield of 41 hl/ha despite the mildew pressure, higher than in 2022; 13% alcohol; 100% new oak, but you’ve never know; they picked less than 5 hectares per day, in comparison to the usual 9 hectares with a team of 250, due to the additional sorting required; there was some desiccation and burning of grapes on the vines; in conversion to organic; 41 per cent of the production was selected for the grand vin). Aerial and utterly sublime aromatically. So beautiful. So gracious. So elegant. So ethereal. Glass ceiling transcendent (shattering is to brutal a metaphor), this has the most gorgeous texture. There’s a tear in the corner of my eye as I taste this, so beguilingly beautiful is it – it’s a Donizetti aria of a wine. The texture. So gentle. So soft. So comforting. So caressing. The best wine of the appellation by some distance in this vintage. Black cherry and cedar, with a little graphite. A study in what Bordeaux has achieved in both the vineyard and the cellar in the last decade. So harmonious, so elegant and so completely at one with itself. The pure berry and stone fruit is supported to the horizon on a pillow of the finest tannins. Potentially the wine of the vintage. 97-99.
Marquis d’Alesme (Margaux; 60% Cabernet Sauvignon; 30% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc; 5% Petit Verdot; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Floral, as all these top Margaux wines are, more than ever. Here we have lilacs and a touch of peony (I’ve been rehearsing my floral descriptors!). Beguilingly soft and very sinuous through the mid-palate – not linear at all. The stream meanders as it takes us to the distant horizon. Not the fruit density of some, but beautifully made and delicately authentic and highly expressive of its terroir and appellation. 92-94.
Marquis de Terme (Margaux; 68% Cabernet Sauvignon; 28% Merlot; 4% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 44 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Parfumier’s violet essence and Parma violets, black cherry with a lovely natural sweetness to the fruit. A little cedar too. Glossy on the attack, and denser and more compact because of the tighter and more restricted frame. But, as with a number of wines of the appellation in this vintage, it maybe lacks just a little of the concentration required to be regarded as truly great. I think that’s a good choice and I find this joyous and beautiful at the same time. 92-94.
Monbrison (Margaux; 77% Cabernet Sauvignon; 18% Merlot; 5% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 40 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). So often a star of the UGCB tasting, despite the company it is required to keep. Once again, this is close to the level of the classed growths. It’s certainly got a little less fruit density and the aromatics, for now, are a little more restrained. But it’s very well made, very soft and silky and has all the characteristics one associates with the appellation – florality, above all. 90-92.
Moutte Blanc (Margaux; 100% Merlot; 14% alcohol; Boissenot Consulting). Pure, lithe, limpid and refined, this is the heart and soul of Margaux for me. Perhaps not the most floral (though there’s a delicate ifd subtle note of wisteria), but the fruit profile is beautiful – crunchy popping blueberries and mulberries, loganberries and a hint of damson, all perfectly ripe. Grace and charm. A lovely balance. Nothing out of place. All beautifully managed. The quality of the tannins is extraordinary and shows such a delicate touch and finesse. A little jewel of a property that deserves to be better known. 92-94.
Palmer (Margaux; 50% Cabernet Sauvignon; 46% Merlot; 4% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 32 hl/ha, just below the appellation average; tasted with Thomas Duroux; the yield losses here were more through concentration, with only one parcel really succumbing to the mildew; 13.9% alcohol). Gorgeous black berry and cassis, richly enrobed in graphite. Cedar with aeration, bringing out the cherries and cherry stones. Shimmering and glistening. Very classic. Intense on the attack yet paradoxically so, as it’s so soft. Very dark berry fruited and over quite a narrow frame accentuating the compactness and the density. Silken sheets of ultra-sapid fruit juice interlayered with graphite it seems, and occasionally disrupted from below by an upwelling of Cabernet leafiness. More fresh and tense than Margaux, more energetic too perhaps, but a little less elegant and refined. But it’s almost as wondrous. A lovely Palmer note of walnut and cracked peppercorns. Very long on the finish. Grape skins and fleur de sel. 96-98.
Paveil de Luze (cru bourgeois exceptionnel; Margaux). This is now consistently excellent. Creamy dark berry fruits – fruits of the forest in fact in all their early autumnal glory. Cassis too, and a lovely note of sous bois. Wild herbs (the Margaux touch). On the palate this opens to reveal quite a broad frame, but then the tannins grip to bring it back quickly to a well-defined central spine. Long and well-sustained and with none of the astringency to be found in so many wines at this price point in the vintage. 89-91.
Pavillon Rouge de Margaux (Margaux; 79% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14% Merlot; 5% Petit Verdot; 2% Cabernet Franc; highest % CS ever; 13.3% alcohol; tasted at Chateau Margaux). Rose petals. Hyacinth. Black and red cherry, red and black currant. A little walnut and olive oil (first press) and black pepper. Graphite. Tender, layered and incredibly silky. A well-defined, quite tight frame accentuating the depth and sense of layering. Very suave and elegant. Ethereal, with lovely Cabernet notes. Just a trace of wood still to be integrated in the empty glass. Very long and gently tapering, sustained by the grain of the tannin. 92-94.
Prieuré-Lichine (Margaux; 64% Cabernet Sauvignon; 31% Merlot; 5% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 40 hl/ha; 13% alcohol; tasted twice, the second time at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Though Merlot represents over 50% of the planting here, this is a Cabernet-dominated wine. Lovely, intensely aromatic, with the crushed berry fruits notes seemingly projected vertically from this wine in the glass. The fruit is encased in cracked fresh green and black peppercorns and a touch of graphite. With more aeration we pick up more floral notes, with a little lily of the valley. I find this impressively pure and vivid in its intensity and limpid texturally, at least at first. But it’s not quite as delineated as the 2022 or, indeed, the 2020. There’s nice density and compactness to this, though it’s not a big wine in any sense and even without being pushed too far there is loss of precision and delineation in the mid-palate. Delicate, elegant, the acidity well integrated structurally and with fresh-fruited cleansing sapidity that arrives at the end. We finish on chewy grape skins. 91-93+.
Rauzan-Gassies (Margaux; 90% Cabernet Sauvignon; 10% Merlot; 14% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Floral? Yes. Plump and plush? Yes. This is easily identified as classed growth Margaux and in 2023 it actually has more Cabernet Sauvignon than any other wine of the appellation. Yet it remains a little unrefined in terms of its tannic management, the finish notable in the context of the comparative tasting afforded by the UGC for the granularity of the tannins and the slight hint of dryness. Yet the mid-palate is nicely compact and luminous and there is an elegance and suaveness to this now that it has so often lacked in the past. 91-93.
Rauzan-Ségla (Margaux; 85% Cabernet Sauvignon; 13.5% Merlot; 1.5% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 30 hl/ha due to mildew losses; 55% new oak; pH 3.61; 14 per cent press wine; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin and then at the property itself; in organic conversion since 2021; 50% of the production was selected for the grand vin; only 62 of the 70 hectares are currently in production). An historically high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (matching the 1988), due to the Merlot being hit more heavily by mildew losse But still with a final yield for the grand vin of 30 hl/ha, as in 2022. There may well not be much of this, but it’s fabulous. Cassis and black berry, graphite-encrusted, a little redcurrant too with its additional freshness, lift and acidity. An easy pick with that combination of subtle and delicate redolently Rauzan-Ségla violet florality, graphite and cedar and a plump and yet full and gracious black currant, bramble and raspberry fruit. Brilliant in the mouth, at the same time fluid, bright, energetic and lithe, yet also chiselled, layered, highly pixilated and deep, dark and concentrated. Truly excellent, with a lovely twist of black pepper on the finish and a touch of salinity. A very beautiful expression of the vintage. 95-97.
Siran (Margaux; 49% Merlot; 41% Cabernet Sauvignon; 10% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 48 hl/ha; 14% alcohol; tasted three times, first from a sent sample, then at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin and finally at the property with Edouard Miailhe). Another lovely wine from Siran, continuing its recent run of form. Bright, crisp, crunchy fruit – black cherries, Griotte cherries, blackberries, a little cassis and maybe some wild blueberries – all generously enrobed in cedar. Iris too, a little rosebud – which builds in the glass reminding us of where we are. A little gamey note, wild boar bresaola perhaps! On the palate this is plush and plump, packed with crunchy fruit and nicely delineated. Very harmonious and natural. With yields of almost 50 hl/ha and a wine of this quality, all at Siran smells of roses – even the wine. 92-94.
Sirène de Giscours (Margaux; 64% Cabernet Sauvignon; 24% Merlot; 12% Petit Verdot; 13% alcohol; tasted at the property). Creamy. Rich and plump. A nice broad frame, this is ample and nicely filled. Sapid, fresh and juicy. A fair amount of liquorice and salinity. Nice florality, but less than the grand vin. This is spicy more than floral in fact with lots of white and black pepper, freshly crushed and pounded. Chewy on the finish with lots of substance. Nice freshness. Refreshing. 90-92+.
Du Tertre (Margaux; 70% Cabernet Sauvignon; 15% Merlot; 11% Cabernet Franc; 4% Petit Verdot; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Crushed and pounded freshly plucked rose petals (as if in a pestle and mortar), incense, candlewax, black berry, bramble and damson. Very pure, precisely focussed and sinuous despite the impressive mid-palate concentration for the appellation in this vintage. More cashmere than silk and ultra-lush texturally as that implies. Once the exception to any Margaux rule and with a distinct composition this actually feels more and more Margellais in character and it’s excellent in this vintage. 92-94.
Tour de Mons (Margaux). A bright distinct plump red cherry fruit, a little frangipane and white almond and a touch of wild thyme. Pure and precise, focused and chiselled with grainy, evident but in the end fine-grained tannins. Juicy and fresh, very linear and even a little strict in style, but I rather like that. 88-90.
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St Julien: high yielding and 'excellent' wines
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As we race north up the Gironde, and with the vineyards of Margaux long having disappeared from the rear view mirror, we come eventually to St Julien, the smallest of the leading appellations of the Médoc (with just 910 hectares under vine). It is also, on average, the closest to the river. Not entirely unrelatedly, it boasts the highest proportion of classified growths amongst its vineyards (with over 90% of the vineyard plantings of the appellation currently classified).
This singularity goes some way to explaining at least some of the numbers in the following tables and, more significantly, the appellation’s success in a vintage like 2023.
The first thing we note about the meteorological data summarised in Table 1 is that they are remarkably – even suspiciously – similar to those for Pauillac. Intrigue perhaps? Not really. The explanation is simple, the suggestion of subterfuge rapidly dispelled. St-Julien turns out to be so small that it shares a weather station with Pauillac.
That probably means that we should take these data with as small dose of salt. But they come close enough, I suspect, to capturing the distribution of rainfall over the growing season to see that, at least in aggregate terms, St-Julien had a somewhat unexceptional year. Total rainfall was marginally above the 10-year average. In fact, over the growing season itself, only two months saw above average rainfall – June and September.
Yet whilst the September rainfall was helpful, disrupting as it did, the heatwave conditions of the second half of August and helping resuscitate the vines before the final phase of a long harvest, that in June was responsible for intense mildew pressure.
|
Pre-budburst (Nov-March) |
Budburst to Harvest (April-mid October) |
Total (1/11-15/10) |
St-Julien |
458 (-5.8%) |
441.3 (+13.2%) |
899.2 (+1.2%) |
Margaux |
398 (-19.3%) |
464.6 (+11.0%) |
862.6 (-5.7%) |
Pauillac |
458 (-5.8%) |
441.3 (+13.2%) |
899.2 (+1.2%) |
St-Estèphe |
550.7 (+3.0%) |
411.8 (+4.7%) |
912.5 (+1.5%) |
Pessac-Léognan |
426 (-12.4%) |
469.4 (+14.5%) |
895.2 (0%) |
St-Emilion |
306 (-37.1%) |
490.8 (+18.1%) |
796.8 (-11.8%) |
Pomerol |
338 (-31.5%) |
470.0 (+14.5%) |
808.1 (-10.9%) |
Table 1: Rainfall during the vintage (relative to 10-year average)
Source: calculated from Saturnalia’s Bordeaux 2023 Harvest report
This St-Julien negotiated perhaps more successfully than any other leading appellation. And it is that which explains the high yields we see in Table 2.
|
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
10-year average |
Relative to 10-year average (% change) |
St Julien |
45.5 |
34.3 |
35.2 |
34.3 |
50.3 |
40.1 |
+25.4 |
Margaux |
49.2 |
36.3 |
38.6 |
31.3 |
37.7 |
39.7 |
-5.0 |
Pauillac |
46.7 |
37.4 |
35.1 |
34.8 |
47.1 |
39.7 |
+18.6 |
St Estèphe |
49.7 |
41.2 |
40.7 |
31.5 |
51.6 |
43.4 |
+18.9 |
Pessac-Léognan rouge |
47.2 |
34.6 |
30.7 |
35.7 |
38.1 |
38.5 |
-1.0 |
St Emilion (GC) |
43.0 |
36.7 |
27.5 |
41.2 |
40.5 |
37.2 |
+8.9 |
Pomerol |
43.0 |
39.8 |
28.9 |
32.3 |
45.2 |
36.1 |
+25.2 |
Table 2: Average vineyard yield by appellation (hl/ha)
Source: calculated from Duanes data compiled by the CIVB Service Economie et Etudes
For although St-Julien was pipped at the post by St-Estèphe for the highest absolute vineyards yields, it did secure the highest appellation yields in the entire region relative to the 10-year average (at least for red wines). One has to go back two decades to find the last vintage with yields in St-Julien of over 50 hl/ha.
For this to have been achieved in a vintage characterised by significant mildew pressure is all the more remarkable. A number of factors are at work here. They include, proximity to the river (with rainfall and the average daytime temperatures that accentuated the threat of mildew typically a little higher in the interior), the relatively small number of properties (certainly in comparison to, say, Margaux) practicing organic viticulture, the rather greater general access to resources to treat mildew in an appellation over 90% of whose surface area is classified, and the somewhat windier character of vineyards which typically either border the river or are situated on the plateau running down to the river.
In St-Julien, then, although mildew was a significant pressure it was so well managed that it was simply not a factor when it comes to assessing the quality of the wines made.
Unremarkably, then, if strange though it might seem in the context of vintage whose watch word is heterogeneity, the wines of St-Julien turn out to be both truly excellent and remarkably homogeneous.
Rivalling the first growths in quality are a staggering duo of wines from Gruaud Larose and Léoville Las Cases. They are rather different in style, but equally beguiling and totally captivating, expressing their exceptional terroirs so precisely and so graciously.
Ducru-Beaucaillou, too, is in sublime form in this vintage, fashioning a wine of opulence, gravitas and grandeur in a vintage in which each is rare indeed.
The two other wines that I would perhaps single out for special mention are Léoville-Poyferré, for its sinuous, sleek, slender and silky mid-palate and gorgeous aromatics and the seemingly ever-improving Branaire-Ducru whose ascent towards the summit continues despite the challenges of the vintage.
In fact all of the classed growths of the appellation have excelled as my detailed tasting notes below attest. Beychevelleand Léoville Barton, above all, merit a place in any well-stocked cellar and Clos du Marquis and, above all, Sarget de Gruaud Larose are likely to represent truly fabulous value.
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Tasting notes: St Julien
2023, like both of its predecessors is, of course, a far from homogeneous vintage – and, consequently, my ratings span a considerable range (from the very top of the scale downwards). I see little interest, either for the consumer or the producer, in publishing very low scores. Consequently, I have decided not to publish scores for classed growths (or equivalent wines) that I have rated below 90 (here the range 89-91) and for crus bourgeois (or equivalent wines) that I have rated below 89 (here the range 88-90). Where no rating is published, the wine would have scored below these thresholds. Where my written assessment of the wine might also have proved unflattering to the property, I have simply chosen to publish neither the commentary nor the rating.
Finally, élevage is likely to be very important in determining the quality in bottle of these wines. I am no soothsayer and cannot predict how that will turn out (another reason for the use of banded ratings). But all en primeur ratings should be treated with caution and taken with a certain pinch of salt.
Detailed tasting notes
Beychevelle (St-Julien; 61% Cabernet Sauvignon; 35% Merlot; 4% Petit Verdot; half of the total production made the strict selection for the grand vin, which sees the higher proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the final blend in Philippe Blanc’s time at Beychevelle; 13.3% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Very easily picked and very representative and expressive of its top terroir. Quite saline in its quite expressive minerality (a feature of the vintage), with almost a salted walnut note alongside the plump and lithe, soft and engaging cherry and damson fruit. Aerial, light on its feet but not lacking in density and concentration, this is broadly shouldered and multi-layered, finely delineated and slowly drawn out along a very well defined central spine. Very elegant and well composed. Balanced and harmonious. 94-96.
Branaire-Ducru (St-Julien; 61% Cabernet Sauvignon; 30% Merlot; 5.5% Cabernet Franc; 3.5% Petit Verdot; aging in oak barrels, 60% of which are new; pH 3.63; an impressive final yield of 53 hl/ha; 13.1% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). There’s a lot of excitement about the ascent or re-ascent of Branaire. One can see why when one tastes this. Intensely floral aromatically, almost Margellais, but more densely charged and compact in its fruit profile – which is rather more marked by the damson and plum fruits of the appellation and that archetypally St-Julien note of walnut. The fruit here seems also naturally slightly sweeter, the proximity to the river helping this attain perfect ripeness. Rich, deep, full and well-charged with juicy fruits. Long and gently tapering. Voluminous and yet wonderfully juicy on the finish. A considerable success. 93-95.
La Bridane (St-Julien; 50% Cabernet Sauvignon; 37% Merlot; 13% Petit Verdot). With aeration and coaxing – and it needs a bit of that – dark cherries, grape skins and a little graphite, maybe a hint of walnut oil. Dense, compact, quite tight to the spine and perhaps a little austere for St Julien and, indeed, for La Bridane which is often a rather more opulent and seductive wine even at this nascent state. But the tannins, though considerable, are svelte and there is a lushness to the mid-palate that is reassuringly redolent of its appellation. Needs time. It’ll be interesting to revisit this. 89-91.
Clos du Marquis (St-Julien; 56% Cabernet Sauvignon; 35% Merlot; 9% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 44 hl/ha; IPT 68; aging in oak barrels, 50% of which are new; 13.5% alcohol; only 29 hectares of the total 44 are currently in production with extensive replanting underway; the second wine from this now goes into Le Petit Lion; tasted at Nénin). Lovely. Almonds, toasted white almonds, frangipane, a little olive oil and white pepper. Bramble and blueberry. Damson and cherry. This has a fabulous lithe and limpid texture and a lovely wild sage and peony element that interweaves itself with the dark berry and cherry fruit. Gracious and refined, with pleasing graphite and cedar notes building in the glass with aeration, patience or both. The best from here for a while. Succulent, juicy and very much flattered by the character of the vintage. Nice concentration over a rather more restricted frame than Las Cases itself. 93-95.
La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou (St Julien; 58% Merlot; 42% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 40 hl/ha; aging in oak barrels, 60% of which are new; tasted at the property with Tracey Dobbin MW). Note the change in name from La Croix de Beaucaillou for this, the second label (though not really a second wine in that it comes from separate parcels a little further inland), of Ducru-Beaucaillou. Cedar and graphite, a nice natural sweetness. Relaxed, bright. Another top St-Julien that is quite saline in its minerality this year. Texturally beautiful. Big, ample through not at all too stretched. Lovely bramble fruit. Fresh and lithe. Graphite and salinity working together, the oak well integrated. Black cherries come through too with aeration. This has gravitas, giving space to the Cabernet fruit to express itself, as it were welling up from below. Spherical at the core and very ripe, plump and succulent. I find this very ‘Ducru’ in character. A great mouthful, with crunchy popping berries and the sapidity that comes from the release of juice that implies (and rather less of the Kirsch of the 2022). A menthol lift on the finish. 92-94.
Ducru Beaucaillou (St Julien; 85% Cabernet Sauvignon; 15% Merlot; tasted at the property; mildew was ultimately kept at bay but was a constant threat with the vast majority of the vineyard organically maintained; a fair amount of green harvesting but still a final vineyard yield of 40 hl/ha; weather stations dotted through the plots allowed great precision in the use of treatments; 180 harvesters picked, on and off, over 6 weeks; tasted at the property with Tracey Dobbin MW). Opulent, gorgeous and simply very ‘Ducru’. Plump, plush, with a load of violet, some rose petals, graphite by the nuclear reactor core full. Cedar builds graciously in the glass with gentle aeration. Substantial, ample (but not too ample and well-structured), broad-shouldered and yet fantastically lithe, aerial and, above all, succulent. Explosively and dynamically fresh. Lean and svelte, muscular with not an ounce of excess fat. Dark and upright, more like Latour than Lafite in a way. The transparency is never lost despite the substance. A major wine in the context of any vintage, certainly this one. Very gourmand. 95-97+.
Gloria (St-Julien; 50% Cabernet Sauvignon; 35% Merlot; 10% Petit Verdot; 5% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 51 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). A little more closed than some of the other wines of the appellation. A hint of cedar. A little frangipane. A very glossy and quite rich berry fruit, some wild herbal elements too, quite naturally sweet yet fresh and croquant in its purity. Not the concentration of the greatest of the appellation but very fine-grained in its tannins and very technically accomplished. I like this but it doesn’t wow me as much as some other recent vintages. 90-92+.
Gruaud Larose (St-Julien; 83% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14.5% Merlot; 2.5% Cabernet Franc; a final yield 42 hl/ha, with no mildew loss despite being organically farmed; yield losses came only from a little desiccation of the fruit at the end of the ripening season; this was picked, like a Sauternes, in tries; 15% press wine; pH 3.4; 12.95% alcohol; the grand vin is sourced from a strict selection of the same 42 hectares that were originally classified; tasted at the property with Nicolas Sinoquet). A staggeringly brilliant wine. Utterly divine aromatically. Cedar, black cherries, a little cassis and blackcurrant, blackberry and blueberry and a delicate florality. Aerial. Incredibly dense and compact but with such a rich and succulent yet crystalline plunge pool mid palate. Truly wondrous. Some wines turn from berry to cherry on the palate in this vintage; this does the opposite and that makes it more energetic, vibrant and engaging, as the Cabernet pierces through the Merlot, bringing lift to the finish. Sapid and juicy from start to finish. A candidate for the wine of the appellation. The vivid character seems to come from the health of the soil. As harmonious a wine as I tasted en primeur. A wine that transcends any and all of the difficulties the vintage presented. 96-98.
Langoa-Barton (St-Julien; 60% Cabernet Sauvignon; 37% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 50 hl/ha; 13% alcohol – with, apparently, two of the 42 vats chaptalised; aging in oak barrels, 60% of which are new; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Floral, as it is increasingly inclined to be, but very expressive too of its St-Julien character, with a little white almond accompanying the cherry, bramble and black berry fruits. There’s a good core to this, with lovely gracious yet granular tannins outlining the frame. Nicely filled with fruit and very juicy on the finish, though missing the opulence and voluptuousness of the Léovilles. Nutty on the finale. 92-94+.
Léoville Barton (St-Julien; 87% Cabernet Sauvignon; 10% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Franc; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). A little closed, like Branaire at the same tasting. Dark, cool, introspective and yet somehow exuding class and a certain opulence that is in fact rare in the context of the vintage. Cherry and cedar, a hint of rose florality, black currant and black berry, a little walnut shell and oil, almost a peppery olive oil note too. Deep, dark, rich, plump and lithe on the palate. Multi-layered, classy and refined and yet quite bright in its fruit and lively and energetic, above all on the finish. Nice and tense and poised for Léoville Barton. Not massive but very accomplished. 94-96.
Léoville Las Cases (St-Julien; 86% Cabernet Sauvignon; 10% Cabernet Franc; 4% Merlot; a final yield of 43 hl/ha; IPT 72; 6.6% press wine; 13.1% alcohol; the first vintage to be vinified in the new cellar). Deep, dark, classic, cedar-enrobed excellence. Exquisite. Enticing. A little introspective but that allows the seductive cedar to soar first, then the black cherries and damsons and then the berry fruits. Violet and iris, even a little lily. Very floral. Thyme and rosemary. So succulent. Sumptuous. Glossy but with no make-up at all. The oak is perfectly integrated. Gracious. Wonderful refinement with exquisite tannins, a gentle natural sweetness and great sapidity. This is like biting into a fresh ripe cherry and then popping a blueberry or two with the grape skin and black currant freshness of the Cabernet Franc lifting this further. I love the fruit profile. I love the wine. A brilliant shape and form in the mouth and a dignified evolution over the palate. Radiant and yet so calm, authoritative and composed. Maybe not the most powerful, but there is power and it’s beautifully handled. 96-98.
Leoville Poyferré (St-Julien; 62% Cabernet Sauvignon; 32% Merlot; 4% Cabernet Franc; 2% Petit Verdot; final yield of 52.8 hl/ha – no mildew losses; pH 3.68; 13.1% alcohol; tasted at the property with Sara Lecompte Cuvelier). Bright, with a lovely intensity to the leafy Cabernet Sauvignon fruit. A very distinctive texture. Immensely silky and stylish; rather less oak than was until recently the case here and that accentuates the sense of purity, delineation and refinement. Very pure and precise. Fluid. The oak is beautifully integrated. Graphite shading towards cedar. This has a lovely aerial open-texture. Fine, refined, gentle and tapering. Long and rapier-like on the finish. Menthol. Éclatant in its fruit freshness. Very highly pixilated. Reminiscent of a still life canvas of dark berries painted in great detail. Purity more than complexity, perhaps, but utterly divine. 94-96.
Moulin Riche (St Julien; 49% Cabernet Sauvignon; 33% Merlot; 18% Petit Verdot). Fresh bright crunchy berries – red and darker. Creamily textured, but not the delineation nor the detail or definition of the grand vin. Graphite and bramble. Briary fruits. Just shading a little dry on the finish. 89-91.
Le Petit Ducru (St Julien; now the official third wine of Ducru-Beaucaillou; tasted at the property with Tracey Dobbin MW). Bramble and blackberry; walnut shell; a pleasing cedar note with aeration. This is very expressive of its appellation – it sings St-Julien! Tight and again very crystalline. Very classic and fine with impressive density and a very natural sweetened to the fruit. I love the little up-swell of Cabernet from below towards the finish. This seems to grow in class each year. 89-91.
Sarget de Gruaud Larose (St-Julien; 52% Cabernet Sauvignon; 40.5% Merlot; 4% Cabernet Franc; 3.5% Petit Verdot; a final yield 42 hl/ha, with no mildew loss despite being organically farmed; pH 3.4; 12.95% alcohol; all of the fruit here comes from the very same 42 hectares that were originally classified in 1855 and it tastes like it; tasted at the property with Nicolas Sinoquet). One begins to understand why this is so good when one learns that 25% of the vineyard here is under 15 years of age and so is not considered for selection for the grand vin, that only 40 per cent of the production is selected for the grand vin and that there is a third selection too. Brilliant and quite definitely a candidate for the second wine of the vintage – beyond the first growths. So pure, so energetic and so incredibly expressive of its terroir. Cedar, raspberry, loganberry, blueberry and punnets of glossy black cherries. A touch of violet, a little hyacinth. Beautiful; cool; elegant and composed. Until I tasted the grand vin I honestly thought for a moment that the samples had been mixed up. So pure and precise, but with great density too. 92-94.
St-Pierre (St-Julien; 80% Cabernet Sauvignon; 17% Merlot; 3% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 45 hl/ha; 13.1% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). One of the more floral wines of the appellation in what is quite a floral vintage for the appellation – with pot pourri and dried petals alongside the plump raspberry and bramble fruit. A fruit profile that is quite light-hued for the appellation in the vintage and a nicely open and quite sinuous evolution over the palate. Very fresh and vibrant, though just the subtlest hint of dryness on the finish. 92-94.
Talbot (St-Julien; 77% Cabernet Sauvignon; 20% Merlot; 3% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 54 hl/ha;13% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). The highest ever proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend here. One of the few to reveal clearly notes of oak on the nose, but also a copious and enticing nuttiness and a lovely rich intensely dark berry and stone fruit – sloe, damson, black berry and black currant. A big and punchy wine with milles feuilleslayering, the tannins quite present but almost more present between the layers than around their edges. This will need time fully to integrate and the fruit at times feels a little stretched over the very broad frame, but this will be very good once again. 92-94.
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Pauillac: impressively
homogenous quality
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Continuing north up the Gironde, in Pauillac we find the quality impressively homogenous, despite the challenging vintage.
Continuing north up the Gironde and leaving St Julien behind us, it does not take long for us to get to Pauillac. Given their geographical proximity and the fact that they share the same weather station, we might expect them to have fared similarly in the 2023 vintage. And that is just about correct. Yet the data can be a little misleading in this part of the Médoc.
Somewhat ironically perhaps, southern Pauillac (the part of the appellation south of the town itself) arguably shares more with St-Julien that it does with the northern sector of the appellation which, in turn, shares more with St-Estèphe than it does the southern sector. So, whilst the data from the Pauillac weather station arguably captures quite well the experience of the southern part of the appellation, we are probably better advised to look to the St-Estèphe weather station if we want to gauge the conditions prevailing in the north.
In the end, however, and as Table 1 suggests, it does not make a great deal of difference.
(Nov-March) |
Budburst to Harvest (April-mid October) |
Total (1/11-15/10) |
|
Pauillac |
458 (-5.8%) |
441.3 (+13.2%) |
899.2 (+1.2%) |
Margaux |
398 (-19.3%) |
464.6 (+11.0%) |
862.6 (-5.7%) |
St-Julien |
458 (-5.8%) |
441.3 (+13.2%) |
899.2 (+1.2%) |
St-Estèphe |
550.7 (+3.0%) |
411.8 (+4.7%) |
912.5 (+1.5%) |
Pessac-Léognan |
426 (-12.4%) |
469.4 (+14.5%) |
895.2 (0%) |
St-Emilion |
306 (-37.1%) |
490.8 (+18.1%) |
796.8 (-11.8%) |
Pomerol |
338 (-31.5%) |
470.0 (+14.5%) |
808.1 (-10.9%) |
Table 1: Rainfall during the vintage (relative to 10-year average)
Source: calculated from Saturnalia’s Bordeaux 2023 Harvest report
Overall, and in aggregate terms, Pauillac had a somewhat unexceptional year. Total rainfall was marginally above the 10-year average (as, indeed, it was, across the appellation border in St-Estèphe). And, as already noted for St-Julien, over the growing season itself only two months saw above average rainfall – June and September.
But this is where the story – or at least the implications of the story – start to diverge. For although Pauillac, too, suffered serious mildew pressure in June, a rather smaller proportion of its leading vineyards are planted with the more susceptible Merlot varietal. Moreover, in the north at least, the catalytic combination of alternating downpours and spikes in temperature that saw mildew spread like wildfire elsewhere was rather less present.
In short, the northern sector suffered less intense mildew pressure and both sectors were always going to be rather less susceptible to it than equivalent vineyards further south or, indeed, further north.
Fast forwarding to September, the rain that came in the middle of month set up almost perfect conditions for the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon that dominates the blends of the appellation to attain perfect maturity – above all for those with the means and the patience to pick it micro-parcel by micro-parcel. What was problematic elsewhere turned out to be something of an advantage in Pauillac, as is clear to see from Table 2.
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
10-year average |
Relative to 10-year average (% change) |
|
Pauillac |
46.7 |
37.4 |
35.1 |
34.8 |
47.1 |
39.7 |
+18.6 |
Margaux |
49.2 |
36.3 |
38.6 |
31.3 |
37.7 |
39.7 |
-5.0 |
St-Julien |
45.5 |
34.3 |
35.2 |
34.3 |
50.3 |
40.1 |
+25.4 |
St-Estèphe |
49.7 |
41.2 |
40.7 |
31.5 |
51.6 |
43.4 |
+18.9 |
Pessac-Léognan rouge |
47.2 |
34.6 |
30.7 |
35.7 |
38.1 |
38.5 |
-1.0 |
St Emilion (GC) |
43.0 |
36.7 |
27.5 |
41.2 |
40.5 |
37.2 |
+8.9 |
Pomerol |
43.0 |
39.8 |
28.9 |
32.3 |
45.2 |
36.1 |
+25.2 |
Table 2: Average vineyard yield by appellation (hl/ha)
Source: calculated from Duanes data compiled by the CIVB Service Economie et Etudes
This shows average annual yields for the leading left- and right-banks appellations. Whilst Pauillac might not have attained the absolute average vineyards yield of either St-Estèphe or St-Julien, it has not seen yields of over 47 hl/ha for almost 2 decades.
Impressive, too, is the relative lack of variation in average vineyard yields between properties (as my detailed tasting notes below testify). And certainly no less impressive is that, not for the first time, the highest absolute vineyard yields in the appellation were achieved at a property practicing agroforestry and both organic and biodynamic viticulture, Haut-Bages Libéral.
Interesting, too, is the convergence in the blend composition of the leading wines of the appellation. We might well still think of the Médoc classed growths as Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blends. But, in Pauillac at least, that is less and less the case. As Table 3 suggests, these are now perhaps better seen as Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blends with a variable sprinkling of other varietals (including, but by no means restricted to, Merlot).
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
|
Lafite Rothschild |
92 |
96 |
94 |
93 |
Latour |
97 |
96 |
92.5 |
92.5 |
Mouton Rothschild |
84 |
89 |
92 |
93 |
Pichon Baron |
76 |
88 |
81 |
80 |
Pichon Comtesse de Lalande |
77 |
88 |
78 |
80 |
Lynch Bages |
60 |
67 |
66 |
71 |
Average (% CS) |
81 |
87 |
84 |
85 |
Table 3: Percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the grands vins of leading Pauillac estates
The wines themselves are excellent and the quality, above all in the context of a challenging vintage, is impressively homogeneous.
Mouton Rothschild has, once again, produced a potential candidate for the left-bank wine of the vintage (alongside Margaux and a couple of others that we will come to as we continue our Médoc en primeur journey further north). It is incredibly energetic, dynamic and captivating in its purity and precision and it seems to provide for me now the reference point against which the other wines of the appellation have to be judged.
Lafite Rothschild and Pichon Comtesse de Lalande both run it very close for the wine of the appellation, even if neither for me quite attains the level of the 2020 or 2022.
Latour feels to me, in this vintage above all, a more traditional wine and it will be fascinating to see how each evolves over the decades to come.
And, in their different ways, Pichon Baron, Lynch Bages, Pontet Canet and Haut-Bages Libéral have each made thrilling wines, very true to both their terroirs and their distinctive styles. Each provides a more articulate and eloquent expression of its personality arguably than ever before; each feels more comfortable in its identify; and each deserves a place in any fine collection of the best wines of the last decade in Pauillac.
Once again Le Petit Mouton is for me the second wine of the Médoc.
But it is Grand-Puy Ducasse which perhaps deserves the most special mention. It may well still be something of a work in progress, but for the first time in a long time it has made a wine that is a true sublimation of the quality of its terroir. The collective effort that has gone into this is monumental. Welcome back!
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Pauillac 2023: tasting notes
D’Armailhac (Pauillac; 70% Cabernet Sauvignon; 15% Merlot; 13% Cabernet Franc; 2% Petit Verdot; pH 3.75; 13.7% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin and then at Clerc-Milon with Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy). Smokier and more ferrous and saline in its minerality than Clerc-Milon, it is also more red-fruited and a little less sumptuous in texture. Redcurrant and blackcurrant. Tense, with the tension almost of a white wine if you shut you eyes and project. This is fresh and vibrantly energetic, but the acidity is much more noticeable and it’s not, for me, quite at the level of the rest of the Mouton flight, texturally ethereal though the tannins are. The fruit feels just a little stretched over the frame. 91-93.
Batailley (Pauillac; 79% Cabernet Sauvignon; 19% Merlot; 2% Petit Verdot; a final yield of around 49 hl/ha and late picked; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin and then at Batailley). I think I’d pick this blind (easily said, I know) and I like that. Again, it’s floral for Pauillac (and that makes it a little more difficult to pick), but it has a specific salinity to its minerality and a slight smoky note that feels reassuringly familiar. Damsons and blueberries, a little bramble and black berry too. Glossy. Comfortingly soft, a little less oak than there used to be and with considerable intensity to the red and darker berry fruits that define the core of this wine on the palate (here, as that suggests, the fruit profile is a little lighter in hue). A lovely clean cassis signature and good sapidity. Nicely balanced. 93-95.
Carruades de Lafite (Pauillac; 60% Cabernet Sauvignon; 40% Merlot; pH 3.70; a final yield of 45 hl/ha; 13.2% alcohol; tasted at Duhart-Milon). Very dark berry fruited with a little damson. Herbal and almost a little herbaceous. Quite strict and austere, though with ultra-refined and super fine-grained tannins. A nice juicy sapidity. There’s a touch of crushed rock and rock salt minerality that lifts this on the chewy finish. Clean, lean and fresh on the finale which is nicely focussed and well-sustained. 92-94.
Clerc-Milon (Pauillac; 72% Cabernet Sauvignon; 19% Merlot; 6.5% Cabernet Franc; 1.5% Carménère; 1% Petit Verdot; pH 3.83; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin and at the property with Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy). Rose petals, crushed and concentrated, damsons, brambles, blackberries all freshly picked and de-husked or de-stoned. Floral, petal-y and with a hint of saffron too. There’s a lovely cassis and cedar element to this that actually makes me think of Le Petit Mouton. There’s also mirror pool clarity in the mid-palate. Excellent. So juicy and refreshing. This used to be difficult to taste en primeur. Not today. 93-95.
Croizet-Bages (Pauillac; 70% Cabernet Sauvignon; 30% Merlot; a final yield of 45 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). For so long a slumbering giant. Here I find it ambitious and quite punchy for the vintage. But the tannins are a little less refined than those of the neighbours and this is rather chunky. It finishes just a little harsher than many and the extraction feels a little pushed. It’s rather old school, in its way, but will be fine with patience. 90-92.
Duhart-Milon (Pauillac; 80% Cabernet Sauvignon; 20% Merlot; a final yield of 45hl/ha yield; around 65% of the production made the selection for the grand vin; 15% press wine; 13.1% alcohol). Rather closed aromatically when tasted under light grey skies with rain in the air at the property. Cedar, fruits of the forest, cassis. A big, plump and quite spherical mouthful of sapid, juicy, fresh berry fruits. This feels cool, autumnal, almost slightly austere in a way, with a hint of wild herbs and heather – wild, almost sauvage. Not terribly dense or, indeed, compact, but crystalline, clear, translucent and quite pixilated by the tannins, whose glossiness and finesse brings polish. The acidity picks up on the finish, which helps give it lift. If I have a quibble it is that, like Moulin de Duhart, this feels just a little herbaceous on the finish. The frame is almost too ample to sustain the fruit intensity. 93-95.
Echo de Lynch Bages (Pauillac; 55% Merlot; 43% Cabernet Sauvignon; 2% Cabernet Franc; pH 3.62; IPT 78; 13.6% alcohol; tasted at Lynch Bages). Gracious, eloquent, pure and refined. Brambles, freshly plucked, de-husked and concentrated. Cedar and black cherry. This is plump and nicely composed, with the sense of density reinforced by the relatively narrow frame. A sumptuous evolution. Juicy on the finish. 92-94.
Forts de Latour (Pauillac; 55.8% Cabernet Sauvignon; 40.2% Merlot; 4% Petit Verdot; 13.7% alcohol; IPT 75; nearly 40 per cent of the total production; tasted at Latour). More creamy in texture than Le Pauillac de Latour. Lithe. A little more spice from the oak, but it’s well integrated. Dark berry and cherry fruit. Wild sage. Heather. A little hazelnut. Sandalwood. A pleasing density that seems to reveal itself slowly as this evolves over the palate. Quite a punchy acidity and a relatively substantial volume of tannin that is still to be resolved. Crumbly, nicely so, bringing a gentle massaging of the fruit on the finish. 92-94.
Grand-Puy Ducasse (Pauillac; 52% Cabernet Sauvignon; 44% Merlot; 4% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 50 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). We’re already off to a good start when the second wine, Prélude, is rather better than most recent vintages of the grand vin. And the good news continues with the grand vin itself in 2023. Lush, plump, plush, opulent and yet elegant and classically refined on the nose, with dark berry and stone fruit, the damson and mulberry perhaps just stealing the show. Quite sweet fruited, enticingly so. The palate is soft and nicely filled, here with cherries, damsons, brambles and mulberries. Succulent through the mid-palate but chewy and substantial on the finish which is lifted, elegant and long. The best I’ve ever tasted from here and a new benchmark I am sure for the property. 92-94.
Grand-Puy Lacoste (Pauillac; 77% Cabernet Sauvignon; 23% Merlot; a final yield of 48 hl/ha; 13.2% alcohol; tasted at the property with Emeline Borie). Lovely brambly notes with a wild, herbal and heathery streak that I somehow associate with Grand-Puy Lacoste. Spicy and peppery, more so that the 2022 and perhaps more dynamic too. Blackberries and a little redcurrant, bringing lift and freshness. A tight and densely charged mid-palate but a relatively narrow frame, accentuating the impression of concentration and, with it, a succulent and refreshing juiciness. Lots of refinement and classicism. The Merlot give a wonderful round plush frame for the somewhat more strict and linear Cabernet, creating lots of tension. Nice grippy, chewy tannins on the finish. Long with a gentle taper towards a distant horizon. Very pure and nicely composed. A very articulate expression of the vintage and appellation. Minty fresh on the finale. 93-95.
Les Griffons de Pichon Baron (Pauillac; 57% Cabernet Sauvignon; 41% Merlot; 2% Petit Verdot; pH 3.8; 7% press wine; a final yield of 37 hl/ha; 13.2% alcohol; tasted at Pichon Baron with Christian Seely). Brighter and more vertical both aromatically and in the mouth than Les Tourelles. Redcurrant, blackcurrant, a little damson. This has a more traditional and quite chiselled structure, much more so than Les Tourelles (which is horizonal where this is more vertical). Pauillac depth and with more of a sense of gravitas and profundity. Intensely sapid. The tannins are nicely interwoven with the acidity producing an integral sense of freshness that is sapid, juicy and salivating. 91-93+.
Haut-Bages Libéral (Pauillac; 86% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14% Merlot; an impressive final yield 53 hl/ha; pH 3.48; 13.5 alcohol; practicing agroforestry and certified both organic and biodynamic; tasted with Claire Lurton). At Haut-Bages Libéral it’s as if the terroir speaks! Limestone-accented, chalky, vertical and with a very dynamic sense of lift. There’s great aromatic purity and pixilation here too (even if one typically thinks of pixilation in visual terms)! And it is so very different to Durfort Vivens (tasted immediately before) in terms of its essential characteristics and fruit profile. Red berries – raspberry, loganberry, just a little hint of bramble and wild strawberry too (a note I tend to associate with Haut-Bages Libéral). Graphite but none of the cedar of Durfort. There’s a little touch of flint too. This seems to glisten with energy. Vivid and vibrant, the acidity so well incorporated. Full, cylindrical in the mouth, rich and fully charged – quite a mouthful in fact. Super-svelte tannins, nice grip and with great freshness on the long finish. Fabulous. 94-96.
Haut Batailley (Pauillac; 71% Cabernet Sauvignon; 25% Merlot; 4% Petit Verdot; 13.2% alcohol; aging in oak barrels, 65% of them new; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin and, a second time, at Lynch Bages; 20,000 cases made, with roughly 60 per cent of the production selected for the grand vin). Lovely and quite distinctive now in its personality. Lighter, more delicate but also more refined than many of its ostensible Pauillac peers, this is quite a subtle, almost intellectual wine. A very pure and pleasingly cedar-inflected dark berry fruit. A saline note too – almost a hint of salted peanuts (though better than that makes it sound)! Lots of cassis, which really comes through in the mid-palate and on the finish (but which is more suppressed aromatically for the moment). Articulate and engaging, with lovely detail and delineation. I’m very impressed. Quiet progress each years brings us something of excellence and ethereal beauty in 2023. 93-95.
Lacoste Borie (Pauillac; 56% Cabernet Sauvignon; 33% Merlot; 11% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 48 hl/ha; 13.2% alcohol; tasted with Emeline Borie at Grand-Puy Lacoste). Bright, crisp and fresh, this provides a pleasingly representative and authentic introduction to the grand vin. Lots of cassis and blackberry fruits, a little wild herbal note too. Some redcurrant too, with additional acidity than implies. Cool, hyper-fresh but with enough substance that this always stays sapid and juicy and never either becomes or threatens to become astringent. Very well-balanced. 90-92.
Lafite Rothschild (Pauillac; 93% Cabernet Sauvignon; 6% Merlot; 1% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 45 hl/ha; pH 3.76; aging in oak barrels, 90% of which are new; 12.9% alcohol). This is so beautifully redolent of Lafite and could be no other wine. Carruades might have been starved in a way to make this, but you would, wouldn’t you! Gorgeous refined blackcurrant and black cherry, oodles of cedar and a little graphite, HB pencil-shavings fresh from the sepia-tinged classroom of the 1960s and a hint of dark chocolate-coated violet. Restrained, elegant, relaxed and plush, with a very soft-focused but dense and compact spherical core – a black hole of black fruit. Gracious and almost hinting at opulence but for the freshness of the vintage which brings instead a striking energy and vivacity. But this is relaxed and measured where Mouton is more vivid and dynamic, cashmere replacing the fine silk layering of its near neighbour. I love the Cabernet fruit that pulses through all of its veins. There’s lots of fruity capillarity here! 96-98+.
Latour (Pauillac; 92.3% Cabernet Sauvignon; 7.7% Merlot; 13.2% alcohol; IPT 73; nearly 40 per cent of the total production; tasted at the property). A particularly big step up from Les Forts in this vintage. Complex aromatically, with a cassis leafiness and a lovely bouquet of freshly picked spring blooms. The fruit profile is delicate and it is almost as if this part of the aromatic profile remains intimate and shy. Red and darker cherry, bramble and black berries, a little redcurrant reinforcing the sense of freshness. Sandalwood. Lithe and aerial aromatically giving the impression of a less substantial wine than it turns out to be on the palate. Quite pixilated with a subtle granularity to the tannins – not the glacial mirror pool texture at all of Mouton. But very fine too. Almost a little foursquare for the vintage and maybe more traditional in a way than either Mouton or Lafite. 96-98.
Lynch-Bages (Pauillac; 71% Cabernet Sauvignon; 24% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Franc; 2% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 47 hl/ha; pH 3.75; IPT 95; 13.7% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin and again at the property). A most fitting if silent tribute to the indomitable Jean-Michel Cazes. Floral, almost as never before, and both restrained and relaxed. A little cassis. A little violet. Blueberry. Bramble. Tasted a second time, it is more closed still and it is walnut and walnut shell that reveal themselves first. Soft, elegant, refined and glossy with beautifully-refined tannins and a shimmering quality to the mouthfeel (all the more impressive when you consider the IPT level – 20 points above that of Latour yet you would never guess). Not as ample as it used to be and so much more impressive for that. Glacially pure and crystalline in the mid-palate. Generous, long and multi-layered. So precise and so focussed, intensely juicy and with a lovely touch of menthol and fleur de sel on the finish. 94-96+.
Lynch-Moussas (Pauillac; 78% Cabernet Sauvignon; 22% Merlot; a final yield of 49 hl/ha, with half of the production making the selection for the grand vin; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin and at Batailley). A little less engaging when tasted after Lynch-Bages, which I guess is the cross it must bear, but soft, gentle, easy and lithe. Raspberry. A little sloe and damson. Lithe and quite plush if not exactly plump. The tannins are a little less refined on the finish, but the progress here needs to be underscored. A much stronger wine than it used to be and an impressive showing from a wine that used to be rustic and even a little coarse. 91-93.
Moulin de Duhart (Pauillac; 55% Merlot; 45% Cabernet Sauvignon). Plump. Succulent, though there’s a little dip in the mid-palate – even if it starts to fill in with a little aeration. Blueberries and black currant. Fresh, juicy and sapid. A nice fluidity. Energetic. Easy and very accessible. A lovely harmony. A little herbaceous on the finish. 88-90.
Mouton Rothschild (Pauillac; 93% Cabernet Sauvignon; 7% Merlot; 13.3% alcohol; pH 3.79; the old-vine yields here were above the 10 year average for Mouton; tasted with Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy at Clerc-Milon). Very floral. Crushed rose petals, fresh rose petals, rose water and iris. Black cherries and brambles, damson too. Black pepper. Candlewax and candle smoke from the cathedral hinting perhaps at the gothic cathedral architecture of the palate to come. Walnut and olive oil. Chiselled. Incredible texturally. Broader than Le Petit Mouton but with something of the same kaleidoscope of velvety layers imparting a great sensation of depth. But this is deceptive as it’s so glacial, glassy and mirror pool. I love, too, the hint of blackcurrant that appears like a phantom from the lake just before the finish. A wine with a staggeringly dynamic freshness, almost a whirlpool of upwelling Cabernet cassis disrupting the cool tranquillity of the surface that we encounter first. So soft and gracious. Beautifully composed. And yet thrilling and utterly captivating at the same time. 97-99.
Pauillac de Latour (Pauillac; 62.5% Cabernet Sauvignon; 34.1% Merlot; 4.7% Petit Verdot; ; IPT 74; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at Latour). Pretty aromatically, with a little rose petal alongside the bright and quite dark shaded berry fruits. A little leafy and lifted with a nice note of cassis and a touch of cedar joining the frame towards the finish. Light and aerial. The tannins are perhaps just a little prickly on the finish, but that will be resolved before this is released. 90-92.
Le Petit Mouton (Pauillac; 79% Cabernet Sauvignon; 12% Merlot; 7% Cabernet Franc; 2% Petit Verdot; pH 3.74; 13.3% alcohol; tasted at Clerc-Milon with Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy). So cool and gracious. Plunge pool. Bramble and loganberry, mulberry. The fruit darkens with aeration, the berries joined by black cherries and assorted dark plums. Graphite. Quite broad initially, but then the tannins pinch and bring this back to the spine. Cascading layers of silky and velvety fruit make this very deep and reinforce the impression of concentration, density and compactness, but not at the expense of the sheer mobility and fluidity of the wine, with eddies of freshness disturbing the mirror pool. A fabulously composed and refined, cool and spiritual Petit Mouton. Very pure. Once again, I find this to star turn of the Pauillac 1st growth second wines. 93-95+.
Pibran (Pauillac; 54% Cabernet Sauvignon; 46% Merlot; pH 3.7; 13.1% alcohol; tasted at Pichon Baron with Christian Seely). A little closed under overcast skies at Pichon Baron. Peppery – pestle-pounded white and black peppercorns. Brambles. Sage. Bright, crisp with croquant berry fruits. The quality of the tannins again really impresses me. Quite broad-framed though never quite pushing at the cheeks. Silky, layered texturally and impressively pure and precise. Very clean on the finish. Not the length of the great wines of the appellation, but very impressive nonetheless. 90-92.
Pichon Baron (Pauillac; 80% Cabernet Sauvignon; 20% Merlot; pH 3.7; 13.2% alcohol; a final yield of 37 hl/ha; 12 % press wine; tasted at Pichon Baron with Christian Seely and Pierre Montegut). Very beautiful and refined aromatically. I love the purity of the fruit profile. So croquant and bright. Blackcurrant. Graphite, a touch of cedar, but with a lot more still to come. So fine texturally. Singularly pure, with a glorious Cabernet fruit completely at the centre of the stage. Broad but hyper-layered. Finely delineated, with a sense of inter-layer pixilation and a crystalline character and finesse that I’ve never felt here before but that is very consistent with the direction of travel of this wine over recent vintages. The closest in signature to the 2019 for me, but with the additional density of 2010, 2016 or 2020. Gracious and composed. 95-97.
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St-Estèphe
For a long time unfavourably dismissed as the cool, damp and somewhat austere ugly sister of the great appellations to the south, St-Estèphe has a newfound optimism, with 2023 perfectly suiting the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Leaving Pauillac behind as we continue our northward passage through the Médoc we come almost immediately to St-Estèphe. This was, for long, rather unfavourably dismissed as the cool, damp and somewhat austere ugly sister of the great appellations to the south.
Not any more. For although it is not exactly the poster child of global warming, if there is a single Médoc appellation to have benefitted most from climate change to date then it is undoubtedly St-Estèphe.
In keeping with such new-found optimism, 2023 was good up here. The average temperature throughout the growing season, and notably from véraison to harvest, was a little above the (rising) ten-year average. And, as Table 1 makes clear, although total rainfall was a little above the same (now falling) ten-year average, it was rather more evenly distributed across the growing season. Significantly, there was rather less intense mildew pressure in June than in any other leading appellation of the region.
Pre-budburst (Nov-March) |
Budburst to Harvest (April-mid October) |
Total (1/11-15/10) |
|
St-Estèphe |
550.7 (+3.0%) |
411.8 (+4.7%) |
912.5 (+1.5%) |
Pauillac |
458 (-5.8%) |
441.3 (+13.2%) |
899.2 (+1.2%) |
Margaux |
398 (-19.3%) |
464.6 (+11.0%) |
862.6 (-5.7%) |
St-Julien |
458 (-5.8%) |
441.3 (+13.2%) |
899.2 (+1.2%) |
Pessac-Léognan |
426 (-12.4%) |
469.4 (+14.5%) |
895.2 (0%) |
St-Emilion |
306 (-37.1%) |
490.8 (+18.1%) |
796.8 (-11.8%) |
Pomerol |
338 (-31.5%) |
470.0 (+14.5%) |
808.1 (-10.9%) |
Table 1: Rainfall during the vintage (relative to 10-year average)
Source: calculated from Saturnalia’s Bordeaux 2023 Harvest report.
The result, as Table 2 shows clearly, is that average vineyard yields in the appellation rose by a full 20 hl/ha from a paltry 31.5 hl/ha in the hail-ravaged 2022 vintage to an almost record-shattering and certainly chart-topping 51.6 hl/ha in 20223.
Yet crucial to this was not just the lower early summer rainfall totals which meant that St-Estèphe endured rather less of the mildew pressure experienced further south. No less significant was the capacity of St-Estèphe’s cooler, more clay-dominated, soils to absorb and buttress the intense heatwave episodes of the second half of August and early September.
Whilst the grapes were desiccating and burning on the vines in the Indian Summer conditions further south they were slowly and surely reaching perfect maturity further north. The ugly sister was blossoming in the late summer sunshine.
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
10-year average |
Relative to 10-year average (% change) |
|
St Estèphe |
49.7 |
41.2 |
40.7 |
31.5 |
51.6 |
43.4 |
+18.9 |
St Julien |
45.5 |
34.3 |
35.2 |
34.3 |
50.3 |
40.1 |
+25.4 |
Margaux |
49.2 |
36.3 |
38.6 |
31.3 |
37.7 |
39.7 |
-5.0 |
Pauillac |
46.7 |
37.4 |
35.1 |
34.8 |
47.1 |
39.7 |
+18.6 |
Pessac-Léognan rouge |
47.2 |
34.6 |
30.7 |
35.7 |
38.1 |
38.5 |
-1.0 |
St Emilion (GC) |
43.0 |
36.7 |
27.5 |
41.2 |
40.5 |
37.2 |
+8.9 |
Pomerol |
43.0 |
39.8 |
28.9 |
32.3 |
45.2 |
36.1 |
+25.2 |
Table 2: Average vineyard yield by appellation (hl/ha)
Source: calculated from Duanes data compiled by the CIVB Service Economie et Etudes.
This was, above all, crucial for the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon. It is perhaps unsurprising then that 2023 sees a subtle but significant change in the final blends of the appellation’s grands vins.
Indeed, as Table 3 shows, although Cabernet Sauvignon did not quite attain the dominance in the blend it achieved in 2021 (when a lot of Merlot struggled to attain full ripeness), it typically represents two-thirds of the blend in the leading wines of the appellation, with Merlot relegated to a relatively paltry 22 per cent.
Wine |
% Merlot |
% Cabernet Sauvignon |
||||||
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
|
Calon Ségur |
12 |
7 |
24 |
15 |
78 |
81 |
70 |
72 |
Cos d’Estournel |
38 |
30 |
37 |
33 |
62 |
64 |
61 |
65 |
Montrose |
23 |
31 |
25 |
21 |
71 |
62 |
66 |
75 |
Lafon Rochet |
33 |
26 |
31 |
29 |
61 |
69 |
65 |
64 |
Phélan-Ségur |
42 |
21 |
56 |
38 |
54 |
75 |
40 |
60 |
Average |
30 |
23 |
35 |
22 |
65 |
70 |
60 |
67 |
Table 3: Percentage of Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon in the grand vin, 2020-23
Given all of this is perhaps not surprising that I find St-Estèphe, like the northern part of Pauillac and as in the 2014 vintage (if for rather different reasons), something of a figurative hot spot in 2023. Time and again, its wine have triumphed.
Montrose remains, not for the first time, a class apart – a genuine qualitative peer of the the first growths. It is for me the wine of the appellation once again. Though I was blown away by the quality of the 2019, 2020 and 2022 I have, quite simply, never tasted better from this address.
That seems, in a way, just a little harsh on Cos d’Estournel. Because it, too, has produced a truly exquisite and exceptional wine that in any other great vintage (and plenty of other appellations) would surely merit ‘wine of the appellation’ consideration. That these two greats are on such fantastic form in this vintage is, of course, brilliant for the appellation and for its reputation; but it does seem a little tough on a wine that had me purring in the tasting room once again.
Calon-Ségur, Phélan-Ségur, Meyney and Tronquoy have each produced fabulous wines too. Each deserves a place in a well-stocked cellar and each will give at least two decades of pleasure for those with the patience to wait that long.
But it with de Pez and, perhaps above all, Cos Labory that I must conclude. These perhaps share the prize for the most improved properties in the entire Médoc, though de Pez of course has had a couple of years’ head-start on Cos Labory. Quite simply each has made in 2023 the best wine I have ever tasted from the property – by some distance in the case of the latter. What they both show so well is the difference that top-tier vineyard management and vinification can bring to a wine in a relatively small span of time. The Pichon Comtesse signature at de Pez is clear and has been for a handful of vintages now; the Cos d’Estournel touch at Cos Labory is already transformative. I cannot wait to taste the 2024 and 2025 vintages from these addresses.
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St-Emilion: A vintage of glass ceilings
Despite finding more great wines than in any other appellation, we find a glass ceiling - with smaller, less affluent producers unable to withstand the endemic mildew presented by the vintage.
There is an almost inevitable moment in any en primeur week when the alarm rings especially early, one brushes the sleep from one’s eyes, crawls out of bed in search of coffee and races to the Rocade and the Pont d’Aquitaine to cross from the left-bank to the right-bank (or from the right to the left) – invariably for the earliest early morning appointment of the entire week.
After our quick tour northwards up the Gironde from Margaux, via St-Julien and Pauillac to St-Estèphe we’ve reached that point in our journey (though we’ll cross back again before we are finished). And, as you’ve probably already noticed, having chosen at the time rather innocently to travel northwards up the Médoc, our passage to the right-bank is, of course, rather longer than it needed to be.
So what is in store for us on the other side of the river once we get there – above all in Saint-Émilion, our first right-bank calling point?
The watch-word here is heterogeneity. And that is perhaps not surprising, even if this time last year I was writing about the surprising homogeneity of Saint-Émilion’s 2022s.
As I noted then, we tend to think of Saint-Émilion as having an almost natural tendency to heterogeneity for three reasons above all: first, its sheer size; second, the qualitative range and diversity of its terroirs and, crucially, their respective capacities to respond to the climatic conditions they face; and, third, its stylistic diversity.
In 2023 the first two of these factors, I would argue, were rather more important than the third. But they are joined by a fourth – the massively uneven access to the resources to cope with, and thereby to compensate for, the meteorological challenges posed by the growing season.
Saint-Émilion is, of course, a large appellation with over 4000 hectares of grand cru vineyards alone in 2023 (in comparison, say, to Margaux’s 1500 and Pomerol’s 780). It is also arrayed over a diversity of terroirs of rather variable quality. In a growing season in which even contiguous vineyards experienced significant differences in their exposure, above all, to mildew, this was always likely to produce considerable heterogeneity.
Crucial here were the relative size of the downpours that punctuated June and the extent to which they were book-ended by the spikes in temperature that helped propagate the mildew. In some vineyards, in short, the natural pressure of mildew was simply greater than in others, with limestone terroirs and Cabernet plots much more resistant than their sand and Merlot counterparts respectively.
The aggregate numbers (which are displayed in Table 1) capture little of this detail, even if they do show the significant accumulation of rainfall between budburst and the harvest (notably in June).
Pre-budburst (Nov-March) |
Budburst to Harvest (April-mid October) |
Total (1/11-15/10) |
|
St-Emilion |
306 (-37.1%) |
490.8 (+18.1%) |
796.8 (-11.8%) |
Margaux |
398 (-19.3%) |
464.6 (+11.0%) |
862.6 (-5.7%) |
St Julien |
458 (-5.8%) |
441.3 (+13.3%) |
899.2 (+1.2%) |
Pauillac |
458 (-5.8%) |
441.3 (+13.2%) |
899.2 (+1.2%) |
St-Estèphe |
550.7 (+3.0%) |
411.8 (+4.7%) |
912.5 (+1.5%) |
Pessac-Léognan |
426 (-12.4%) |
469.4 (+14.5%) |
895.2 (0%) |
Pomerol |
338 (-31.5%) |
470.0 (+14.5%) |
808.1 (-10.9%) |
Table 1: Rainfall during the vintage (relative to 10-year average)
Source: calculated from Saturnalia’s Bordeaux 2023 Harvest report
But, in a way tragically, more important than any of this was the relative capacity of different properties to cope with whatever mildew pressure they faced. The flatter southern and western parts of the appellation, closer to the river, on more sandy soils suffered in some cases horrific losses. They did so not because the weather conditions were significantly worse, nor even really because their terroirs were more susceptible to mildew (though to some extent that was the case), but simply because, with a much lower average retail price per bottle, they did not have access to the financial and hence human resources required to treat effectively. Here mildew became endemic.
Compounding the tragedy, those parcels, plots and vineyards already weakened by mildew damage proved much more susceptible to the desiccation and burning of the fruit on the vines in the heatwave conditions established in the Indian Summer immediately preceding the harvest.
I tasted many wines from these parts of the appellation. But you will not find many of my tasting notes below. For, much though it pains me to say so and through no fault of their producers, many did not meet the qualitative threshold for inclusion in my appellation profile.
This is, in effect, the first glass ceiling in the 2023 vintage in Saint-Émilion. But it is not the only one.
Crucial then to the heterogeneity of Saint-Émilion in this vintage was the differential capacity to cope with the challenges that nature presented. It alone goes a long way to explaining why average vineyard yields in Saint-Émilion (as Table 2 shows) were so much lower (above all with respect to the 10-year average) than they were in Pomerol, despite an essentially similar meteorological experience.
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
10-year average |
Relative to 10-year average (% change) |
|
St Emilion (GC) |
43.0 |
36.7 |
27.5 |
41.2 |
40.5 |
37.2 |
+8.9 |
Margaux |
49.2 |
36.3 |
38.6 |
31.3 |
37.7 |
39.7 |
-5.0 |
St Julien |
45.5 |
34.3 |
35.2 |
34.3 |
50.3 |
40.1 |
+25.4 |
Pauillac |
46.7 |
37.4 |
35.1 |
34.8 |
47.1 |
39.7 |
+18.6 |
St Estèphe |
49.7 |
41.2 |
40.7 |
31.5 |
51.6 |
43.4 |
+18.9 |
Pessac-Léognan rouge |
47.2 |
34.6 |
30.7 |
35.7 |
38.1 |
38.5 |
-1.0 |
Pomerol |
43.0 |
39.8 |
28.9 |
32.3 |
45.2 |
36.1 |
+25.2 |
Table 2: Average vineyard yield by appellation (hl/ha)
Source: calculated from Duanes data compiled by the CIVB Service Economie et Etudes
The wines themselves
Heterogeneity is the watch work for the 2023 vintage in Saint-Émilion. But it is not – and nor should not it be taken as – a synonym for the absence of quality. There are truly great wines to be found in Saint-Émilion in 2023. Indeed, and however paradoxical though it might at first seem, given the sheer size of the appellation and the relatively small size of the vineyards, it is in the end hardly surprising that there are more truly great wines here than there are in any other leading appellation.
There are at least 30 wines that I would love to have teleported to my cellar in 5 to 10 years’ time (admittedly, from over 150 tasted). That cannot be said for any other leading appellation.
But that is perhaps to soften the pill. For there are, in the end, a series of glass ceilings here beneath which the wines of the appellation seem to bunch and cluster. The first we have already dealt with – the quality threshold set by the presence of systemic mildew and its consequences in many vineyards.
But that is just the first of three. The second is the tendency of at least some of these wines, typically on lesser terroirs, to be lean and slender, slightly hollow in the mid-palate and abrasive on the finish due to the combination of coarse tannins and elevated acidity. The third arises simply from the qualitative diversity of Saint-Émilion’s terroirs, with the crystalline, limpid and luminous quality of the vintage combined with a return to a more classical style of wine-making revealing in some cases well-made wines lacking complexity and interest. Though my highest ratings are the same as those in 2022, my average rating for the grands crus classés is lower and the slope of their exponential decline is steeper.
At each and every one of these glass ceilings, and especially at the last, 2023 reveals itself to be a vintage of terroir quality and intense hard work. Where we have both, and the resources to make possible the latter, we have genuine excellence. But it is thinner on the ground and more unevenly distributed than it was in 2022.
There are for me two wines, above all, that transcend the challenges of the vintages and that shatter each and every glass ceiling with which we might associate those challenges. Both are magical expressions of their very different, unique and exceptional terroirs – Cheval Blanc and Beauséjour. I love them both and would hate to have to choose between them.
They pip at the post – but only by a hair’s breadth – two other transcendent wines that are certainly for me on a par with anything I have ever tasted from either property. They are Figeac and Rocheyron, once again the former from a predominantly clay and gravel terroir, the latter from a predominantly limestone and clay terroir.
It is perhaps hardly surprising that Ausone, Bélair-Monange, Angélus, Canon and Pavie have also produced wines of stunning brilliance once again, so let me perhaps single out for special mention five wines that have for me produced the best I have ever tasted from them in the context of the vintage. They are, in strictly alphabetical order: Beau-Séjour Bécot, Bellefont Belcier, Clos de Sarpe, Couvent des Jacobins and Lassègue.
And, in terms of the sheer value for money they offer, it is difficult to look beyond (again, in alphabetical order): Berliquet, Couvent des Jacobins (once again), Laroque, Lassègue (ditto) and Mangot.
Let me finish with a potentially interesting observation inspired by a reflection of a similar kind last year. In my appellation profile of the 2022 vintage, I identified 24, of which only 12 featured in the new classification of the wines of Saint-Émilion. This year I have identified 29 stars of the (2023) vintage, 21 of which feature in the same classification.
No. 3 d’Angelus (Saint Émilion; 85% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Fran; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; from 9 hectares including the younger vines from Carillon d’Angelus; tasted at Angélus with Benjamin Laforêt, Hubert de Boüard and Stephanie de Boüard-Rivoal). Bright crunchy fruits and a little hint of walnut. This is made using a form of cold fermentation, more typically used for whites, to preserve the more gentle aromatic notes, above all the florality and the purity of the fruit. Fresh and crushed raspberries, very fresh and very pure. White flowers and a little raspberry blossom. Orange blossom. Blood orange. This is delicate but with a nice ample frame and a very crystalline mid-palate. Fresh and very pure with very gracious tannins. Silky and layered – like a scarf billowing in the breeze. Hyper fresh and pure. Very refined and elegant with a lovely lifted finish. 91-93+.
Angélus (Saint Émilion; 60% Merlot; 40% Cabernet Franc – mainly from old vines; tasted at Angélus with Benjamin Laforêt, Hubert de Boüard and Stephanie de Boüard-Rivoal). Introvert, yet floral. Peony. A little lily of the valley. Wisteria. Rose petal. Walnut oil.First press olive oil with its spicy pepperiness too. Red and black cherries, damsons, sloes, blackberries. Briary fruits. A slight hint of the cedar to come, but at first just the suggestion. Very refined, elegant and composed. Plunge pool soft and crystalline. The most subtle of the Angélus wines, at this nascent stage. The Cabernet Franc is the star here with its wild blueberry fruit and florality given the stage to perform and express themselves. Quite ample in the mouth, with lovely silky layers, glistening and pure, the Cabernet notes rising up through the surface from below. Aeration in the mouth releases the most beautiful cedar and damson fruit juice, bringing additional tension. Sapid, juicy, radiant and quite classical in a way. The fruit has a lovely crunch to it. A wine of great harmony and poise. Very long – with the length sustained by the quality of the Cabernet fruit, the signature of Angélus. 96-98.
Annonce de Bélair-Monange (Saint Émilion; 98% Merlot; 2% Cabernet Franc; tasted at the property). Deeply impressive. Cassis. Pure, precise, fine-textured and with and intensity, concentration and density. A second wine to seek out in a vintage where that is rare. Close in style to the grand vin, with lovely poise, finesse and pixilated precision. 91-93.
L’Archange (St Emilion; 100% Merlot; from a tiny vineyard of just 1 hectare on sand with a clay subsoil; a final yield of 35 hl/ha; the consultant wine-maker here is Pascal Chatonnet; tasted at Haut-Chaigneau with Pascal Chatonnet). Nicely composed, not too broad but more dense and compact because of that. Glossy, limpid, generous and made to go the distance. Needs time for the oak to incorporate. Impressively substantial. 91-93.
Arômes de Pavie (Saint Émilion; 50% Merlot; 50% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 34 hl/ha; pH 3.65; 14.5% alcohol; tasted at Pavie with Olivier Gailly). Very pretty. The Cabernet Franc is given the space to express itself and it has quite a bit to say for itself! Iris. Struck match. Incense. Black cherry and bramble. Candlewax. An impressively intense mouthful of plump and plush crunchy berry fruits. Well-structured and considerable. Very Côte de Pavie: dark and compact at the core, spherical in the mouth and with lots of energy – more than there used to be. Grainy tannins indicate a long life ahead. A lovely return to the terroir here with quite a lot of old vines making their way into this. Puissant, yes, but sleek and stylish too – and highly expressive of the values of the grand vin. 93-95.
Ausone (Saint Émilion; 60% Cabernet Franc; 40% Merlot; tasted at Ausone with Alain Vauthier; certified organic). Quietly spoken and introvert at first, but what it does reveal is utterly beautiful and all the more beguiling for being rather sotto voce. Graphite, cedar, and with lots of Cabernet Franc in evidence – that cedar and blueberry co-presence, a little thyme, more and more graphite and walnut with aeration and the black cherry notes coming through underneath all of that, bringing an aromatic sense of layering. Pot pourri and dried rose petals reveal themselves with more coaxing of the glass. The oak is still a little present, especially in the empty glass, but it only needs time. In the mouth, this is wonderfully gracious and svelte. Cool at first, as if the hyper-soft tannins refresh the palate and relax it to let in the dark fresh berry and stone fruit. Cherries and damsons, a little blueberry and bramble. There’s great density and compactness despite the breath and amplitude. This pushes out the cheeks, just a little, the tannins colleting at the front of the mouth. And there’s a brilliant grip and pinch just before the fantail finish, which is incredibly precise and lifted. Calm tranquillity. A timeless wine that it is a privilege to taste. 96-98+.
Badette (St Emilion; 67% Merlot; 30% Cabernet Franc; 3% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 45 hl/ha; 15% alcohol; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). A new addition to the ranks of the Grands Crus Classés and a few subtle changes to the label in this vintage too. Earthy, with dark berry fruits, crushed black peppercorns and a little gentle sweet spicing. Graphite, just a hint of acacia. Liquorice. The oak is not yet fully integrated, but I find this rather attractively seasoned. Plump, with quite a tight structure, quite densely charged with fruit for the vintage. Though this lacks the complexity and delineation of the finest, it is certainly well-made and well managed, the tannins soft-grained if a little chewy on the finish. One of the few to reach 15 degrees of alcohol, and you sense it a little on the finish. 89-91.
Balestard La Tonnelle (Saint Émilion; 57% Merlot; 35% Cabernet Sauvignon; 8% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 36 hl/ha; tasted at both La Dominique and at Dassault; certified organic). An attractive red and darker berry fruit profile, a little bit of toast and sweet spicing from the oak. Quite open-textured and certainly not pushed in terms of the extractions, allowing a delicate bright florality to emerge with aeration. On the palate this is nicely formed with a well-defined central core quite richly charged with fruit. Not especially long nor terribly complex, but well-managed and nicely balanced. 89-91.
Beauséjour (Saint Émilion; 70% Merlot; 30% Cabernet Franc; 60% new oak; a final yield of 46 hl/ha; 14% alcohol; tasted twice, the first time at Belgrave and then at Beauséjour with Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse, with practically identical notes; Axel Marchal and Julien Viaud co-consult and an entirely new wine-making facility, offering yet more precision, will be in place for the 2024 vintage). Cool and shimmering, with a fabulous energy and vivacity. Graphite, a hint of cedar, blueberry and black pen ink, a little pencil-shaving note, some incense and parfumier’s extracts of rose, peony and violet. Walnut oil. Dense and compact, with a lovely broad frame and the most gracious but also pixilating of calcaire tannins entering between and, in so doing, delineating the milles feuilles of silk and cashmere that seem interlayered and interwoven. So gracious. And with such finesse. More delicate and refined than the 2022 and at least as impressive. I love the shape of this in the mouth: the tannins somehow outlining the lozenge-shaped parameters of a black hole with the density increasing exponentially towards the centre – a kind of vanishing point, just like that to which the wine tapers on the seemingly never ending finish. It’s beautifully composed with a tight, densely charged core. The top terroir is presented with such eloquence, respect and articulation. Succulent, salivating, sapid and fabulously refreshing. 98-100.
Beau-Séjour Bécot (Saint Émilion; 77% Merlot; 23% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 39 hl/ha with the old vines; aging in oak barrels, 55% of which are new; tasted at Beau-Séjour Bécot with Jean de Cournuaud; the first vintage to be vinified in the new chai, serendipitously received just a few days before the harvest began). Beautifully dark berried and highly pixilated in its detail. Raspberry, blueberry, mulberry. Graphite. Pencil-shaving. Violet. On the palate we find violet-encased black cherry and blueberry – with a vivid sense of the texture of the whole berries and the skin of the cherry. Polished, silky but with great compactness and density in the mid-palate. Very spherical and with a gracious long tapering descent towards the distant horizon. Asymptotic! A deeply impressive wine. So fresh and clean and focussed, with a lovely structural pinch before the fantail, sculpted by the crumbly limestone tannins. I love the florality here and the sense of it being fully interwoven with the fruit across the palate. Indeed, it has me craving a re-tasting in 10 years’ time of this alongside Clos Fourtet – both extremely gracious but very differently formed, each highly floral and each brilliantly expressive of its limestone terroir. 96-98.
Bélair-Monange (Saint Émilion; 98% Merlot; 2% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 45 hl/ha, with 55% of the production making the selection for the grand vin; aging in oak barrels, 50% of them new; tasted at the property). Brilliant. After tasting Annonce, with a very similar fruit signature, one is especially struck by the florality of the grand vin – and grand it is. Radiant peonies, crushed pink rose petals, a little violet – just lovely. So fine, so pure, so measured, so elegant and poised. Silk interwoven with cashmere and with such fine pixilation. Dark cherries and plump loganberries and mulberries. Graphite and an early trace of the cedar that will coarse through this as it ages in bottle. Crushed petals and assorted parfumiers’ essences are picked up, again, on the palate. Such a subtle and elegant wine, full of refinement – rare in the vintage. A wonderful natural balance and harmony. The best of the Moueix wines and very much now at the pinnacle of the appellation. A sublime combination of salinity and sapidity on the finish. What grace in depth. 96-98+.
Bellefont-Belcier (St Emilion; 72% Merlot; 18% Cabernet Franc; 10% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 45 hl/ha; 14.5% alcohol; from 14 hectares on clay-limestone and Molasses de Fronsadais; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault and then at the property with Emmanuelle Fulchi and Jean-Christophe Meyrou; as at all of the Vignobles K estates, there were essentially no losses here to mildew). Wow! Lovely and highly expressive aromatically. I find this incredibly exuberant in its florality – lifted notes of hyacinth, peony and gladiola, saffron too. A touch of first press olive oil with all its pepperiness. This is spicy, with a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg. Gamey too, with almost a lièvre à la royale rich meatiness to it. Super-svelte, mirror pool cool at the centre and crystalline, but with excellent Côte de Pavie density and compactness. This is truly excellent for the vintage and one really feels the sharpened attention to detail. Fantastic and the best I’ve ever tasted from here. A veritable coup de coeur. 94-96+.
Berliquet (St Emilion; 59% Merlot; 41% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 45 hl/ha; pH 3.53; 14% alcohol; tasted first at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin and then at Canon – last wine tasted on a long day and it shone). The first vintage vinified in the new vat room, with 15 smaller vats replacing the 9 larger vats of the past. That helps explain the gain in precision here. We are now very close to Canon in qualitative terms. The character of the two terroirs are, however, very different (with the combination of plateau and côteaux here giving this an additional sense of vertical depth). Floral, aromatically just a little closed and intimate but one is immediately enticed. A gorgeous cedar builds with very little aeration. More gravitas, in fact, than Canon but with much the same fruit intensity. More earthy rather than chalky. The Cabernet Franc signature is so gentle and gracious. Beguiling. Violets. Irises. Lavender and rosemary. Supple and plump on the palate but quite delicate which allows the Cabernet Franc to really express itself. Glorious calcaire tannins gently sculpt this and release too that signature limestone salinity. Excellent in a very delicate and elegant way. Lovely cool harmony, with lots of menthol. Exciting. The best ever from here. Another coup de Coeur (this part of the alphabet in Saint Émilion seems incredibly strong this year!). 95-97.
Boutisse (St Emilion; 14.5% alcohol; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). A new addition to the ranks of the Grands Crus Classés – and a very welcome one at that. A lovely wine once again from Boutisse. This has a succulent, plump and juicy berry and stone fruit – sloes, damson, mulberry and bramble. There’s a fair amount of tannin here, but those tannins are very refined and polished, the mid-palate packed with fruit. In short, this is a wine that has what it takes to go the distance, but it’s already delightfully accessible, due to the elegance and definition of the fruit and the vivid sense of dynamism and energy it imparts to the mid-palate. Silky, elegant and with plenty of guile. 92-94.
Cadet Bon (St Emilion; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). Another new addition to the ranks of the Grands Crus Classés if not a wine I know very well. Floral, with a little hyacinth note, saffron too, crunchy red and darker berry fruits – raspberry and redcurrant, a little cassis and bramble. Also a little bell pepper. The acidity is, however, quite pronounced, though it reveals itself more on the very fresh attack than on the finish. The tannins are crumbly but shade a little towards the dry side. 88-90.
Calicem (Saint Émilion; 100% Merlot; the 8th production of this wine from a single parcel adjoining Angélus and Beauséjour, this has a very consistent personality now; Thomas Duclos consults here; a final yield of c. 30 hl/ha from vines of around 60 years of age; vinified in 500 litres new oak barrel from 4 tonnellerie and with pigeage à la main; pH 3.65; 14% alcohol; tasted at Couvent des Jacobins with Xavier Jean). Shimmering and pure aromatically, with a very pure blend of red and darker berry fruits, the pleasing ripeness imparting a gentle natural sweetness that is not surprising when you consider where the parcel is located. Peony. Walnut oil. Cassis and raspberry, a little stone fruit with more aeration. This has a lovely compact frame, beautifully-filled with plump and plush berry fruits, nice pixilation and a gentle structure, the calcaire tannins gathering on the finish to give this a delightfully powdery chalky finale. Glossy. Long and quite lifted. Pure, precise and very well-made. Succulent. One of the strongest monocépage wines of the appellation. 94-96.
De Candale (Saint Émilion). Fuller and richer than Roc de Candale, the fruit a shade darker and more predominantly berry rather than stone in character – though there’s a little damson to go with the mulberries and brambles. Pleasingly impactful on the attack and fresh without ever hinting at astringency, I like this, even if it’s one of those wines whose linearity and precision perhaps also exposes a certain lack of complexity. But it’s very well made. 89-91.
Canon (Saint Émilion; 71% Merlot; 29% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 45 hl/ha; pH 3.42; 14% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin and then at Canon itself). Sublimely Canon! Dark, rich, cool, composed, calming, intimate, almost a little like entering a dark chapel from the summer sunshine and then focusing in on the details of the stained glass. Pixilated – in colour. Strikingly sharp-focused, with the sensation of that coming from the extra detail and definition afforded by the powdery limestone/chalky tannins. Graphite and black berry and, above all, stone fruits, with a lovely gracious Cabernet leafiness. Sumptuous and sinuous, with just the right amount of fruit concentration to allow this to weave its magical path over the palate. Less substantial than recent vintages but a lovely expression of the vintage. Finely seasoned, above all with limestone fleur de sel! 96-98.
Canon La Gaffelière (Saint Émilion; 35% Merlot; 45% Cabernet Franc; 20% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 35 hl/ha; aging in oak barrels, just 40 % of which are new; 13% alcohol; tasted with Stephane and Ludovic von Neipperg at the property on the Saturday following en primeur week just before a substantial hail storm was broken up by Saint Émilion’s new canon defence system, rather impressively unleashed from Ludovic’s mobile phone!). The most beautiful nose. Cedar. Graphite. Violet and Parma violets. Crushed rose petals over dark black cherry and damson. Green tea and macha. Quite enticing and yet actually quite opulent for the vintage. A radiant cedar note too, that builds in the glass. Quite open-textured and with a little less depth and density than the nose leads you to anticipate. Fluid and sinuous. I love this style – a delicate balancing act between the breadth of frame to give to the Cabernet the space to express itself and the extraction to give this substance and ageability. A wine that really open and builds in the glass. Very fresh, vivid, energetic and stylish. 93-95+.
Carillon D’Angélus (Saint Émilion; 90% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc; ; tasted at Angélus with Benjamin Laforêt, Hubert de Boüard and Stephanie de Boüard-Rivoal). White and rose peppercorns, gently crushed, a little nutmeg and cinnamon, wild herbs, red, white and black currant with some of their leafiness, red cherries and a little Griotte cherry too. The limestone tannins frame and sculpt the wine giving this a lovely structure that imparts great depth and concentration. Vivid and intense. The Cabernet really dances in the space given to it by the frame set by the interaction between the Merlot and the tannins. Menthol on the finish. Impressively pure and with no sensation of oak. So succulent and juicy, sapid and fresh. A red wine made like a white and with all of the natural energy and tension that one finds in the best whites of the vintage. 93-95.
Cap de Mourlin (Saint Émilion; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). Aromatically explosive and in a very vertical way. Fireworks, cordite, oak smoke, crushed red and black cherries, brambles too. Big, rich, quite sweet-spiced and the oak as yet not fully integrated – it actually serves to underscore and draw out quite nicely a gentle florality. On the palate this is soft on the entry, quite dense and compact, but maybe lacks a little delineation. The tannins are a shade dry on the finish. Quite ‘old school modern’ if you know what I mean, but charming in its way. 91-93.
Chapelle d’Ausone (Saint Émilion; 60% Cabernet Franc; 35% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; tasted at Ausone with Alain Vauthier; certified organic). Lots of graphite, a little cedar, but quite closed when tasted in the chai at Ausone under partially grey skies half-way through en primeur week. White pepper. Walnut. Black cherries and blueberries. Mulberries. A fair bit of acidity but this is nicely incorporated and well-distributed along the well-defined and limestone-chiselled spine. Tender. Substantial. The most gracious tannins, especially considering their volume. Lots of pepper and a crushed rock salt salinity, bringing liquorice notes to the finish. Like some of the other wines in the Vauthier line-up, this is not as effusive, expressive or accessible as the 2022, but it’s just as good. It needs time and will reward patience. 94-96.
Chauvin (St Emilion; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). A lovely quite distinct aromatic profile, very bright and energetic and exuberant, quite lifted and elegant but light on its feet, as it were. Dark berry fruits, a little loganberry – with its additional acidity and freshness – and Griotte cherry. White peppercorns. Almost a hint of mimosa. On the palate this has quite a narrow frame. A delicate and subtle wine with less flesh and substance than many, but that is more than compensated for by copious energy and a very crunchy fruit profile. Finishes on cassis and grape skin. 90-92+.
Le Châtelet (St Emilion; 80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). Quite nutty, subtle, lithe and limpid, very fresh and pure, fluid and engaging. Not massive at all, but nicely layered. This is elegant – indeed, almost ethereal. Light, but light on its feet too with a nice trace of liquorice on the finish. 90-92.
Cheval Blanc (Saint Émilion; 52% Merlot; 46% Cabernet Franc; 2% Cabernet Sauvignon; 13.6% alcohol; tasted at Cheval Blanc with Pierre-Olivier Cloüet; whilst there was significant mildew pressure here, the generosity and evenness of the flowering permitted a final yield of 40 hl/ha, the source of the natural balance in the wine according to Pierre-Olivier). Gosh, this is fabulous. More cedar still than Petit Cheval. Very Cabernet Franc in its aromatics. Vertical, explosive aromatically, but gorgeous with it. When the cedar calms, it’s the graphite that sours and it seems to bring with it the fruit. Bramble, blueberry, blackberry, black cherry, damson, mulberry. A little blood orange. On the palate, this is so fantastic texturally. Silk layers unlike the more velvety Petit Chevel, but with even more depth, so we have a sort of incalculable milles feuilles sensation. Just gorgeous texturally. A cascade of layers like the descent of a spiral staircase into the cool dark depths of the cave below. So Gracious and complete. Staggering in its mouth feel. Chocolate. Violet and lavender. Aniseed. Black peppercorns and that cool finish of Szechuan peppercorns and a touch of menthol. Incredibly ethereal and fantastically lifted on the (two minute plus) finish. Utterly brilliant and a complete triumph. 98-100.
Clos Cantenac (Saint Émilion; 100% Merlot; 14% alcohol). This has a very ‘crunchy’ berry fruit – damsons and assorted dark berry fruit, just on the right side of maturity, but with quite a pronounced acidity nonetheless. It is very well made when placed in the context of the vintage’s challenges. Linear, precise and well-chiselled. But the elevated acidity reinforces its slightly strict character. 89-91.
Clos Dubreuil (St Emilion; 60% Merlot; 35% Cabernet Franc; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault; certified organic). Newly classified and richly deserving of it. Oaky in the context of the St Emilion Grand Cru Classé line-up, but that’s not exactly a surprise as this is very true to the style it has crafted over a number of vintages. Vanilla pod, black cherry, rose petals, marzipan and frangipane, white almonds too. Cool, deep, dark and quite sensuous on the palate, the oak actually much less evident here. Crystalline and pure and with a very fine-grained if still recognisably crumbly limestone tannin (just as it should have). This expresses its fine terroir (just above de Millery and below Croix de Labrie) very well and will do so even more once the oak is fully integrated (but there’s enough substance to ensure that’s just a matter of time). 91-93+.
Clos Fourtet (Saint Émilion; 87% Merlot; 7% Cabernet Franc; 6% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 46 hl/ha; pH 3.54; 14.5% alcohol; tasted with Matthieu Cuvelier at the property; made from whole berries with pigeage à la main). Gorgeous, even more so when tasted at the property. So elegant and floral, so pure and lifted aromatically. Restrained and tranquil. Enticing yet intimate. Introspective. A cornucopia of pounded fresh petals – above all, assorted rose petals. So gracious aromatically. Dark berry fruits all perfectly ripe and beautifully formed – a still life painting, highly pixilated with each hair of the raspberry so detailed. A little graphite, with a hint of the cedar to come. Incredibly soft and delicate tannins. Quite a broad frame. Saline and glistening, limpid and aerial. Some might want more fruit concentration (it’s there if you look for it, but it’s not in your face), but I find this a beautiful expression of the vintage that is deceptive in its beguiling aerial quality and its restrained power. Very tense. Really structured by the limestone tannins. The maturity arrived quite early here (third earliest harvest in recent decades). Profoundly expressive of its terroir and in its singular style (which here reminds me of the 2001 and 2004 in its harmony and completeness). A brilliant vintage for Clos Fourtet and such an eloquent homage to its terroir. 95-97+.
Clos La Gaffelière (Saint Émilion; 85% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; plot by plot management and vinification in its own separate cellar; 130,000 bottles produced; tasted at La Gaffelière with Thomas Soubes). Limpid, fresh, glistening and viscous, with a lovely sense of balance and harmony. Cassis and bramble fruits. A pleasingly fresh mouthful, decent density and superb sapidity. Unpretentious but sophisticated. 90-92+.
Clos des Jacobins (Saint Émilion; 80% Merlot; 18% Cabernet Franc; 2% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 40 hl/ha; 15% alcohol; tasted twice, the second time at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). A succulent and sumptuous nose of dark cherries, kirsch, dark chocolate ganache with maybe a hint of violet, peony too; there’s a fair bit of oak here, but it’s already well integrated. Plump and plush on the attack, with a lovely billowy feel to the soft and almost cuddly mid-palate. Opulent for the vintage, with a nice hint of the cedar that will come through with élévage and subsequent bottling aging. A success in the context of the vintage and a fine wine from Clos des Jacobins. 92-94.
Clos de L’Oratoire (Saint Émilion; situated next to Dassault; 75% Merlot; 25% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 44 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol; tasted with Stephane and Ludovic von Neipperg at Canon La Gaffelière). Delicate, floral, with a little lily and lilac and a very dark but subtle and refined berry fruit – black berry and mulberry. Cedar. A little leafy thyme and oregano too. A wine of grace and charm, with a sense of profundity coming from the Cabernet Franc. Lovely balance and harmony. Likely to represent excellent value. 92-94.
Clos de Sarpe (St Emilion; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault; certified organic). This is very beautiful aromatically, with a gloriously and perhaps unusually floral profile – saffron and peony, lily of the valley and then the dark berry fruit, nicely crunchy and well-defined. The terroir, previously rather hidden in a veneer of oak, shines here these days, thanks to the respect for its shown by Maylis Mercenat. It does so very much in this vintage. Fresh and bright on the palate too, this evolves seamlessly and feels both crystalline and dynamic in the mouth. I like this very much. 93-95.
Clos St Martin (Saint Émilion; 80% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 44 hl/ha; 14.5% alcohol; tasted twice, the second time at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). One of the most floral of wines aromatically at the Association des Grands Crus Classés tasting at Dassault. Distinct in its personality and distinctly engaging and gracious aromatically. Lily of the valley. Rose petals too. A dark stone fruit profile. Enticing. Full, quite plump, with a lovely open, sinuous and crystalline texture despite the density. Chewy towards the finish with crumbly calcaire tannins. Impressive. Quite considerable but with nice restraint and less evident oak than used to be the case. Purity rather than complexity perhaps, but lovely in its limpidity and sapidity. 92-94+.
Clos St Julien (Saint Émilion; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault; the smallest of the Grands Crus Classés of Saint Émilion now that it is classified, it being just a row or two of vines smaller than Sophie Fourçade’s Clos St Martin). Rose petals, petunias and wisteria, dark black cherry flesh and black raspberry. Quite granular in its tannic structure and dense and charged with fruit, this is soft at the core but a little angular around the extremities. But promising. A vin de garde but with a lovely limestone terroir signature. 91-93.
La Closerie de Fourtet (St Emilion; 85% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 46 hl/ha; 14% alcohol; tasted with Matthieu Cuvelier at the property). The second wine of Clos Fourtet. Slightly closed at first but pretty and floral, with that prominent, very Clos Fourtet, note of cedar. Blueberries. Peonies. Black cherry. There is more clay with the limestone here, so this is vinified apart. Very dominated in its character by the young Cabernet Franc (a massal selection from the grand vin Cabernet Franc) on limestone that will ultimately end up in the grand vin. Plump and precise, delicate, elegant and refined. A model in miniature of the grand vin – very much more so than it used to be (when it was a monocépage Merlot). Very linear and incredibly pure and clean on the finish. Rapier-like. 91-93+.
La Clotte (Saint Émilion; 85% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; tasted at Ausone with Alain Vauthier). Intense. Blackcurrant, with just a little cedar. Lovely cassis notes with aeration, wild blueberry and black berry. Quite briary, with a distinct herbal note too. Cherries enter the frame with aeration … And what a frame! Vertically structured with layers of silk and velvet – a little more of the latter, perhaps – nicely interspersed with the calcaire tannins entering between the layers and penetrating just a touch from the exterior. The tannic volume is considerable and in 2023 this is very much a vin de garde. Impressive, but less accessible today than it will be with a decade’s bottle age. 93-95.
La Commanderie (Saint Émilion; 75% Merlot; 25% Cabernet Franc; 15% alcohol; tasted twice, the second time at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). Attractive aromatically, with perfectly ripe wild strawberries, raspberry and loganberry notes the most prominent. With air, more red and darker cherry fruits join the party. A touch of nutmeg and a hint of vanilla pod too, the oak not yet fully integrated. The tannins are fine-grained and they grip and sculpt the wine nicely, but they do turn just a shade dry on the finish. But there’s a pleasing juiciness to this too. 90-92.
La Confession (Saint Émilion; tasted at Belgrave). Newly promoted to the ranks of the Grands Crus Classés, but not present at the Association’s tasting at Dassault, it was worth tracking this down! Juicy with plum and blackcurrant fruits, imparting a pleasing purity. Crystalline and juicy with a sleek and sinuous mid-palate. Quite saline in its minerality and with fine-grained grippy limestone tannins. The acidity is a little elevated, which turns this a little stern on the finish. But it’s refreshing in its juiciness. 90-92+.
Côte de Baleau (St Emilion Grand Cru Classé; 17 hectare with limestone, clay and sand – a third of each; 95% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 40 hl/ha; pH 3.83; 14% alcohol; a final yield of 50 hl/ha; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault and then at Clos Fourtet with Matthieu Cuvelier). Floral, too, and nicely defined aromatically by the Cabernet elements, even more so when tasted a second time. Very pure and focused. Out of respect for the fruit, there’s very little oak. But that fruit is almost a little herbaceous at times. I don’t have too much trouble with that, but it’s not everyone’s proverbial cup of tea. Light and finely-textured, lacking a little mid-palate oomph and maybe hinting towards dryness on the finish. Better when tasted a second time at Clos Fourtet. 89-91.
La Couspaude (Saint Émilion; tasted twice, the second time at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). Very saline aromatically – one knows one’s in the presence of limestone even before putting the glass to one’s lips. Generous, quite ample with a pleasing fruit intensity – dark stone fruits, brambles and black berries. A subtle trace of violet too, and cedar with aeration. Soft on the attack with fine-grained and yet grippy tannins. The acidity, though, is a little elevated and that seems to turn the fruit towards redder hues that jar a little with the more opulent aromatics. Redcurrant. A little tart on the finish, though a little less so the Association tasting (where I add the ‘+’). 89-91+.
Couvent des Jacobins (Saint Émilion; 84% Merlot; 11% Cabernet Franc; 5% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 40 hl/ha; tasted first at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault, then with Xavier Jean in the historic cloister of the Couvent itself). An amazing ascent to the summit is underway here and this is still a work in progress, but it’s perhaps the finest I’ve yet tasted from Couvent, with Thomas Duclos playing an important role as consultant. Incense, rose petals, wisteria and peonies, a little violet and a gracious plump stone and dark berry fruit – damsons and blueberries, a little bramble too; a nice combination of cracked peppercorns too. The Petit Verdot brings a little strictness of the mid-palate and maybe needs a little more time to fully bed in, but this is complex, layered, superb in its tannin management and incredibly refined. Bravo. The best yet from here and a veritable coup de coeur. 93-95.
Croix Beauséjour (Saint Émilion; 95% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc; 14% alcohol; 40% new oak; tasted at Beauséjour with Joséphine Duffau Lagarrosse at the end of the en primeur tastings). Very pure and lively, with a vivid black raspberry and mulberry fruit. Lots of graphite and that chalky stony minerality right from the first aromatics. The Cabernet Franc, even at 5%, is very expressive. Blueberry and cassis rising from the glacial cool glassy expansive ocean set by the Merlot. Graphite and walnut. Eloquent and articulate, a vrai vin de terroir and such an excellent introduction to the grand vin itself. Linear, chiselled but never austere. Silkily textured and lifted. 92-94.
Croix Canon (Saint Émilion; 54% Merlot; 46% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 45 hl/ha; pH 3.42; 14% alcohol). Herb-lifted wild berry fruits, fruits of the forest, a nice touch of violet and a suggestion of lavender. A note of heather too. Intense and extremely vertical, very sculpted by the limestone tannins. Pure, precise and juicy, but a little strict, an impression accentuated by the linear character imparted by the architectural tannins. Fresh, clean and lifted on the finish. A good introduction to the style at least of the grand vin. 90-92.
Croix Cardinale (Saint Émilion; 52% Cabernet Franc, 41% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon; pH 3.50; a final yield of just 15 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol; the Cabernets are planted here on limestone on south-facing slopes; tasted with Caroline Decoster at Fleur Cardinale). I’m not quite sure what to make of this. It’s made for a very distinct style and consciously intended to be ‘atypical’. It is certainly that. Dense. Chunky. Spicy. I find this a little saturated in the mid-palate, even if it starts with a nice sense of pixilation. But the grain of the tannins and their influence on the wine seems to build in and through the mid-palate, rendering this a little harsh and astringent by the time we get to the finish. I’ll need to re-taste this as I have little sense of how this will resolve itself. Crumbly and distinctly chunky on the finish, but that’s the ambition here. A vin de garde, most certainly; the question, though, is still how successfully this will age. Let me give this the slight benefit of the doubt. 90-92.
La Croix de Labrie (Saint Émilion; 85% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 27 hl/ha, seemingly low primarily because of the average age of the vines at 60 years or so; pH 3.41; 14.2% alcohol; tasted twice, the second time at the property). This sings in harmony with the wonderful cool limestone of this part of the plateau. A little closed at first when tasted the first time, but much more open the second. Even when closed we learn much from the evolution of the wine as it slowly unfurls like a fern frond. Glorious aromatically, with lovely and very distinctive subtle but intense violet, pink rose and iris notes, a little graphite and black cherry. We are in the parfumier’s laboratory. Wild blueberries, damson skin and a little blackcurrant. Griotte cherry, blood orange (from the old vine Cabernet Sauvignon) with aeration (and this is a wine that needs time to open). This is beautifully ripe, beautifully balanced and with the most gracious of tannins. Incredibly layered. Tasted alongside quite a representative sample of mid to upper tier Saint Émilion grands crus and grands crus classés this really shines for the quality of the tannins, the crystalline purity of the mid-palate and the aromatic charm and singularity of the fruit and floral signature. Truly excellent and essentially juicy. So sapid and that reinforces the sense of linearity on the finish. 95-97+.
La Croizille (St Emilion; 70% Merlot; 30% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 40 hl/ha; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). A new addition to the ranks of the Grands Crus Classés and I rather like this. Quite a delicately structured wine, with very fine-grained tannins, a certain fluidity and a sinuous quality in the mid-palate and a long and gently tapering finish. Crushed black raspberries, loganberries and wild blueberries – all in finely pixilated detail. Impressive texturally. 91-93.
La Dame de Trottevieille (Saint Émilion; 57% Merlot; 43% Cabernet Franc; tasted at Trottevieille with Frédéric Castéja). Plum, damson, blueberry. Graphite. Cedar. Impressively lithe and sinuous, with a nice balance struck between subtle, supple side and the deeper, richer side. The acidity is quite elevated and that makes this a little stern, but the levity and eloquence of the Cabernet Franc compensates and brings lift. Very sapid and clean on the finish. 90-92.
Dassault (Saint Émilion; 72% Merlot; 24% Cabernet Franc; 4% Cabernet Sauvignon; pH 3.6; 14% alcohol; tasted twice, the second time at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). Very ‘Dassault’ with its dark, plump black cherry fruit which, as ever, is generously enrobed even at this nascent stage with cedar and graphite, a little violet too. Seductive, quite opulent (the mid-palate enriched by the addition of the parcels from Faurie de Souchard), but also restrained and even delicate, with a sinuous quality that I find in many of the leading St Emilions of the vintage. Good choices. Well balanced. 92-94.
Destieux (St Emilion; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). Quite oaky when tasted alongside its peers, though that in a way reinforces the pot pourri florality (in a way that reminds me of the Margaux classed growth Lascombes, until Axel Heinz’s arrival)! Plump and quite dense, the tannins shading a little towards the dry side on the finish, with the extraction pushed further than some other neighbouring properties. But it’s plush and full in the mouth and many will be drawn to that. Trade-offs, in the end, can be managed differently; but this works. 89-91.
Le Dôme (Saint Émilion; 80% Cabernet Franc; 20% Merlot; aging in oak barrels, 80% of which are new; pH 3.81; Thomas Duclos is now the consultant here; from Jonathan Maltus; this now includes the fruit from Les Astèries which Vieux Château Mazerat picks up that from Le Carré). Often rather closed en primeur, Le Dôme in its youth is invariably a somewhat intimate and shy wine, only slowly revealing what it chooses to reveal. Not in 2023. OK, it’s not revealing all of the glory to come, but it immediately shouts Cabernet Franc, with a gloriously plump and plush wild blueberry, black cherry, cassis and violet-encrusted dark chocolate nose. On the palate, too, this is open and expressive, less densely textured than Vieux Château Mazerat, for instance, and with more clarity, finesse, sapidity and delineation. I love the plunge pool coolness of the mid-palate. Quite an ethereal wine, unusually so at this early stage. 94-96.
La Dominique (Saint Émilion; 81% Merlot; 16% Cabernet Franc; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon 5%; a final yield of 49 hl/ha; tasted three times, the third at La Dominique itself; Julien Viaud is the consultant here). Subtle, quite introverted and very classy. This exudes restraint and composure. Glacial, almost gothic, cool dark berry fruits, damsons too, a little wild blueberry. Wild thyme and a little peony. Crushed white peppercorns. Supple ultra-fine grained tannins define a tight and compact cylindrical core charged with fruit. A lovely hint of graphite in the second part of the evolution and a long fresh almost minty finish (rare in the vintage). Extremely impressive, even though it’s not revealing all of its secrets today. 93-95.
Le Dragon de Quintus (Saint Émilion; 71.6% Merlot; 28.4% Cabernet Franc; 14.1% alcohol; tasted at Haut Brion). Creamy, rich and engaging aromatically. Stone fruits – damson and wilted damsons, assorted wild plums, a little black cherry – with a little oregano and marjoram. A touch of blueberry. This is rather impressive, with a pleasing fluidity and momentum over the palate. Well managed with very refined and supple tannins. 91-93.
L'Etampe (Saint Émilion; 57% Merlot; 43% Cabernet Franc; from the excellent Vignobles Jade; élévage in a combination of oak barrels and foudres; certified organic). The consultants here are Jean-Claude and Jean-Francois Berrouet and this really shows their signature skilled attention to detail. Darker, richer and spicier than the two other Saint Émilions from Vignobles Jade, this is from a very different terroir type which this expresses with such eloquence and panache. Dustier and earthier at first but then with the most beautiful cedar-encrusted Cabernet Franc notes soaring from the glass – blueberries, cassis leaf, Szechuan peppercorns and a little black cherry stone. Full and rich on the attack, but with a wonderful grip and release of freshly crushed blueberry juice to refresh the palate and help to build the fantail finish. So clear and crisp on the finish. Wonderful. 93-95.
Faugères (Saint Émilion; 70% Merlot; 25% Cabernet Franc; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 31.5 hl/ha; tasted at the Grand Cercle tasting at La Dauphine). Nicely focussed, with less oak than it used to have and less extraction too, so this glides rather more gracefully over the palate. Layered but not deep. Quite crystalline and silkily-textured, though that perhaps serves to reveal the slightly elevated acidity. Fine and very well-made, but not especially complex. 90-92.
De Ferrand (St Emilion; 65% Merlot; 35% Cabernet Franc; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault; Axel Marchal is the consultant here and has overseen a steep progression). This seems to get better each year. Plump and plush, presenting a very pixilated and detailed image of each of the berry fruits it puts of display, like a fine still life painting from a Dutch master! A bouquet of violets too, painted with the same detail. There’s a lovely ‘Cabernet Franc on calcaire’ leafiness to this and one knows very much where one is from the identity of the tannins. I like that very much. Chewy and, of course, sapid and fresh on the finish. One almost senses the altitude of the terroir in the freshness and personality of the wine. 92-94.
Figeac (Saint Émilion; 41% Merlot; 32% Cabernet Franc; 27% Cabernet Sauvignon – small and very concentrated and so a little reduced; a final yield of 45 hl/ha, even after two green harvests; pH 3.68; 5% press wine; 13.5% alcohol; 100% new oak – though it’s difficult to believe; tasted with Blandine Brier Manoncourt and Frédéric Faye and quite a few of the family and team at Figeac itself; lots of careful choices made in the vineyard to match the number of bunches to the plant’s capacity to mature them in a generous vintage like this; the 130th vintage of the Manoncourt family at Figeac). Very, very Figeac just as La Conseillante is so very Conseillante and Cheval Blanc is so very Cheval Blanc. Walnuts and walnut shells. Black berries and black cherry. A little cedar, rather more graphite. Pink rose petals from the garden, even a little rose water. Supple, gracious and elegant yet plump and plush. That graciously beautiful and cool, composed Cabernet fruit. Great depth and profundity but rather different from the Merlot-dominated wines of the appellation and very much more left-bank in style in this vintage. Quite a tight frame but that just accentuates the near infinite sense of vertical layering. Juicy, with slowly circulating currents of cassis and black cherry fruit juice. I find this incredibly eloquent with great pixilated detail, accentuated by the more significant volume of tannin from the perfectly ripe Cabernet fruit picked over a long period of time (they needed to persuade the team to hold off). This has a gravelly, growly depth and gravitas (almost closer to Lafite then Cheval Blanc!). A wonderful and brilliant complementarity of the varietals – it needs the Merlot for the frame, and it needs the Cabernet for aromatic complexity, the lift and the eloquent florality and it needs the Sauvignon for the depth, profundity and the structure which will make this perhaps the longest lasting right-bank wine of the vintage. There are more immediately accessible wines, but this perhaps the most profound from the right-bank. 97-99.
Fleur Cardinale (Saint Émilion; 56% Merlot; 37% Cabernet Franc; 7% Cabernet Sauvignon; from a lovely vintage on a rather special terroir of 27.6 ha; a final yield of just 15 hl/ha; tasted at La Dominique and then at the property with Caroline Decoster; Ludivine Chagnon is the new technical director, having joined the team from Laroque in September 2023). Note the very low yields – mildew I presume. A touch of cordite, struck match, myrrh and exotic spices, black cherries and plump crunchy bright and fresh blackcurrants and blueberries. Cassis, too, with a little aeration and we find this again on the palate. Deep but not especially concentrated, despite the relatively narrow frame. The calcaire tannins hold this tight to the spine. Nicely structured but this lacks a little density. Luminous and very precise, however. 91-93.
Fleur de Lisse (Saint Émilion; 67% Merlot; 33% Cabernet Franc; from the excellent Vignobles Jade; élévage in a combination of concrete tanks, amphorae and foudres; certified organic; the consultants here are the dream team of Jean-Claude and Jean-Francois Berrouet). I already like Fontfleurie very much; I like this even more. It would be easy to think that this were 50 per cent Cabernet Franc or more as it’s that which really marks the aromatics – a most beautiful wild blueberry and cassis-inflected fruit profile reinforced by that lovely limestone terroir lift. It’s profoundly floral too – wisteria and peonies, a little lilac and violet. And so fresh, engaging and vivid in the mouth, where those cassis and whitecurrant notes are very evident. There’s a little more depth and substance than in recent vintages and one senses the quality of the work in the vineyard as well as the progression. Another coup de coeur from Vignobles Jade. 93-95.
La Fleur Morange (St Emilion; 70% Merlot; 30% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 20 hlha, 17 hl/ha after selection; 14% alcohol; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). Floral, as you might hope it to be, with rose petals and violet interwoven with the plump black cherries. Interesting in the mouth, at first very soft, but the fine-grained tannins engage quickly, taking the fruit in charge and sculpting it over the spine. Never terribly gentle, but dynamic and structured. Impressive, though if without the finesse of some of its peers. 90-92+.
Fombrauge (St Emilion; 90% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 49 hl/ha; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). One of the more oaky wines in the line-up, but as with some others that has a certain style and it reinforces both the floral element and the black cherry notes. A black forest gateau of a kind, but with very fresh, almost a little under-ripe cherries bringing an unusual acidity. That kind of works. Vanilla root and dark berry and stone fruit. Quite substantial but with a pretty abrupt finish. 89-91.
Fonplégade (Saint Émilion; 85% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; Derenoncourt consulted; organic since 2013, biodynamic since 2019; tasted twice, the second time at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). Tense and intense. Aromatically, this is very vivid and also highly distinctive. Crushed berry and stone fruits seem to be projected vertically from the surface of the wine in the glass without the need for any aeration, with mandarin and Seville orange zesty notes too and a touch of graphite, a little walnut shell. Lovely texturally, with a very silky opening leading to a finely-delineated and impressively lithe and layered mid-palate. Long, fluid, dynamic across the palate and much more sinuous than the, at times, strict linearity that tends to characterise the vintage, this is a great wine from Fonplégade. As I have noted before here, one senses the health of the vineyard in the glass. A wine that one might well pick blind as biodynamic and, quite possibly, as Fonplégade. 93-95.
Fonroque (St Emilion; 87% Merlot; 13% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 50 hl/ha; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). A little closed and introspective, but dominated aromatically by dark berry fruits, notably black currant with a little blueberry. There’s a lovely trace of violet here too – very subtle. Very pretty, very vivid and very fresh. Dense, compact and layered – impressively so for a wine so finely-grained in its tannic structure and so pure and limpid in its mouthfeel. Excellent. 92-94+.
De Fonbel (St Emilion; 64% Merlot; 28% Cabernet Sauvignon; 8% Carménère; tasted at Ausone with Alain Vauthier). Aromatically, very distinctive, with those Carménère notes. Leafy. Black berry, sloes and cherries. Quite tight in its frame, with lots of layered depth and nice pixilation from the tannins. Luminous and bright with lots of lift too. Easy, accessible and for relatively young drinking. A lovely mouthful. Succulent and plush and over quite a tight cylindrical frame. 91-93.
Fontfleurie (Saint Émilion; 89% Merlot; 11% Cabernet Franc; from the excellent Vignobles Jade; élévage in a combination of oak barrels, foudres and amphorae; certified organic). Something of a coup de coeur. Damsons, black cherries, blueberries and cassis. This offers great purity but also a certain creaminess rare in the vintage. It’s the blueberries and cassis that come through in the mouth where I am impressed by the energy and liveliness of this, but also its depth, layering and concentration. Certainly as strong as the 2022 – not many are. The upward ascent here continues with strong support from Jean-Claude and Jean-Francois Berrouet. 92-94.
Franc Mayne (Saint Émilion; tasted twice, the second time at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). Gorgeously expressive aromatically. Violets. Incense. Cedar, black cherry, blueberry, a little sprinkling of wild fresh herbs. Cool and calm, glistening and shimmering. Delicate and intimate, but intense. Very pretty and actually impressively dense when one thinks about it. Very refined. Quite saline on the finish. The Cabernet fruit really sings here this year, leaving its signature on the long, lingering linear finish as a parting shot. 92-94.
La Gaffelière (Saint Émilion; 58% Merlot; 42% Cabernet Franc, a little more than in 2022; a final yield of 45 hl/ha; pH 3.5; 14.3% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin and again with Thomas Soubes at La Gaffelière). Crushed raspberries and black raspberries, blackcurrant and black berry, a little blueberry too from the Cabernet Franc. Very fine, very intense and impressively (if not hardly unexpectedly) pure, precise, focused and linear. Succulent. What is rendered vertically on the nose is conveyed horizontally on the palate with laser- or rapier-like focus. So clear, so pure, so balanced and so elegant. The proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove – soft power. Not the fruit density of 2020 or 2022, though this is deceptive, but lots of terroir character and an excellent sense of harmony. Very spherical on the finish. Polished and subtle. Fluid and harmonious. 93-95+.
Grace Dieu des Prieurs (Saint Émilion; 85% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 49 hl/ha; from 6.8 hectares on sand and clay half way between the town of St Emilion and the border with Pomerol; 100% new Radoux Super Fine Blend barrels, very much the Mitjavile signature; 13.5% alcohol). Limpid and intensely purple-hued in the glass, this is radiant aromatically and it is the fruit more than the distinct oak profile that one notices first. This is very pure and very intense. Raspberry and loganberry, bramble and, above, mulberry. There’s an oh-so-subtle hint of patchouli and dried rose petals, a little Szechuan peppercorn note too. On the palate the tannins are incredibly fine-grained giving this a cool glossiness rare in the vintage. The fruit is darker here – blueberries and black cherries, black raspberry and mulberry, once again. There’s very little if any trace of the oak and this is very well sustained on the finish. Juicy, sapid and wonderfully refreshing. A little spearmint on the finish. One can just about detect the trace of Radoux Blend oak in the empty glass, but it’s the most subtle of signatures. 93-95.
Grand Corbin (St Emilion; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). Parfumiers’ essences of violet and lavender, rosemary, blueberries and black cherry. This is plush and pulpy in the mouth, limpid and quite fluid and it has a soft natural sweetness that is rare in the vintage. Nicely managed and very much a success. 90-92.
Grand Corbin Despagne (St Emilion; 75% Merlot; 24% Cabernet Franc; 1% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 35-40 hl/ha; pH 3.68; 13.6% alcohol; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). Quite saline in its minerality, with even a suggestion of iodine, all nicely enrobing and seasoning the rich, deep cherry and crushed purple berry fruits. There’s a little wisteria and violet too. Supple, quite opulent for the vintage and with very gracious and elegant tannins. Another great success from François Despagne, this signs off with a lovely hint of salty liquorice on the long and gently tapering finish. 92-94+.
Grand Mayne (Saint Émilion; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Almost a little like Dassault in its cool, rich black cherry fruit, liberally enrobed with cedar – though perhaps here the fruit is a shade lighter in hue (with more berries and fewer cherries) and the cedar joined by graphite and pencil shavings. A lovely cassis signature on the palate too. Long and linear, slowly tapering to an asymptotic finish. Excellent. 92-94.
Haut Brisson (St Emilion; 95% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc; 18 hectares on clay-limestone, fine gravel and fine brown sand; a generous yield, as at all of the VIgnobles K estates with essentially no mildew; tasted at Bellefont Belcier). No frost or mildew losses here so finally a good yield. Lots of terroir character. Spicy and chewy, with a dark peppery note, black cherry, blueberry and bramble. Intense. A bold and broad-shouldered frame, brilliantly sapid and juicy to the core with fine but crumbly tannins and impressive density. Of evident classed growth quality in this vintage, with chewy tannins to resolve but no hint of any dryness and just a wonderful sapidity on the finish. A wine to cause reputational damage in blind tastings of the future. Best ever from here. 91-93.
Haut Gros Caillou (Saint Émilion; 90% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5% Cabernet Franc; a property of just 4 hectares in the southwest of the appellation; Thomas Duclos is the consultant here; the vines have an average of 45 years of age; 13.5% alcohol). Acquired in 2019 by Louis Ballande with neighbouring Palais Cardinal. Just 6000 bottles produced in. Excellent. Wonderfully sapid and juicy with a beautifully delineated and defined mid-palate stuffed full of plump red and darker berry fruit and a little red cherry. Wonderfully crisp and croquant, sapid and crystalline, with polished yet beady tannins. Long and refreshing on the finish. Definitely a property to watch. Technically very accomplished; texturally, we could be tasting something from 2020 here. 92-94.
L'If (Saint Émilion; 80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; pH 3.37; 14.1% alcohol; tasted with Jacques Thienpont and Diana Berrouet Garcia at Le Pin). Very beautiful. A lot of vineyard restructuration has taken place here and one now feels that a new kind of harmony has been achieved. A lovely wild herbal element, quite a tight frame, very mineral and fresh, chiselled by the pure calcaire tannins. Lovely texturally, this is shimmering and limpid, glistening and plush, with ripples of freshness and broad sheets of fine-textured silk. A brilliantly detailed bright dark berry fruit – brambles and blackberry above all. Wondrous texture with lovely fine-grained powdery chalky tannins. L’If is no longer a work in progress. Vivid and bright but never austere or strict, this is delicate and refined where other limestone Saint Émilions are typically a little austere. Joyous. 95-97.
Jean Faure (Saint Émilion; 65% Cabernet Franc; 30% Merlot; 5% Malbec; certified organic and biodynamic; 14% alcohol; this is wonderfully placed between Cheval Blanc, Figeac and Evangile on an iron oxide rich clay terroir of 18 hectares). This has often been around 60% Cabernet Franc, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it at 65% of the final blend. Brilliantly expressive of that aerial plump Cabernet blueberry fruit with lavender and violet, a little rosemary and wild thyme; a little mulberry and bramble too. Quite an ample frame on the attack, but the fine-grained yet considerable tannins grip the fruit quite quickly, pulling it back to the spine and in the process ratcheting up the intensity, concentration, depth and density of the wine. Tense, vivid and vibrant, this is very pure, precise and focussed on the fresh spearmint finish. 93-95.
Laforge (Saint Émilion; 90% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc; pH 3.75; from Jonathan Maltus). Fuller, richer, spicier, but above all with more fruit intensity and lift than Teyssier – exactly as it should be. This is excellent in the context of the vintage, the oak more moderated than it used to be (though it’s not gone away), the fruit purer and more chiselled in and through the mid palate. The ferrous minerality often so dominant here is more restrained and I like the cedary notes already coming through aromatically. Very pure fruited on the palate and with a pleasing natural sweetness that really works to create tension with the natural acidity of the vintage. 90-92.
Larcis Ducasse (Saint Émilion; 86% Merlot; 14% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 43 hl/ha; pH 3.55; aging in oak barrels, 50 % of which are new; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). This exceeds my expectations and seems to have a new lease of life in this vintage. Plump berries, perfectly ripe and popping with fruit juice. Opulent and more gracious than it used to be, with a very pure and crystalline fruit, less mid-palate density and more layering, giving the stage to the fruit and to the terroir. For it is the terroir really shines here. I find this more Laroque-like in its approach to structure and that, for me, really shows off this exceptional and unique top-tier Côte de Pavie terroir so well. Extremely fresh and sapid. A little mint on the finish. A brilliant wine that I long to revisit already. A new benchmark for this fantastically situated property. 95-97+.
Larmande (Saint Émilion; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Elegant and refined; intense in its violet and peony florality. Really very stylish and sleek aromatically and plunge-pool cool in the mid-palate when we get to it too. Long and glistening, with a gracious mouthfeel and a sumptuous texture. Quite sinuous if perhaps suffering from just a dip in fruit concentration towards the finish. 91-93+.
Laroque (St Emilion; 99% Merlot; 1% Cabernet Franc; pH 3.42; a final yield of 46 hl/ha; 14.15% alcohol; aging in oak barrels, 50% of which are new; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault and then with David Suire at the property with essentially the same notes; the old Merlot turned out to be much less susceptible to mildew which hit newer clones more drastically). A vintage for the clay terroirs says David Suire. Limpid and glossy. White pepper. A little salinity and almost an iodine oyster shell element. Walnut oil, wisteria, raspberry, loganberry (above all), black cherry (but actually very little), blueberry and bramble. Blood orange (a marker of the parcel ‘les moulins’, just behind the chateau itself, apparently). Loganberry is the fruit marker that I hone in most of all. Rose petals and rose water. Very fine, very delicate and poised and very expressive of the cool slopes and plateau that together comprise its terroir. Mirror pool. The 2001 comparison again. Staggeringly pure and limpid, glossy and silky. On the palate the fruit is a shade lighter – pixilated raspberries and loganberries above all. Crystalline and fluid, lively and energetic. Very pure, focused and precise and more delicate than it sometimes is, if still very linear and long on the tapering finish. A natural acidity that accompanies the fruit throughout its journey from the attack all the way to the end. So glacially pure. 94-96+.
Laroze (Saint Émilion; 60% Merlot; 40% Cabernet Franc; tasted twice, the second time at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). This is good, but it’s not on a par with the 2022 above all, though better the second time. Dark berry fruits, a little baked, plums and baked plums, sweet spices and a very pronounced and distinct ferrous mineral note. Liquorice and cassis. On the palate I find this strangely sweet. But the core is well charged with crushed berries and pulpy plum flesh and there’s a pleasing sapidity too. A substantial wine for the vintage. The tannins turn just a little dry towards the finish, but I like the still subtle suggestion of graphite that I suspect will come through with aging. 89-91.
Lassègue (St Emilion; 50% Cabernet Franc; 43% Merlot; 7% Cabernet Sauvignon; pH 3.7; 14% alcohol; aging in French oak barrels, 50% of which are new and which are sourced from 15 different forests; tasted at Lassègue with Pierre and Hélène Seillan). This is the first time that this is majority Cabernet with recent replanting, the aim being to adapt the vineyard to global climate change; it’s also the first vintage as a Grand Cru Classé. Violet, crushed rose petals and blood orange intermingle with the dark berry and stone fruits. Green peppercorns bring their own freshness. The florality is revealed slowly and progressively. In the mouth this is both fluid and crystalline, more delicate than it used to be. It is both mineral and spicy on the finish, with the salinity of black liquorice. Very clean and linear on the finish after the amplitude, opulence and richness of the attack and mid-palate. Nicely chiselled by the calcaire tannins. Very beautiful, showing nice restraint and glorious in its floral Cabernet fruit – one sees the future of the appellation here. And we have something resembling the tannic quality of Vérité itself. Lifted and elegant. 93-95.
Lynsolence (Saint Émilion; 100% Merlot; tasted at the Grand Cercle tasting at La Dauphine). Incense and bright fresh spring blooms, a little graphite and acacia wood, a twist of black pepper too. Soft and beguiling with a lovely fresh cassis element welling up from the depths brining both freshness and lift. Very good as it so often is. Elegant and beguiling. Subtle. 92-94.
Mangot (Saint Émilion; 65% Merlot; 30% Cabernet Franc; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; Thomas Duclos is the consultant here). Vivant, vivid and wonderfully expressive both aromatically and on the palate, this exudes the spirit and health in the vineyard associated with biodynamic winemaking – you can feel it, you can scent it, you can taste it. Crystalline purity reinforced by those wondrous calcaire tannins and a great sense of dynamism and energy in the ultra-sapid and juicy mid-palate. My only qualm about this wine in the past was just a little too much oak; not here. This is truly great, above all on the context of the vintage. 93-95.
La Marzelle (Saint Émilion; 80% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14% alcohol). A property on a steep upward trajectory, confirmed by the quality of this wine. Saline. Pure, crystalline in and through the mid-palate and with an elegance and sauvété (a French word that seems utterly appropriate here) that it never had before. Tight and with an impressive well-defined frame, nicely charged with fresh croquant dark berry fruit, above all wild blueberry and black currant. A little note of incense that I really like. Dynamic and energetic. Dark chocolate. The wood actually needs a little time to integrate, but that’s just a matter of time, so compact is the core of dark stone and berry fruit here. There’s a lovely hint the cedary notes to come and a little rose petal with aeration. Excellent. There’s a glass ceiling (or at least a barrier) in St Emilion in this vintage – this is above it. Very sapid and pure on the finish. A very fine and long, linear finish. 92-94+.
Monbousquet (Saint Émilion; 65% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; 15% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 28.8 hl/ha; pH 3.73; 14.2% alcohol; tasted at Pavie with Olivier Gailly). Rich and plump, but with less oak and more fruit intensity than in the past. Dark berries, cherries, brambles, nutmeg and cinnamon spice, a little pot pourri. We have, too, that distinct ferrous and crushed rock and graphite minerality that comes from the gravel and crasse de fer terroir. Fine and quite crystalline, but with significant extraction. That renders this a little un-delineated in the mid-palate but it is certainly finer than it used to be with very grainy, beady tannins. A vin de garde, the oak well-restrained and well-integrated. 90-92.
Mondot (Saint Émilion; 90% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, from a plot planted 7 years ago; a final yield of 53 hl/ha; aged in a combination of second use oak and steel vats; tasted with Aymeric de Gironde at Troplong Mondot). Quite a bold structure for an ostensible second label (even if it now comes, in effect, from a separate vineyard on a limestone slope). Red and darker berry fruits, a bit of redcurrant and bramble and black berry. Quite sweet-fruited, despite the marginally elevated acidity. Walnut shell. Black cracked pepper. Bold and layered, sapid and quite saline. Refreshing on the finish. 90-92.
La Mondotte (Saint Émilion; 80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 37 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at Canon La Gaffelière with Stephane and Ludovic von Neipperg). Gorgeous aromatically, this is delicate, subtle and intimate – inviting you in rather than coming outwards to greet you. Violets. Peonies. Black cherry. Blackberry. Graphite. On the palate, this is rich and broad and beautifully composed – very La Mondotte but with a new grace. This garden vineyard grows wonderful fruit and beautiful flowers. Beautifully succulent. Intensely sapid. Powerful but all in finesse. An exquisite composition. A total harmony. Truly memorable. 95-97.
Mondou (Saint Émilion). A lovely wine in the context of the vintage, showing the upward trajectory now established here. Succulent and expressive aromatically, with a pleasingly dark fruit profile – brambles, mulberries, damsons and cherries, kirsch too with aeration and a little violet. That kirsch note is immediately picked up in the mouth too and I am impressed by the quality of the tannins and the compactness of the mid-palate – a nice cylindrical core that gives this shape all the way to a long finish. 90-92+.
Monlot (Saint Émilion). Lighter in extract than many wines of the appellation but with a very pronounced radiant pink-purple rim. Aromatically very expressive if a little dominated by the oak – with muscovado sugar, vanilla, Chinese five spice, nutmeg interweaving with the dried floral elements and the red and darker berry and stone fruit. Given the evidently gentle extraction I’m surprised to find the grippy tannins rather dry and powdery on the finish, but there are some nice ingredients here. Lacks a little mid-palate density and it’s that ultimately that accentuates the oak influence at this stage. 89-91.
Montlabert (Saint Émilion; 75% Merlot; 25% Cabernet Franc; pH 3.5; 14% alcohol; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). Another new member of the Grands Crus Classés – massively merited. One almost knows already from the quality of the second wine, reinforced by one’s understanding of the work going on in the background here, that this is going to be good. It is – excellent, in fact. Subtle, elegant and refined with that lovely leafy blueberry Cabernet Franc note wafting from the glass even without coaxing. Wisteria. An intimate wine aromatically, with lovely but again subtle black cherry fruit. The sense of cool, calm intimacy continues on the palate where the beguilingly soft tannins trick you at first into overlooking quite how dense and compact it is. Long, sapid, juicy to the core and with a long and distinguished life ahead of it. Probably the measure of the 2022, if rather different in character. 92-94.
Montlisse (St Emilion; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). This starts slightly floral, with a little wild strawberry too. But the subtly of that is a little overwhelmed by the salinity, although it does calm to reveal further complexity with black cherry notes building with aeration. Quite bold and punchy over a broad-frame, perhaps at the expense of some delineation and definition. But this is a solid wine in the context of the vintage. 89-91.
Moulin du Cadet (St Emilion; 100% Merlot; pH 3.44; 14.5% alcohol; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). A wine I associate, aromatically, with black cherry and cedar and that’s exactly what we find here, impressively so. Soft and seductive, quite opulent and rich. A lovely rose petal florality too and I find this brighter and more mobile through the mid-palate than usual. Impressive. It’s not a surprise that it’s good; but it’s very good indeed. Very juicy. 92-94.
Moulin St-Georges (Saint Émilion; 85% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; tasted at Ausone with Alain Vauthier). Fuller, richer, more plush and plump than de Fonbel. Old school in its aromatics but with a lovely luminous mid-palate. A broader frame, not overly stuffed other than with fruit and stretched wide to give this more crystallinity. Succulent. Juicy and sapid. Wild herbs and a note of heather on the finish. Lovely. 92-94.
Pavie (Saint Émilion; 51% Merlot; 32% Caberbet Franc; 17% Caberent Sauvignon; a final yield of 32.8 hl/ha; with just 30 per of the total production making the strict selection for the grand vin; pH 3.66; 14.25% alcohol; tasted at Pavie with Olivier Gailly). This has a lovely intense florality – very much the parfumier’s essence of assorted flowers, notably rose and violet. Chocolate-coated violet. Lavender too. Black cherry. A touch of mocha. Espresso coffee. This is big, boldly structured and broad-shouldered, opulent and monumental – in short, Pavie through and through. It also has a lovely texture and mouth feel – cashmere, but layers and layers of its – each forged from pure berry and stone fruit and seemingly interwoven with liquorice and aniseed, with the tannins chiselling the external parameters (setting the width) and indicating the layering too (more horizontally). A gothic cathedral carved from limestone tannins. This is a true vin de garde and deeply imposing and impressive it is too. Aeration brings more grace and harmony – as if the wine starts to relax. In 2023 Pavie offers the finesse of the vintage but with a degree of concentrated power that no other wine of the appellation has. 96-98.
Pavie Macquin (Saint Émilion; 82% Merlot; 17% Cabernet Franc; 1% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 48 hl/ha; pH 3.35; 14.2% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). This remains very true to its style, in a vintage in which Larcis-Ducasse seems somehow more aerial and expressive. Bolder, bigger, slightly spicier and slightly denser too, quite saline in its minerality. Quite ferrous in its minerality, with an oyster shell-iodine note too, and just a little more open-textured and crystalline in the mid-palate than is usual here at this nascent stage. Fireworks, struck match, red cherry and darker berry fruits. Long and racy, but without the fruit concentration of recent great vintages. 92-94.
Péby-Faugères (Saint Émilion; 100% Merlot; from a vineyard of 7.18 ha; a final yield of 34.6 hl/ha; tasted at La Dominique). Plush, plump, with more extraction but the same textural finesse as Faugères. Incense, cherry, candlewax, myrrh and black berry and stone fruits. More new oak too. Glossy. Gracious. A nice balance and the oak, though a little evident on the nose, is very well incorporate on the palate. Rippling and glistening. Very impressive and technically accomplished. Lighter in style in this vintage but it gains in delineation and precision for that. 92-94+.
Petit Cheval (Saint Émilion; 50% Merlot (from 3 plots); 50% Cabernet Franc (from 2 plots); this is a true second vine, with every one of the 56 plots ‘interviewed’ blind, in effect, for its potential part in the grand vin; Pierre-Olivier’s aim is to bring the vineyard into the bottle and make it representative of Cheval Blanc itself as a vineyard; of the 56 plots, 9 are currently being replanted with 41 plots of the 47 used for the grand vin, only one was unused in either; tasted at Cheval Blanc with Pierre-Olivier Clouet). So much cedar. I love it. Dark and intense and voluptuous unlike any other second wine of the vintage. Violets and a concentrated parfumier’s essence of violet. Sumptuous, succulent, juicy, radiant. This really could be Cheval Blanc, so expressive of the identity of the property is it. Juicy, intensely salivating and hyper-fresh with the acidity brilliantly distributed and integrated. Wow. Incredibly refreshing, with a little mint and aniseed on the finish. 94-96.
Petit Faurie de Soutard (St Emilion; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). The sample is just a little petillant, alas. Anyway, what do we have? A basket of blooms, very pretty aromatically. Fleur de sel. Lithe and sapid, indeed very juicy, facilitated by the open texture and the clarity of the mid-palate. Quite a broad frame, the fruit perhaps stretched a little thin. But I like this and I prefer the trade-off between precision and extraction to be managed this way. I’d still like to re-taste this though. 90-92+.
Peymouton (Saint Émilion; 70% Merlot; 23% Cabernet Franc; 7% Cabernet Sauvignon; produced by the team of Laroque, led by David Suire; back in the day it was part of that then massive estate). Crunchy, fresh bright red and darker berry fruits, cassis much in evidence. Loganberry. This has a pleasing limestone terroir signature too. Pure, precise, tight and focussed. But it’s quite strict and it takes a while to take shape in the mouth. The tannins, too, are a little sharp and needle like, even if they impart a pleasing sense of the limestone terroir from which they hail. This fades quite quickly. 88-90.
De Pressac (Saint Émilion; 70% Merlot; 16.5% Cabernet Franc; 9% Carménère; 2.5% Malbec; 0.5% Petit Verdot; tasted twice, the second time at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault, with broadly consistent notes). Rich, creamy and quite aerial with a distinct wild herbal element interwoven nicely with the pulpy damson and assorted berry fruit. A nice trace of cedar. On the palate, this has a lovely sense of pick up and energy on the attack, with fine-grained and quite glossy tannins. It gets a little more bogged down in the mid-palate as the granularity of the tannins seems to grow, disrupting the flow of the wine over the palate. But there’s much to like here too. Now on an impressive upward ascent. 90-92.
Le Prieuré (St Emilion; 85% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 35 hl/ha; pH 3.5; 14.5% alcohol; from a vineyard of 12 hectares on the limestone plateau above La Clotte; vinified by the team from Calon-Ségur). A work in progress (with 2 of the 3 planned acts already completed), this is already showing dividends. In 2023 the wine has a fabulous limestone signature that it had a few vintages back but which it seemed to lose in 2021 and 2022. I find this beautiful aromatically and lifted with lovely violet and crushed rock notes alongside the pure blueberries, black cherries and with a little Cabernet Franc leafiness too. Supple. Gracious. Quite opulent in a way, but always fluid, exciting and intense in and through the mid-palate. Long and gently tapering on the finish. A return to form. 92-94.
Puyblanquet (Saint Émilion; 80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; just 11 of the 19 hectares here are in production with significant replanting underway; just in front of Pressac, next to Boutisse; 14.2% alcohol; tasted at La Gaffelière with Thomas Soubes). Beautiful in its intensely dark fruited aromatic profile. Plump but sleek and plush. Brambles and blackberries. A hint of cedar and graphite. Lovely texture and nicely chiselled. Very pure and lithe. Excellent. Luminous at the core and with lovely powdery chalky tannins on the finish. This gets better each year. 92-94.
Quinault L’Enclos (Saint Émilion; 67% Merlot; 17% Cabernet Sauvignon; 16% Cabernet Franc; aged only in foudres and now for 24 months; this is no longer to be released en primeur). Graphite. A nice dark fruit profile. Sloes and damsons. Cedar. Peony. Iris. Soft and caressing. Not an ample frame but that accentuates the sense of profundity and depth as well as the concentration. This feels wild and herbal, above all in its aromatics. On the palate it is succulent and svelte with a well-defined spherical core. Pure, precise, clean and with lift on the finish, the frame providing enough space for the juice to circulate. A nice hint of black pepper on the well-sustained finish. The best recent vintage. 92-94.
Quintus (Saint Émilion; 78.3% Merlot; 21.7% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 43 hl/ha; pH 3.6; 15% alcohol). This feels quite serious. And it’s a big step up from the already impressive Dragon. Meaty and substantial, with a little tobacco smoke. Rose petals and parfumier’s essence of rose petals; Parma violets. Beeswax. A hint of sweet spicing, the oak as yet not fully integrated. Black cherry, damsons, blueberry, bramble. Mandarin and satsuma, too. Graphite. Black and green tea. On the palate this is sumptuous and opulent, with a lovely well-sustained chewy grape skin note on the finish. I love too the hint of limestone tannins on the crumbly, powdery finish – from the incorporation of the Grand Pontet plateau parcels I imagine. 93-95.
Ripeau (St Emilion; 65% Merlot; 30% Cabernet Franc; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 41.2 hl/ha; 14.5% alcohol; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). One of the most red-berry fruited at the Association tasting. Raspberry, loganberry, redcurrant and a little blackcurrant. Limpid, glossy and nicely delineated with lots of precision and detail. Fine. Long and tapering on the finish. 90-92+.
Roc de Candale (Saint Émilion). Baked clay path, wild herbs, dark plum and berry fruits. The attack shows the elevated acidity, and starts with the crushed berry notes, but we get a pleasing, and slightly sweeter secondary arrival of cherries (red more than black), lifting this. I like, too, the juicy character of the mid-palate. More vivid and dynamic in the mouth than aromatically at this stage, but certainly promising. 89-91.
Rocheyron (Saint Émilion; 75% Merlot; 25% massal-selection Bouchet; a final yield of 35 hl/ha; certified organic; tasted at the property with Peter Sisseck). In terroir terms it strikes me that Rocheyron is to Laroque, what Canon is to Berliquet. There were some mildew losses here but still a decent overall yield. This was very early harvested for this part of Saint Émilion, with picking still underway at the time in Pomerol. Very delicate with that subtle ‘Bouchet’ cassis and blackcurrant leafiness. A subtle hint of cedar and rather more graphite. A cool mirror pool mid-palate. Lovely green and green Szechuan peppercorns. A little pink peppercorn too. A loamy earthiness. Blueberry. One of those wines whose softness, suppleness and elegance in the mouth is clear already from the aromatics (don’t ask me how that works, but it does). Cool, so incredibly silky in texture – and silk rather than cashmere as it’s so micro-layered. This has more density than Laroque, with the finest grained and granular tannins acting like glass rollers differentiating the layers. But this come with no loss of density or concentration. Quite a tight frame, more so than its near neighbour, and that accentuates the sense of density and compactness here, gloriously so. There’s a lovely sensation in the mouth as the black cherry notes build and the wine evolves over the palate, So often in this vintage it’s the dark berry fruit that triumphs over the stone fruit; here it’s the opposite. In short, this becomes more and more seductive as it unfurls over the palate. A magical wine and so well handled, expressing this wondrous terroir in such an accomplished and articulate way. The length of my note is an indication of my enthusiasm. 97-99.
Rol Valentin (St Emilion; 78% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; 7% Malbec; a final yield of 40 hl/ha; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). Struck match, flint, incense, pot pourri and dried petals, red and darker stone fruit, damson and a little dark berry fruit too. Rich and a little oaky, if perhaps less so than it used to be. This almost feels a little sweet – from the oak toast perhaps – and in a vintage defined by elevated acidity that feels incongruous. Quite dry on the finish. 88-90.
Saintayme (Saint Émilion; 100% Merlot; aging in oak barrels, 30% of them new; 14.6% alcohol; tasted with Noemie Durantou at L’Eglise-Clinet). A lovely intense and rather herb and heather inflected dark berry and stone fruit. Briary fruits, fruits of the forest, plums, damsons, brambles. Quite vertical aromatically. Pure and intense on the palate too with an impressively glassy texture. Quite a tight and narrow frame. But with a good volume of tannin too. Nice walnutty notes on the finish. Excellent. 90-92+.
Sansonnet (St Emilion; 87% Merlot; 8% Cabernet Franc; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 30 hl/ha; pH 3.37; 14.5% alcohol; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). This, too, I find quite oaky, with an oak-enhanced petally florality, a touch of saffron too. Full, plush, deep, rich, ambitious structurally and in terms of extraction. Limpid, lithe and elegant, perhaps more so than you might imagine, given the extraction. But also just a little dry on the finish. Grape skins and chewy tannins. 89-91+.
La Serre (Saint Émilion; 73% Merlot; 27% Cabernet Franc; tasted twice, first at Bélair Monange, and then at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). Somewhat strange, very saline and quite spicy, with a lighter fruit hue than many. Raspberry, even a little strawberry perhaps. One notices the oak a little – sweet spicing and vanilla pod. Pure. A little lean. Slender but with a nicely chiselled central core. Fine, but a little severe on the finish which I find a touch dry too. 89-91.
Simard (Saint Émilion; 55M; 25CF; 15CS; 5PV; at Ausone). Spicy. Rich. Deep. Peppery. Lots of extract. Old school in a way. Chewy tannins, but more lithe and supple that you expect from the aromatics. Nice texture. Good length. Broad frame. Velvet rather than silk. Nice terroir character. 90-92.
Soutard (St Emilion; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). A little indistinct aromatically in the UGCB flight of St Emilions, though not really closed. There’s a delicate lavender and violet notes, cherries and blueberries – more and more with even gentle aeration. Subtle. Floral, too, in the mouth with a quite sinuous interweaving of the cherries and flowers that is very attractive. The cassis notes build towards the finish which is saline and sapid. 91-93+.
Soutard Cadet (Saint Émilion; tasted at the Grand Cercle tasting at La Dauphine). Incense, crushed and concentrated rose petals, red and darker cherry fruits, redcurrant and blackcurrant. This is well-packed with crushed fruits, but the acidity is a little elevated and that renders this just a little austere. I suspect, though, that this is soften and integrate during élévage and I look forward to re-tasting this, as it has quite a distinct and interesting fruit profile. 89-91.
St-Georges Côte Pavie (St Emilion; 80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 30 hl/ha; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). Incense, wild blueberry, bramble, a little graphite, a hint of wild thyme. Lovely texture, this is a wine that has gained considerably in elegance in recent vintages. The tannins are svelte and fine-grained, they sculpt the flow of the wine over the palate and this has a deal of forward momentum despite the not inconsiderable density. Nicely done. Not the most complex or even age-worthy of the wines of the Côte de Pavie but the best recent vintage of this I think and a sign I suspect of things to come. 91-93.
Tertre Rôteboeuf (Saint Émilion; 80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; 14.5% alcohol; tasted at the property with François Mitjaville). Generous yields here and the only problem was rabbits gorging themselves on the fresh buds in a single parcel! Always a singular wine and in 2023 it’s as singular as ever. If all wines are created equal, some are more equal than others! Less exuberant than Roc de Cambes, but utterly gorgeous in its fresh, lush, deep dark berry fruit profile. Incense. Myrrh. Quite saline, with a touch of cinnamon and pain d’épices. Gingerbread. Pot pourri. Leather – the old armchair. Saffron. Kirsch. Walnut oil. Cracked black pepper. Liquorice root. Very clean on the finish and with a rapier-like linearity. A wine that transcends the vintage in a way and has none of the elevated acidity of others. With essentially one vineyard worker per hectare all was managed with great care and reactivity, so no yield losses and an à la carte harvest at perfect maturity. That goes some way to explaining the quality here. A singularity in any vintage, above all this one. 94-96.
Teyssier (Saint Émilion). Really even before you consider the likely price, this is excellent. Bright, aromatically explosive with pure crunchy berry fruits, wild herbal notes and that slight ferrous mineral note I associated with both Teyssier and, above all, Laforge – as well as that Maltus touch of sweet spice and black pepper. A pleasing sense of volume on the palate, with decent density and length, though just a slight hint of dryness on the finish. 89-91.
Tour Baladoz (St Emilion; 80% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 45 hl/ha; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). Rather oaky and extracted, much more so than La Croizille. Big, bold, rich and punchy. Incense and pot pourri, red and darker cherry notes, red berries too. Nicely fresh and quite vibrant and croquant in its fruit, but there’s a strange disjuncture between the freshness of the palate and the opulence of the aromatics. This needs time to come together. I look forward to re-tasting this in time. 89-91.
La Tour Figeac (Saint Émilion; 65% Merlot; 35% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 45.5 hl/ha; 14% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin and then at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). Distinct in the UGCB line-up with a brighter and lighter red berry note to the fruit, which is then joined by darker berries bringing with them a copious violet florality. In fact we have multiple shades of currant – white, red and black, too, with some of their leafiness too on the palate. Very pure in its fruit profile and very dynamic in the mouth. This is less dense than many, but its more complex and more vibrant and articulate. Lively and engaging, and I really like it. Something of a coup de coeur. As pleasing a vintage of this as I can recall. 92-94+.
Tour St-Christophe (Saint Émilion; 80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 46 hl/ha; pH 3.35; 14.8% alcohol; from 23 hectares on clay-limestone; tasted first at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault and then at Bellefont Belcier with Emmanuelle Fulchi and Jean-Christophe Meyrou; a generous yield, as at all of the Vignobles K estates with essentially no mildew). A lovely limestone signature to the aromatics such that one can almost feel the calcaire tannins before putting this in one’s mouth. Gorgeous crushed blue-purple berry fruits, generously enrobed in graphite. Peonies and wisteria, parfumier’s essence of violet, a hint of lavender. And a little raspberry freshness with aeration. There’s a generous natural sweetness to this. Vibrant yet soft on the attack. A tight structure, beautifully framed by the structuring beady limestone tannins. Limestone salinity and liquorice notes too. Dense and compact, precise and focussed, this is another great success. Reliably excellent and here with even more clarity, precision and amplitude. Brilliantly sapid and with a wonderful pinch from the grippy crumbly limestone tannins. What’s not to like? 93-95+.
Trianon (Saint Émilion). A property long overlooked but now on a steep upward ascent. A difficult vintage, one imagines, here has been pretty well-managed, but this is not on quite a par with the heights of 2020 or 2022. Nice briary and dark berry fruit notes, a little wild thyme too, gentle sweet-spicing and a hint of florality define the aromatics. On the palate, there’s a nice leafy cassis note to the fruit, no hint of greenness and quite an impressive evolution over the palate. But the finish is a little ungainly, the acidity seeming to gather there and turning this a little rustic. Nonetheless, a bold effort that should be rewarded. 89-91.
Troplong Mondot (Saint Émilion; 84% Merlot; 13% Cabernet Sauvignon; 3% Cabernet Franc; sourced from the historic 27 hectares of the estate; tasted at the property with Aymeric de Gironde). Darker than Mondot with a lovely damson and sloe stony fruit, a little cassis and bramble, with copious wild herbs and graphite brining additional interest. This is big, bold, rich and plump with great amplitude and yet also very considerable depth and substance. Quite relaxed at first and very clean and bright on the finish. Spherical in form with quite a broad frame and excellent precision. That gives lots of space and scope for the succulent and sapid berry fruits to play with – their freshness bringing a whirlpool-like momentum and dynamism to the midst of the mid-palate. Nice high menthol, eucalyptus and Szechuan peppercorns notes on the finish. Excellent. 95-97.
Trottevieille (St-Emilon; 53% Cabernet Franc; 44% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Sauvignon; 13.5% alcohol; 28 cuves for 8 hectares giving them the liberty to pick over such a long period of time and at optimal ripeness). Big, plump and plush with a lovely texture. Very broad shouldered but with a form of vertical gravitas and profundity that comes from the presence of so much Cabernet. The wild blueberries fill the space allowed them by the structure, chiselled as it from the limestone below. Violet and rose. Rose pepper corns. Cool and lithe and rippling with juicy, sapid, dark berry fruits. Really succulent and refreshing, vivid, vibrant and quite energetic. There’s impressive density too. Full, but oh so fresh. The limestone tannins grip the fruit and pull it back to the spine, giving this an hourglass-shaped structure that has the same effect on my cheeks – so this almost finishes on a light, aerial whistle, leaving just the taste of grape skins. Picked like a Sauternes. A fabulous wine on sparkling form in 2023. 95-97.
Valandraud (Saint Émilion; 84% Merlot; 8% Cabernet Sauvignon; 8% Cabernet Franc; 15% alcohol and 100% new oak; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Wow! This is so intense. We are really in the parfumier’s boudoir! Violet, violet essence, violet-encrusted ganache forged from the darkest molten chocolate, mocha and black cherries, black forest gateau and a hint of blueberry and cassis. Candlewax too. Plump, soft, dense and packed with crushed black cherries, this is very pure and crystalline given the sheer density of the mid-palate. Very impressive technically and very hedonistic both aromatically in the mouth. 95-97.
Villemaurine (Saint Émilion; 70% Merlot; 30% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 33 hl/ha; pH 3.46; 14.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin and then at the Association des Grands Crus Classés at Dassault). Saline. Peanut brittle. An interesting combination of red and darker berry fruits, though rather closer at first. With aeration, above all when tasted the second time, this is more integrated and harmonious with reassuring violet and cedar notes and a slightly darker berry fruit (as one expects here). Strange on the palate, but again less so when re-tasted. Texturally very impressive with hyper-fine grained tannins, but maybe a little monotone. That said, I do love the subtle hint of mint and cassis from the Cabernet that comes through as if from the depths towards the finish. I’ll be keen to re-taste this. 90-92
Vieux Chateau Mazerat (Saint Émilion; 90% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 34 hl/ha; aged in oak barrels, 80% of which are new; from Jonathan Maltus; Thomas Duclos is the new consultant here). A new label has this more closely resembling Le Dôme. Rich, creamy, but lifted and bright aromatically, with oodles of perfectly ripe black cherries and a little wild blueberry and cassis, dark chocolate, mocha and a hint of black liquorice. This is bold and punchy in the mouth, with considerable depth and concentration. But, despite that, it remains juicy and sapid to the finish – or almost all of the way to the finish. For if I have a minor issue here it is the very slight hint of dryness on the finish where the tannins turn just a little powdery. 92-94.
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Pomerol: spectacular top end wines
Pomerol is the next destination. Here we find a complex picture, where an impressive number of wines at the top end sit alongside others that fall below their 2019, 2020 or 2022 counter-parts.
We have gravity on our side as we continue our right-bank journey down the hill from Saint Émilion past Figeac and Cheval Blanc to arrive in Pomerol – and it doesn’t take nearly as long to get here as it did for us to get from St-Estèphe to Saint Émilion.
In any meteorologically challenging vintage Pomerol is likely to be complex. It was in 2021, it was in 2022 and it is again in 2023. If we look at the meteorological record of the vintage (as, for instance, in Table 1) and the average aggregate vineyard yields (as in Table 2) it is certainly tempting to suggest that Pomerol’s experience was ultimately similar to that across the appellation border in Saint Émilion, but that it coped better and was perhaps always likely to do so.
(Nov-March) |
Budburst to Harvest (April-mid October) |
Total (1/11-15/10) |
|
Pomerol |
338 (-31.5%) |
470.0 (+14.5%) |
808.1 (-10.9%) |
Margaux |
398 (-19.3%) |
464.6 (+11.0%) |
862.6 (-5.7%) |
St Julien |
458 (-5.8%) |
441.3 (+13.3%) |
899.2 (+1.2%) |
Pauillac |
458 (-5.8%) |
441.3 (+13.2%) |
899.2 (+1.2%) |
St-Estèphe |
550.7 (+3.0%) |
411.8 (+4.7%) |
912.5 (+1.5%) |
Pessac-Léognan |
426 (-12.4%) |
469.4 (+14.5%) |
895.2 (0%) |
Saint Émilion |
306 (-37.1%) |
490.8 (+18.1%) |
796.8 (-11.8%) |
Table 1: Rainfall during the vintage (relative to 10-year average)
Source: calculated from Saturnalia’s Bordeaux 2023 Harvest report
Yet that, to me, does not seem quite right. In a vintage of glass ceilings, it is certainly true that Pomerol largely avoided the horrific vineyard losses experienced in some parts of Saint Émilion where mildew became almost as endemic as it did in the Entre-Deux-Mers. And that, of course, is sufficient in itself to account for the rather higher overall yields in Pomerol than in Saint Émilion. But that, in the end, is the point. For, although far fewer Pomerol vineyards were entirely ravaged by mildew, the experience for those whose mildew losses were relatively small was in the end remarkably similar – and certainly no less heterogenous Having tasted some 80 or so wines from the appellation, then, I do not agree with the view that Pomerol had it easier and is one of the more homogeneous of the leading appellations in this vintage. It rarely is in my experience.
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
10-year average |
Relative to 10-year average (% change) |
|
Pomerol |
43.0 |
39.8 |
28.9 |
32.3 |
45.2 |
36.1 |
+25.2 |
Margaux |
49.2 |
36.3 |
38.6 |
31.3 |
37.7 |
39.7 |
-5.0 |
St Julien |
45.5 |
34.3 |
35.2 |
34.3 |
50.3 |
40.1 |
+25.4 |
Pauillac |
46.7 |
37.4 |
35.1 |
34.8 |
47.1 |
39.7 |
+18.6 |
St Estèphe |
49.7 |
41.2 |
40.7 |
31.5 |
51.6 |
43.4 |
+18.9 |
Pessac-Léognan rouge |
47.2 |
34.6 |
30.7 |
35.7 |
38.1 |
38.5 |
-1.0 |
St Emilion (GC) |
43.0 |
36.7 |
27.5 |
41.2 |
40.5 |
37.2 |
+8.9 |
Table 2: Average vineyard yield by appellation (hl/ha)
Source: calculated from Duanes data compiled by the CIVB Service Economie et Etudes
But that is absolutely not to challenge the idea that it has produced, at the top-end, an impressive number of the wines of the vintage. It has and that is not in question. But, as in Saint Émilion, the descent from the summit is relatively steep. Here it becomes ever more vertiginous the further one travels from the core of its historic plateau.
There are perhaps 30 or so genuinely great wines here, but there are plenty of others that are far from the qualitative equivalent of the same property’s 2019, 2020 or 2022.
Atop the twin peaks that form the summit of the appellation in 2023 we find a legendary Lafleur of shimmering and gracious beauty and a sublimely seamless, poised and gracious Le Pin.
What is also so fantastic in this vintage is how each of the leading wines of the appellation is so true to both its style and to its terroir. This is a vintage for the blind taster!
La Conseillante, above all, could be no other wine – it is plump, plush, rich and effusive, the heart and soul of the Pomerol plateau.
L’Eglise-Clinet is very different, intimate and introspective where La Conseillante is boisterous and explosive. It is incredibly supple, subtle, succulent and sapid – a wine of staggering grace and beauty that reminds me of the great vintages of Denis Durantou.
Petrus is very different again – utterly gracious and beguiling despite its amplitude and disguised power, the proverbial iron fist in the silk glove.
And Vieux Château Certan is simply divine – floral, aerial, elegant, graceful and utterly captivating in this vintage.
There is also plenty here to entice those for whom the price of the leading wines of the appellation (driven in part by their scarcity) places them out of reach. Guillot Clauzel is, once again, a hidden jewel forged from the terroir equivalent of a diamond field. Porte Chic, Lécuyer (recently acquired by Ronan Laborde of Clinet) and De Sales are all also likely to represent fabulous value for a rather more modest investment. And placed somewhere in between, La Petite Eglise, Beauregard, Bourgneuf and Feytit-Clinet provide a quartet of wines to showcase the diversity of Pomerol’s top terroirs without threatening to break the bank.
Beauregard (Pomerol; 74% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; 6% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 43 hl/ha; pH 3.8; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin and then with Vincent Priou at the property). A lovely rose petal, iris and violet florality. Soft, caressing, seductive and yet intimate. Fresh and pure, sinuous and sumptuous, with the violet florality so well integrated into the frame. So juicy and fresh. A Beauregard that I really love, but then I’m a sucker for violets. 93-95.
Bel-Air (Pomerol; 100% Merlot; bordering Bourgneuf and Trotanoy). Quite elegant and articulate aromatically. Very expressive of its Pomerol terroir, with that slightly early ferrous minerality, a nice hint of the cedar to come and pleasingly intense dark berry and stone fruitiness. Quite broad on the attack, but not especially dense or compact and shorter than some on the finish. Easy-drinking unpretentious Pomerol that tells you where it comes from. Likely to be excellent value. 89-91.
Blason de l’Evangile (Pomerol; 95% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc; a genuine second wine, a cellar selection, like Cheval Blanc; tasted at the property). Plush, nutty – above all, walnutty. Black cherry. A hint of blueberry. Svelte, sweet-scented in its fruits profile and with pleasing mid-palate density. A lozenge-shape in the mouth, this is nicely compact at the core. Creamy, with a hint of Cabernet Franc uplift and leafy freshness in the frame set by the Merlot. Fresh and tense, yet good intensity and richness in the right place. A little note of liquorice on the well-sustained finish. 91-93.
Bonalgue (Pomerol; 95% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc; from a vineyard of 9.17 hectares; a final yield of 38 hl/ha; tasted at the Grand Cercle tasting at La Dauphine and then at Clos du Clocher; picked over 6 weeks). Black berry and cherry fruits. Crushed brambles. Violet. Very pure and refined. Silky, lithe and sinuous with air-pulse quality tannins (as at Brane Cantenac). The result is a big, plump, glossy and intensely juicy mid palate. Not overdone at all and this glides – and glistens as it does so – over the palate. Sapid, juicy, elegant and refined with incredible softness. Very succulent. 92-94.
Le Bon Pasteur (Pomerol; 80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 40 hl/ha; 14% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Less oaky and more delicate than it used to be, with more Pomerol typicity, though the extraction is perhaps still pushed just a touch, leaving the finish ever so slightly dry. Saline minerality interwoven with the baked and fresh plummy fruit. A little briny and almost a little abrasive on the finish. 90-92.
Bourgneuf (Pomerol; 90% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc; neighbouring Trotanoy and starting to taste like it does; tasted at Bélair-Monange in the J-P Moueix flight). Introduced later in the line-up here than it used to be (after La Grave à Pomerol), reflecting the real progress made in recent vintages. It is also notable that this is the place in the line-up where the quality really starts to rise (there is always one in the Moueix tasting that marks the ascent towards the summit). Sumptuous, with radiant and quite vertical dark berry and stone fruits (more of the former, less of the latter). I love too the graphite and pencil shaving note that is already evident. This is floral too – violets and dark chocolate scented with violet. Dark and intense, cool and yet soft and luscious. Succulent and seductive. Something of a coup de coeur. The best yet from here and the antithesis of the rusticity I used to associate with this wine. 93-95.
Certan de May (Pomerol; 65% Merlot; 25% Cabernet Franc; 10% Cabernet Sauvignon; tasted at Bélair-Monange in the J-P Moueix flight). Coming after Latour à Pomerol, this is, as it always will be and should be, a little more austere, a little less svelte and seductive, but no less impressive. There’s more depth, there’s a different kind of minerality – a little more ferrous than rocky – and the extra Cabernet brings almost a left-bank quality to this that I have noted before. Interestingly, the oak is more prominent here, bringing sweet spicy notes. Black pepper too. But there’s a radiant natural sweetness too. Red and darker berry fruits, quite a tight frame, densely charged with fruit – and, again, that ferrous note, a little tinderbox too. This needs time, the considerable tannins are fine-grained but very prominent on the finish, almost shading a little to the dry side. Always tricky to assess en primeur – hence the equivocating addition of a ‘+’ (the benefit of the doubt and my sense that this will reveal more of itself in time)! 91-93+.
Le Clémence (Pomerol; a final yield of just 25 hl/ha; tasted at the Grand Cercle tasting at La Dauphine). Very dark berry fruits – lots of blueberries and brambles, a little cassis, wild herbal notes too and a touch of damson skin and flesh. Graphite. A little oak that is yet to be integrated. Deep, dark, quite rich and cool on the palate with very fine-grained tannins that pick up in granularity towards the finish. Not especially complex but well-managed and nicely sustained on the long finish. 90-92.
Clinet (Pomerol; 75% Merlot; 25% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 42 hl/ha; 14% alcohol; aging in oak barrels, 80% of which are new; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin and at Clinet with Ronan Laborde). Searing in its purity and vertically ascendant aromatically. At first, Asiatic plums, mulberry, bramble. With aeration a more familiar black cherry which, with further aeration, eventually comes to dominate. Quite saline in its minerality, with almost a hint of iodine too. Fresh, pure, precise. Impressive in its density and sense of layering – broad sheets of silk, finely pixilated in their layering (the tannins defining each sheet in effect). Tender yet tense and energetic. Very well-managed. Sapid on the finish. Refreshing. 94-96.
Clos Bel Air (Pomerol). The first time I’ve tasted this. You know immediately where you are with this wine and it’s nicely made. A Pomerol nuttiness, that ferrous minerality which characterises certain parts of the appellation and a nicely ripe, quite plump, Merlot-dominated fruit profile. I love the walnut oil note, the graphite and the hint of cedar to come. The frame is narrow which accentuates the intensity of the fruit. Linear, precise. A good result. 89-91.
Clos de Clocher (Pomerol; 70% Merlot – with a little in the process of being replanted reducing the proportion in the blend this year; 30% Cabernet Franc; this is the 100th vintage; a final yield of 40 hl/ha; 13.9% alcohol; from 3 blocs of parcels, totalling just 3.5 hectares, the largest planted in 1924 on the western part of the plateau on blue clay, the second next to Trotanoy on gravel over blue clay and the third below the property itself next to Beauregard; tasted at Clos du Clocher with Jean-Baptiste Bourotte and Mathieu Bonté; picked over 5 weeks). A lovely signature of the property, a gloriously effusive Pomerol nose, with lots of generosity and amplitude as is its style. Violet, rose petals, saffron, walnut and almond, frangipane, a little toasted brioche. Blood orange. Gloriously spherical, plump and round, gracious and full in the mouth. A wonderfully sapid and plump mouthful. Very fine on the finish. Compact and dense but not overly so, giving space to the Cabernet Franc to express itself. Excitingly joyous and vivid. Chewy on the finish. More like La Conseillante than Eglise-Clinet in this vintage. 94-96+.
Clos de la Vieille Eglise (Pomerol; 70% Merlot; 30% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 48 hl/ha; tasted at the Grand Cercle tasting at La Dauphine). Richer and darker fruited than its stablemate, Porte Chic, but with exactly the same admirable sense of definition, clarity and delineation. More blueberries and mulberries here, a little loganberry too. Silky and dynamic, sinuous and exciting in its precision and luminosity. Truly excellent and with the acidity so well integrated. Long, sleek and stylish. 93-95.
Clos Vieux Taillefer (Pomerol; tasted at the Grand Cercle tasting at La Dauphine). Plump and plush, very black cherry and cherry tone in its fruit profile with a little suggestion of black forest gateau laced with kirsch. Quite substantial yet over quite a narrow frame accentuating the sense of concentration, but also the granular feel of the tannins. They build towards the finish which becomes just a little abrasive. 88-90.
La Commanderie (Pomerol; 85% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 40 hl/ha; a vineyard of 5.8 hectares on a sand and gravel terroir next to Nénin; Pascal Chatonnet is the consultant; pH 3.7; 14.6% alcohol; tasted twice at Haut-Chaigneau with Pascal Chatonnet and then at La Dauphine). Incense, pot pourri, a little delicate hint of violet, some vanilla and oak smoke too (the oak for the moment not fully integrated into the aromatics). Black cherry, kirsch, black chocolate and a little blueberry and bramble. A nice cedar element develops with aeration. Plush, plump, full and yet quite lithe and glistening across the palate. Sapid and juicy with lots of liquorice on the finish. Quite substantial but a success in the context of the vintage. Needs time. 91-93.
La Connivence (Pomerol; 75% Merlot; 25% Cabernet Franc; 1.4 hectares next to Belle Brise on a small gravel slope; a garden vineyard; 2000 bottles of total production including second wine; 14.4% alcohol; tasted at La Gaffelière with Thomas Soubes). Gracious. Charming. Seductive. Authentic top quality plateau Pomerol. Blueberry. Blackberry. Mulberry. Black cherry supports the dark plump berry fruits and also comes through with aeration, building and bringing depth to the mid-palate. Wild thyme. Wondrously layered and velvety in texture. A narrow frame helping to establish and reinforce the fruit intensity. Lovely graphite notes, too, above all as this relaxes in the glass. Chewy tannins on the finish. Elegant and exquisite but with plenty of power and concentration too. Rather magical, as it has a habit of being. 95-97.
La Conseillante (Pomerol; 88% Merlot; 12% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 43 hl/ha with the only losses coming from desiccation of the fruit in September; pH 3.68; 14% alcohol; tasted at La Conseillante with Marielle Cazaux; it’s an incredible statistic that 1150 hours were used here to bring in the fruit from 11 hectares; a long maceration, explains Marielle, one of the longest). So beautifully redolent and expressive of La Conseillante – it could only be from here. This is a vintage in which the top Pomerols are profoundly terroir-accented, but none is more terroir-accented than La Conseillante. Walnuts. Blueberries. Violets. Irises. Cornflower. Black cherry. A little rose petal. Tasted after an intense rain shower, this is perhaps a little more closed than it would otherwise be, but that seems only to underline the utterly gracious aromatics. In the mouth, this is fleshy – rare in the vintage – and incredibly so. And with a lovely natural freshness. Fabulous intensity, great amplitude and so plush and full and rich on the palate. Many wines in this vintage have little up-flows, eddies and up-currants of delicate freshness; this has big Atlantic breakers of pulsating freshness. Sumptuous and succulent, ultra fresh and pure on the finish. This is lush, plush, sexy Pomerol with a great plume at the finish. The heart and soul of the plateau. 97-99.
La Croix de Gay (Pomerol; a final yield of 42 hl/ha; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Dusty baked path, that ferrous minerality and assorted fresh and more baked plum fruit notes with a pleasing wild herbal element too. On the palate, this is fresh and lithe and texturally much less rustic than it once was. That works well. Honest, direct, authentically expressive of its terroir if a little monotone. 91-93.
La Croix du Casse (Pomerol; 96% Merlot; 4% Cabernet Franc). Nice wild heathery notes. Quite spicy, but not in a way that dominates. A prominent trace of the ferrous minerality that I associate with this terroir. Plump, fresh and quite vertical, a tight narrow frame accentuating the sense of depth. Nice fluidity and a crystalline mid-palate. Well-made though a little dominated by the ferrous note. 90-92.
La Croix St-Georges (Pomerol; 95% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 44 hl/ha; 14% alcohol; tasted at Belgrave). A little oxidative, very spicy, quite saline in its minerality and quite ferrous too. That, for me, rather swamps the fresh fruits and we have a sense more of slightly baked fruits aromatically. Sapid, juicy and rather better on the palate, where I find it dense and compact, nicely layered and succulent, if a little foursquare. The tannins are juicy at first, but are just very slightly shading towards dryness on the finish. I’d like to re-taste this. 90-92.
Domaine de L’Eglise (Pomerol; 98% Merlot; 2% Cabernet Franc). A darker berry fruit, a little baked plum and damson too, more and more in fact with aeration. Tasted after La Croix du Casse this has a more pronounced acidity and, from the clay-gravel soil, a more ferrous note to its minerality. Gentle wild herbal elements too. A little graphite. Nice green peppercorns. Richer, fuller, less austere. A nice luminous mid-palate accentuated by the more ample frame. Nicely formed and with good concentration and density. The acidity rises a little on the finish. But there’s compensation in the form of a lovely hint of blackcurrant and more and more black cherry as this opens. Maybe a little strict for now, but with time (or further aeration) this will become more seductive. Good potential. 91-93+.
L’Eglise-Clinet (Pomerol; 90% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc; 82% new oak; 14.6% alcohol; tasted at the property with Noemie Durantou). A little closed at first when tasted under leaden and rainy skies. Utterly divine aromatically, nonetheless, the Cabernet Franc really lifting this as blueberry and subtle floral notes soar vertically from the glass, breaking the surface tension. Cedar. Rose petals. Rose water. Peonies. Iris. Violet. Incense. Patchouli. A lovely natural sweetness. Lots of cherry and damson, blueberry and bramble; with aeration the fruit complexity grows with loganberry and mulberry too. Wild thyme. Ample and much broader-shouldered than La Petite Eglise. Great depth and concentration, an immense structure but such a soft and gentle core, once again. Szechuan peppercorns, freshly crushed. Succulent and juicy, sapid and so focussed and precise on the long and gently tapering finish. Exquisite. Brilliant and singular. A little more intimate and introvert than the other top plateau Pomerols, darker fruited and so gracious. A true vin de garde. Yet incredibly accessible and very beautiful already. A triumph. 97-99.
L’Enclos (Pomerol; 75% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; 5% Malbec; from a vineyard of 9 hectares on the western edge of the plateau, next to Guillot Clauzel, and with an average age of 40 years; organic and in transition to biodynamic viticulture). The sister property of the rising star that is Fonplégade in Saint Émilion. Once again, I really like this. Sage. Wild herbs. Earthy notes, a little sous bois. And, with aeration, a lovely hint of violet. There’s a little liquorice too, with the salinity it brings, and a cornucopia of crunchy, popping wild berries. Fresh and clean on the lingering finish. 91-93+.
L’Enclos Tourmaline (Pomerol; 97% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Franc; just 1.2 hectares on blue clay and gravel; 100% new oak; a generous yield, as at all of the Vignobles K estates with essentially no mildew; tasted at Bellefont Belcier). Saline, once again, with almost a note of salted, roasted macadamia nut, gentle sweet spices, cinnamon and pain d’épices, black cherry and blueberry. A little subtle iris. Opens slowly and would benefit from a decanter. Very ample, pushing out the cheeks with lots of juicy, sapid fruit juice. Good density and compactness, but highly crystalline too. Floaty. A little introvert for now and the élévage will be important, but it is all here. Should be great. A veritable vin de garde. Vibrantly sapid. 93-95+.
L’Evangile (Pomerol; 79% Merlot; 21% Cabernet Franc; less than 1% Cabernet Sauvignon; pH 3.75; 50% new oak; 13.5% alcohol). Quite plump with a lot of Cabernet Franc for the property. Intimate and a little closed initially but very redolent of L’Evangile nonetheless. Voluptuous and yet reserved, much less immediately opulent than it has tended to be, more introvert and confidential. Plump black cherries and their texture in the mouth. Wild bilberries, mulberries too and maybe a little hint of damson. Thyme. Graphite. Superb texturally with a most gracious mouthfeel. Plush and sleek, with great mid-palate density. Very refined. Not boisterous. I love the Cabernet Franc notes, with a little injection and release of cassis through the stone fruit frame set by the Merlot in the mid-palate. It brings a plume of freshness just when it is needed. There is more of a link to Lafite than ever before I find (with Saskia de Rothschile leading the blending of both). 95-97+.
Fayat (Pomerol; 95% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 52 hl/ha; pH 3.58; 13.6% alcohol; tasted at La Dominique). Sapid, fresh and juicy, this is a great success in the context of the vintage. There’s a little lily of the valley and lilac florality alongside the plum and bramble fruit, a trace of graphite too and maybe a suggestion of grated cinnamon stick. On the palate, this is quite tight to the spine, giving it more intensity than it would otherwise have; the extraction was clearly moderated and well-managed as the tannins are very polite and fine-grained. Lots of evident skill in the vinification producing a wine of great freshness but no sense of elevated acidity. Harmonious. 91-93.
Feytit Clinet (Pomerol; 88% Merlot; 12% Cabernet Franc; from 6.3 hectares of pure gravel and gravel on clay a little down the hill from Clinet; a final yield of 41 hl/ha; the first vintage to be made by Jérémy Chasseuil and his son, Adrien, together – we can be very confident about the inter-generational succession here). Intensely dark-fruited with just a little oak smoke and oodles of freshly milled black pepper, a little Szechuan peppercorn and mint too. Cool, with a sumptuous plunge-pool mid palate, with black cherry, blueberry and graphite seemingly generously interlayered. A nice grip from the tannins releases a wave of sapidity in its wake and helps build a lovely fantail finish. Really poised, plush and excellent. The best Feytit I’ve tasted since perhaps the 2016. A coup de coeur. 93-95.
La Fleur-Pétrus (Pomerol; 96.5% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Franc; 0.5% Petit Verdot; tasted as part of the Moueix flight at Bélair-Monange). Captivating. It’s closed at first, hinting only a little at what it wishes to reveal. Perfectly shaped and formed, with a glacial, cool, dark, rich and sumptuous texture, the most gracious tannins and a beautiful shape as it glides over the palate on beads of the finest and most spherical of tannins. Fresher than Trotanoy, the fruit a shade lighter in hue – loganberry and raspberry, less cherry, less blueberry, though a little mulberry. I love the lavender, rosemary and violet notes that seem rolled into the dark berry fruit, and also that little waft of Cabernet leafiness, reinforced I think by a peppery note from the Petit Verdot. There’s a lot more to come here and this is, overall, quite austere for La Fleur-Pétrus, but it’s going to be excellent in time. Perhaps the most complex of the Moueix Pomerols this year. 95-97+.
Le Gay (Pomerol; 95% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 42 hl/ha; 14% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin and then at Le Gay with Henri Parent). Less robust and more floral than it often is, with saffron and violets, irises and peonies intermingling with the dark and lighter berry fruits; cherries with aeration and walnut oil too. Tense and charged, with that signature slightly ferrous minerality coming through in the mid-palate. A less broad frame than the 2022 and more delicate and subtle on the entry as a consequence, with gracious quite fluid tannins. But in true Le Gay style, the mid-palate itself is dense and packed with intense fruits, but still sinuous and well-defined. Juicy and fresh on the finish where we return to the floral notes. Lovely. A vin de garde, as it should be. A very authentic expression of the vintage. 94-96.
Gazin (Pomerol; 89% Merlot; 7% Cabernet Sauvignon; 4% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 40 hl/ha; 13.9% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Salty. Roasted peanuts. Wood smoke and a hint of sweet spice. Plum skin, damson and assorted red berry fruits, loganberry perhaps above all. A hint of cedar. Sapid and juicy, quite lithe and fluid across the palate, though the tannins, which are initially soft, pick up in granularity towards the finish. Engaging and quite dynamic, I’m not sure I’d pick this as Gazin. It’s more lithe and fluid than usual; I think I detect a subtle change in style as the management of the property passes on a generation. Impressively juicy. 92-94+.
Hosanna (Pomerol; 74% Merlot; 26% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 48 hl/ha; tasted as part of the Moueix flight at Bélair-Monange). It’s pleasing to see so much Cabernet Franc in this. Closed at first, then slowly opening having drawn you in – saline notes, liquorice root, ultra-dark cherry fruits, grape skins, cedar and graphite and just a hint of violet; a slightly lactic note too. Pure, precise, extremely and intensely layered and with a succulent, lush, silky texture in the mouth. Quite serious for Hosanna but soft with it – almost quite regal – silk and ermine. Very clean, precise and focussed on the finish, this will be excellent. It’s less seductive than it used to be and cool and calm in this vintage. Needs patience, but expect that patience to be rewarded. 93-95.
L’Innocence de Séraphine (Pomerol; 75% Merlot; 25% Cabernet Franc; 14% alcohol). Aromatically explosive, even tasted on a rather cold and overcast day in Bordeaux at the start of the en primeur period. Plump black cherries, wild blueberries and a little blackcurrant, a twist or two of the peppermill (and then a twist or two more) and graphite. On the palate this is big and bold for a second wine, in a sort of Jonathan Maltus kind of a style. The tannins are a little robust on the finish but this is well made and just needs a bit of time in the cellar. 88-90.
La Grave à Pomerol (Pomerol; 89% Merlot; 11% Cabernet Franc; tasted as part of the Moueix flight at Bélair-Monange). Lovely graphite-encrusted dark stone fruit – Griotte cherries and maybe a little blueberry. Enticing. Cool. This has a lovely glacial texture on the entry and that leads one to expect something light with less density, but this fills out very impressively – with plenty of depth and concentration for the vintage. Again, though, I find it a little monotone at this early stage. Fresh and sapid, dynamic and precise on the finish, which I find the juiciest of the Moueix Pomerols so far. Promising. 91-93+.
Guillot-Clauzel (Pomerol; 83% Merlot; 17% Cabernet Franc; from great and quite singular terroir just next to Le Pin; tasted in the unmarked garage in which it’s made by Guillaume Thienpont by the man himself). The Cabernet really shines in a glistening, pure, delicate and delightful frame set by the Merlot, seeming almost to tame it in the process. This is soft and voluptuous to the core, yet also balanced and tense, fresh and croquant. The grain of the tannin defines very well the berries here, giving us a sense of berry-by-berry definition. Floral-encrusted fruit and a rather different tannic expression to either Vieux Château Certan or Le Pin, tasted before. It’s earlier picked due to the different terroir and somehow cooler at the core. Possibly the strongest vintage yet from here. The Cabernet Franc really sings and seems held within the warm embrace of the Merlot. A hug of a wine. Sapid and succulent on the juicy finish. A very classical and classy Pomerol. 95-97.
Lafleur (Pomerol; 46% Merlot; 54% Bouchet; drawn from its profound gravel terroir; tasted with Omri Ram at the property). Both varietals achieved equal quality. Violet, the parfumier’s essence of lavender. Iris. Espresso coffee bean. A little spice and a crack and a twist of white pepper. Blueberries and fruits of the forest with aeration, a lovely hint of redcurrant and blackcurrant freshness in the mid palate. Walnut oil. Heather. Iodine and oyster shell. An intimate wine as it tends to be in its infancy. Perfection texturally. So cool, so layered and pixilated, so composed. It’s actually difficult at first to find the tannins as they are so finely-grained. Spherical in form and frame. And it grows in amplitude over the palate, eventually pushing out the cheeks and giving the stage to the Bouchet to sing and to dance. So sapid and succulent. Such lift on the finish. Incredible. 98-100.
Lafleur Gazin (Pomerol; 100% Merlot; tasted as part of the Moueix flight at Bélair-Monange). A little darker in its fruit profile than Lagrange, with cassis and briary fruits most in evident. The same purity and levity. A lovely touch of cedar which raises this. Richer, tighter to the spine and with greater density, this is a more traditional Pomerol in this vintage. A touch of ferrous minerality too. Nice composition, but again it lacks a bit of complexity. Chewy tannins that gain in granularity on the finish. 90-92.
Lagrange (Pomerol; 100% Merlot; tasted as part of the Moueix flight at Bélair-Monange). Plush, quite plump, a pleasing generosity and natural sweetness. Broad-shouldered and open-textured but that reveals the slightly stretched fruit. Nicely done, but certainly lacking a little in density and concentration. Lithe and sprightly, quite luminous, but the fruit is stretched over quite a broad frame. A little monotone – but I like the tone. Simple but pure. 89-91.
Latour à Pomerol (Pomerol; 100% Merlot; tasted as part of the Moueix flight at Bélair-Monange). Always a bit of a favourite and it doesn’t disappoint even in a vintage when one perhaps worries a little for the monocépage Merlots. Black cherries, Griottes, cedar, graphite. Dark, fresh, cool, plump and quite plush too. More cedar notes and a little rose petal too with aeration – a hint of violet as well. Full, cylindrical in the mouth and impressively compact, carving a beautiful shape across the palate. The tannins are quite considerable but always gracious and this will need time. It’s quite chunky, the minerality building with the tannins towards a long finish. A bit of a fantail too. Impressive. 92-94+.
Lécuyer (Pomerol; 75% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; 10% Cabernet Sauvignon; from 3.4 hectares over 4 parcels, three contiguous with Clinet and a further near Beauregard, purchased by Ronan Laborde in 2021; a final yield of 44 hl/ha; 14% alcohol; tasted at Clinet). Just the second vintage under the Clinet regime. Really special in the context of the vintage. Black cherries, blac currant, very pure and very much in the style of Clinet, a little sandalwood and a hint of peony, candied rose petals. Gloriously soft and gentle, considerable density, very impressive indeed. There’s a lot of substance here and a lot of purity too. Long and layered. 93-95.
Maillet (Pomerol; tasted at the Grand Cercle tasting at La Dauphine). Quite floral – rose petals and petunias, rather spring like and with red berry fruits alongside the darker more autumnal elements. Quite herbal, a touch of wild thyme, and a nice leafiness welling up from below to bring definition and interest to the mid-palate. Sapid on the finish and less oaky than it used to be. A success. 91-93.
Mazeyres (Pomerol; tasted at the Grand Cercle tasting at La Dauphine). Ferrous aromatically, with plum, baked plum and sweet spices too, a little damson as well. Quite a tight and richly-filled mid palate but the tannins are, from the attack, quite noticeable and if not exactly coarse, they seem to draw one’s attention from, distract and disrupt the flow of the wine over the palate. Needs time, but a little stern and stolid for now. 89-91.
Le Moulin (Pomerol; tasted at the Grand Cercle tasting at La Dauphine). Heather and wild herbs and a pleasing natural sweetness to the dark berry and stone fruit make this distinctive aromatically. Ample and almost opulent for the vintage on the attack and quite sinuous in and through the mid-palate with very refined tannins imparting a silky quality to the mouthfeel. It’s not terribly dense ore concentrated, but it is lithe and fluid instead and I respect and admire that choice. Juicy on the finish. 90-92.
Moulinet (Pomerol). Aromatically expressive, with a plum, red cherry and loganberry fruit, a little sweet spicing (but just a touch) and a nice sense of lift and clarity. A pleasing natural sweetness to this on the attack, then a combination of tannic and acidic grip pinches the wine and stretches it out over the spine. Tight, a little strict perhaps, but with good substance and well-sustained on the finish. A distinctly saline minerality. 89-91.
Monregard La Croix (Pomerol; 1 parcel of Merlot on 1 hectare on a sandy terroir; a final yield of 39 hl/ha; pH 3.56; 13.5% alcohol; at the bottom of the slope down from Clos du Clocher next to parcels for Blason de L’Evangile; 2023 was the third year in conversion to organic viticulture; tasted at Clos du Clocher). Nice plump damson and plum fruit, a little red cherry too. Ample and quite broad-shouldered. Nutmeg. Sage. Bay leaf. Succulent, soft and gentle. A nice luminous mid-palate, generous and substantial yet juicy and sapid. The tannins on the finish just shading a little towards dryness. Simple and round. Nicely managed through the difficulties of the vintage on a terroir like this. Menthol lift on the finish. 91-93.
Montviel (Pomerol; 80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 35 hl/ha; 14% alcohol; tasted at Le Gay with Henri Parent). Pretty. A light rose petal note and a slight hint of violet, building with a little gentle coaxing of the glass. White pepper. Walnut shell. A nice pleasing sweetness to the fruit on the attack, but quite a lot of acidity that builds through the mid-palate. Very linear. Quite extracted but with no dryness. Needs time and this has significant aging potential. Nice and spicy and quite distinctive in its minerality. 90-92.
Nénin (Pomerol; 67% Merlot; 30% Cabernet Franc; 3% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 46 hl/ha; 7% press wine; IPT 65.6; pH 3.68; 13.39% alcohol; tasted at the property). Spicy. Saline. A touch of Pomerol ferrous minerality. Cedar and graphite around the cherry and damson fruit. A nice tight frame. Not too ample and that gives this good depth. Concentrated in the mid-palate. Rich and plump. Some tannin to resolve, but a good Pomerol that will endure and evolve very well. Nicely formed and a bit in the Las Cases style, with excellent aging potential. Precise and focussed on the finish. 92-94+.
La Patache (Pomerol; 90% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc; 2.62 hectares; a generous yield, as at all of the VIgnobles K estates with essentially no mildew; tasted at Bellefont Belcier). Plump, plush and soft and, like Enclos de Viaud, a veritable mouthful bursting the cheeks with fresh and sapid fruit – very characteristic of the vintage. A lovely gentle and subtle florality. Rose petals, sesame seed, blue and darker berry fruits, sandalwood. Impressive density and concentration. Pure and precise, ultra-fine grained tannins. Very well made. Tender and juicy. A step up in finesse. 90-92+.
Les Pensées de Lafleur (Pomerol; 70% Merlot; 30% Bouchet; from just 0.6 hectares facing the château buildings; tasted with Omri Ram at the property). Violet, lily, iris, lavender and rosemary, cedar and graphite, blueberry and black cherry. A hint of the tabac, but just a little. Bay leaf. Thyme. Heather. Fabulously coloured and pixilated. The Bouchet really sings, as this opens, bringing additional colour and pixilation to a frame set by the plump, plush Merlot. Dynamic and energetic with radiating and rippling pulses of succulent and vibrant berry juice. The expansive frame here makes this even more luminous and crystalline in the mid-palate, with eddies and ripples of freshness rising up from the depths of the mirror pool. So expressive of where it comes from. And so succulent and sapid on the finish. 95-97.
La Petite Eglise (Pomerol; 90% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc; 82% new oak; 14.4% alcohol; tasted with Noemie Durantou at Eglise-Clinet). Eucalyptus, mint, cedar and crushed black berries and a little damson. Wild heather flowers, gorse and violets. Very dark-fruited, very intimate, very cool and enticing and utterly gorgeous aromatically. There’s a beautiful kind of aromatic tension between the Merlot notes (cherries) and the freshness of the Cabernet berry fruits. Graciously soft texturally, reinforcing the cool and focussed sense of precision. Not too ample, but with almost a black hole concentration at the core. Glassy, limpid, refined and supremely elegant. Sapid and succulent, highly juicy and quite superb. 93-95+.
Le Petit de Petit Village (Pomerol; 88% Merlot; 12% Cabernet Franc). Classic. Graphite. Violet and roses, fleshly plucked petals in all their pixilated pictorial detail. A touch of black cherry. A lovely sous bois note too. Silky in the mouth. Glossy. Voluptuous. Svelte on the attack and sleek and plush through the mid-palate where the acidity lifts this and stretches it vertically. Crystalline. Limpid. Gracious. Plunge-pool. 91-93.
Petit Village (Pomerol; 65% Merlot; 25% Cabernet Franc; 10% Cabernet Sauvignon; pH 3.8; a final yield of 36 hl/ha, higher than in recent years, and largely due to the old age of many of the vines and recent replanting; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the property just before the opening of the new chai). More mineral-charged than le Petit. More vertically expressive too. More dynamic and more highly charged, but a little more closed at least initially. Black cherry, blueberry and liquorice, a lovely leafy Cabernet Franc note. Violets and peonies. Rich but not as massive as the 2022 or 2020. This has excellent delineation. It is broad and ample with silky sheets of cool, dark fruit multi-layered one on top of the other, with the ultra-fine grained tannins indicating the layering rather more than the extremities. Fluid and lithe and shimmering. Very long, very fine. Very well composed and very crystalline in its new style. Ultra-new classical. With lovely low cherry notes and blueberries rising above the orchestra. 94-96+.
Petrus (Pomerol; 100% Merlot; tasted at Petrus with Olivier Berrouet in what now feels like an annual pilgrimage). A gorgeous sense of relaxed composure wafts from the glass. Pitch perfect pixilated pure ripe plump and plush berries – mulberry, bramble and loganberry, sloes, with aeration maybe a little plum skin. Graphite, not yet cedar and a little sous bois. Bay leaf. Saffron. And it all feels so very natural. Extremely fresh and croquant. Infinitesimally pixilated and incredibly detailed. Yet restrained and calm. Majestic, monumental and magisterial, yet with incredible grace and levity. Ample from the attack. And yet it builds further in the glass. Profound and so infinitesimally layered too – that vertically descending cascade towards the cool dark ocean depths. Crystalline, limpid, with delightful small currents and ripples not so much rising up from below as circulating, like small whirlpools but changing as the wines evolves over the palate to retain focus and interest. Intensely sapid on the finish after the succulence of the mid-palate. Glacial and glassy but more vibrant and vivid than that implies. Brilliant. As limpid, lithe and sapid a Petrus as there has ever been. A triumph. 97-99.
Le Pin (Pomerol; 100% Merlot; a final yield of 40 hl/ha; pH 3.75; 14% alcohol; tasted with Jacques Thienpont and Diana Berrouet Garcia at Le Pin). Seamless. Poised. Authoritative. Intense. Floral, with peony, wisteria, hyacinth and saffron. Dark berry fruited and enrobed in graphite. And, as it opens so beautifully in the glass, there is more and more cherry stone fruit. Not a massive frame and all the more perfectly spherical for that. Very purple-blue-black in its fruit profile. Cool – a mirror pool of freshness, with the glassy, glacial texture that implies. The finest texture on the attack of the vintage. Just magical. Plunge pool. It’s like diving into a crystal clear lake at night. Wondrous purity. Really special and utterly sublime with a harmony that is unsurpassed in the vintage. Introvert and introspective, perhaps, but all the more enticing and enthralling for that. 98-100.
Porte Chic (Pomerol; 70% Merlot; 25% Cabernet Franc; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 45 hl/ha; tasted at La Dominique). A wine that in recent vintages has started to become a friend. Fresh, lifted, bright and extremely crunchy in its dark berry fruits, with a little raspberry too. Just the right kind of freshness. A hint of incense and wild thyme. Hyacinth. Lithe and silky, very finely textured, this is sapid, crisp, clean and juicy. Highly recommended. Top tier Pomerol for a very reasonable price. 92-94+.
Rouget (Pomerol; 80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 30 hl/ha; 14% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Soft and enveloping, enticing and engaging, with a generous black cherry fruit. A little cedar too and a hint of peony. Substantial on the palate with a well-defined and quite compact central core charged with cherry juice. This swirls around and creates lovely eddies of freshness. Not terribly complex, but rather lovely nonetheless. Intensely juicy. 92-94.
De Sales (Pomerol; 85% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5% Cabernet Franc; just 18% new oak). In a vintage in which the Pomerol wines are very floral and in which the Margaux wines’ inherent florality is almost a little Pomerolly in character this is an almost Margellais Pomerol, as it so often is (it’s the Cabernet Sauvignon). Delicate and fresh, a lovely almost resinous Cabernet Franc note welling up aromatically as if to break the surface tension in the glass and also on the palate – in the mid-palate to be precise. It’s like a fire hydrant of sapidity and freshness imparting a cool menthol note too. Great progress has been made here in recent vintages. Impressively dense and compact for de Sales but losing none of its cooler vineyard typicity. Very Cabernet-style. Some might find this overly fresh, I love it. 92-94.
Séraphine (Pomerol; 100% Merlot; 14.5% alcohol). Plump and plush on the nose, with oodles of perfectly ripe black cherries, a little hint of the cedar to come and a twist or two of the lead pencil rotating in its sharpener. Aeration reveals the violet florality. Broad, soft and gentle with a lovely natural sweetness that is quite rare in the vintage and that contrasts, say, with the Clos Cantenac tasted just before. The acidity is still quite elevated and this is not as rich or deep as in a number of recent vintages, but it’s a balanced and successful wine in the context of the vintage. 92-94+.
Taillefer (Pomerol; tasted at the Grand Cercle tasting at La Dauphine). Quite saline with baked plums and wilted cherries, that Pomerol ferrous minerality hinted at in the name of the property too and a little rosemary and lavender. There’s a delicate florality to this too that makes this nicely expressive of its terroir. There is also more refinement in the tannins too than there used to be. Nicely managed. 89-91.
Trotanoy (Pomerol; 100% Merlot; the last of the Pomerol flight at the Moueix tasting, this year at Bélair-Monange). Reticent at first. Shy almost. One senses the texture first. Liquid cashmere. Soft, enveloping, gracious, voluptuous. Quite pure and crystalline. Violet, rose petals, patchouli – though just a hint – black cherry skins and mulberries, wild blueberries too. Cool and darker in essence than La Fleur-Pétrus. Less vivid perhaps but maybe more ethereal. Almost a little gothic in its darkness. Graphite. A stony minerality – whetstone, crushed rocks. In the mouth, this is, like Hosanna, quite saline. Black liquorice. Dark berry fruits and cherry stones. Very substantial, dense and compact but actually over a wider and more cylindrical frame than any of the other Moueix wines. Impressive and very much a vin de garde at this nascent stage. This is a top Trotanoy, but it will not be a crowd-pleaser in its youth. But all the ingredients are there. 95-97+.
Vieux Chateau Certan (Pomerol; 82% Merlot; 18% Cabernet Franc; pH 3.74; a final yield of 43 hl/ha; 14% alcohol; tasted at the property with four generations of the Thienpont family present – it was a privilege to share the moment). Gloriously floral, with a load of freshly plucked violets, a little wisteria too (as if taken from the château buildings). Graphite. Incredibly dark fruited. Texturally the closest in quality and pixilation to Le Pin. Walnut shell and walnut oil. Introspective. Cool. Limpid. Aerial texturally. With aeration the cedar starts to build making this even more beautiful. This glides and floats, filling the mouth as if from the top down. It’s kaleidoscopic. The frame is a little broader than Le Pin, accentuating the rippling edges of the fine layers of silk that seem to form the core of the wine. A cool, subtle and sublimely beautiful expression of the vintage. Exquisite. So much more ethereal that the 2022 and at least as good. Classical, but a modern classicism. Very juicy and it is here that the salinity gathers too forming a wonderful parting fantail on the finish. 97-99.
La Violette (Pomerol; from just 1.68 hectares on fine gravel and from just 5,500 plants; 100% Merlot; a final yield of 30 hl/ha; the berries are hand de-stemmed and placed in barrels for vinification; 14% alcohol; tasted at Le Gay with Henri Parent). This lives up to both its reputation and its name in this vintage. Violet, parfumier’s essence of violet, confit violet, confit roses and pot pourri and a little fresh mint. A hint of vanilla from the oak, but this is almost all incorporated already. Graphite, blackberries and a little black cherry. Rose petal and rose water too. So soft and refined with a lovely deceptively lithe and light open-texture. But there is weight and density too, it’s just a little disguised. Pixilated, precise, nicely focussed and very fluid and sinuous. Long and tapering with a more and more pronounced note of black pepper that lingers on the finish. Excellent. 94-96+.
Vray Croix de Gay (Pomerol; 98% Merlot; 2% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 34 hl/ha; 14.5% alcohol; 10-12k bottles produced; a new label for the vintage). Plump, plush and glossy with a touch of the oak that’s still in the process of incorporation. Crystalline. Very spicy and very saline too, giving this quite a distinct personality. Gracious tannins but with a pronounced and elevated acidity on the finish that contrasts the luminous and dense mid-palate. Pure liquorice on the finish. 91-93.
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Pessac-Léognan: some exceptional wines among 'uneven' reds
Continuing to Pessac-Léognan, we find the appellation suffered greater mildew pressure than any other – especially for the Merlot. The losses resulted in some uneven reds and Cabernet-dominant blends, although some wines managed to transcend the challenging weather.
On a good day it’s about 45 minutes from Pomerol to Léognan, though it can easily take twice as long when Bordeaux’s infamous la Rocade is busy. But since en primeur week falls in the second week of the Bordeaux school holidays, we get there relatively quickly.
We arrive here in a rather different vinous universe, with larger properties, a typically more even balance between Cabernet and Merlot in the vineyard amongst the reds and a rather greater presence of white varietals (though the whites, to which we will return presently, still represent less than 15% of the total production of the appellation). We’re also further from large bodies of water (the Atlantic Ocean and the Gironde estuary), with a somewhat greater exposure to summer spikes in temperature and, indeed, frost in the spring.
Yet a quick look at the meteorological details of the 2023 growing season immediately suggests some similarities with Pomerol and Saint Émilion – certainly rather more so than with the leading left-bank appellations of the Médoc.
|
Pre-budburst (Nov-March) |
Budburst to Harvest (April-mid October) |
Total (1/11-15/10) |
Pessac-Léognan |
426 (-12.4%) |
469.4 (+14.5%) |
895.2 (0%) |
Margaux |
398 (-19.3%) |
464.6 (+11.0%) |
862.6 (-5.7%) |
St Julien |
458 (-5.8%) |
441.3 (+13.3%) |
899.2 (+1.2%) |
Pauillac |
458 (-5.8%) |
441.3 (+13.2%) |
899.2 (+1.2%) |
St-Estèphe |
550.7 (+3.0%) |
411.8 (+4.7%) |
912.5 (+1.5%) |
Saint Émilion |
306 (-37.1%) |
490.8 (+18.1%) |
796.8 (-11.8%) |
Pomerol |
338 (-31.5%) |
470.0 (+14.5%) |
808.1 (-10.9%) |
Table 1: Rainfall during the vintage (relative to 10-year average)
Source: calculated from Saturnalia’s Bordeaux 2023 Harvest report
As Table 1 suggests, it was particularly wet here between budburst and harvest, with rainfall accumulations up nearly 15% on the 10-year average and with that rain, as throughout the region, highly concentrated in the months of June and September.
Here again it was the June rainfall, book-ended as it was by spikes in already above average temperatures, that was the problem. Or, rather, it was the catalyst for the problem – mildew. Here Pessac suffered more that any of the other leading appellations, with the partial exception of Saint Émilion (partial because in Saint Émilion it was only really the somewhat lesser terroirs of the appellation in the south and west towards the river that were ravaged).
Pessac is the only leading appellation in which a classified growth produced not a single bottle of grand vin in 2023. That property, alas, is Bouscaut (and the excellence of its white, to which I will return in a later article, is likely to prove little consolation). But Bouscaut was hardly alone in its suffering, with many of the leading estates in that part of the appellation (above all those south of a line joining Couhins Lurton and Olivier) suffering significant losses. Indeed, one of the distinguishing features of the vintage in Pessac-Léognan is that mildew did not spare the leading properties, with Domaine de Chevalier (30 hl/ha), Larrivet Haut-Brion (35 hl/ha), Latour Martillac (33 hl/ha), Pape Clément (35 hl/ha) and Smith Haut Lafitte (26 hl/ha) all returning yields well below the (already below average) vineyard yield for the appellation. Amongst the leading appellations, only Margaux came close to suffering a similar fate.
|
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
10-year average |
Relative to 10-year average (% change) |
Pessac-Léognan rouge |
47.2 |
34.6 |
30.7 |
35.7 |
38.1 |
38.5 |
-1.0 |
Margaux |
49.2 |
36.3 |
38.6 |
31.3 |
37.7 |
39.7 |
-5.0 |
St Julien |
45.5 |
34.3 |
35.2 |
34.3 |
50.3 |
40.1 |
+25.4 |
Pauillac |
46.7 |
37.4 |
35.1 |
34.8 |
47.1 |
39.7 |
+18.6 |
St Estèphe |
49.7 |
41.2 |
40.7 |
31.5 |
51.6 |
43.4 |
+18.9 |
St Emilion (GC) |
43.0 |
36.7 |
27.5 |
41.2 |
40.5 |
37.2 |
+8.9 |
Pomerol |
43.0 |
39.8 |
28.9 |
32.3 |
45.2 |
36.1 |
+25.2 |
Table 2: Average vineyard yield by appellation (hl/ha)
Source: calculated from Duanes data compiled by the CIVB Service Economie et Etudes
As this already suggests, the average appellation yields displayed in Table 2 tell only part of the story. But what they do show is that, along with Margaux, Pessac-Léognan was the only leading appellation of the left or right-bank to return below average aggregate vineyard yields – and for the fourth consecutive year in a row. That final statistic is a significant cause for concern, raising at it does questions about the general productivity of the appellation in a context of dérèglement climatique (or ‘climate weirding’, the point being that this is not just about global warming).
It is unsurprising, given all of this, that the (red) wines of the appellation are somewhat uneven in this vintage (we will return to the whites presently, but the story there is subtly different and rather more positive).
That is not at all to say that there are not great wines here. There are. But they are often unusual in their composition, as we shall see; and, perhaps more significantly, the qualitative gradient is steep as one descends from the small high plateau at the top.
As Table 3 shows, the meteorological challenges of the growing season have had quite a significant bearing on the final blends of the leading wines. Indeed, this is true even for properties, like Carmes Haut-Brion and Haut Bailly, where final vineyard yields were above the appellation average. In these cases the high proportion of Cabernet in the grand vin was largely a question of choice, reflecting the relative excellence of the respective varietals at harvest.
But for most of the others it is a more direct consequence of the significant losses suffered on Merlot plots from mildew exposure, in the first place, and the subsequent desiccation and burning of fruit on the vines which was more intense in plots that had already been exposed to mildew damage.
|
% Merlot |
% Cabernets |
Yield hl/ha |
||||||
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
||
Carmes Haut-Brion |
26 |
25 |
26 |
20 |
74 |
75 |
74 |
80 |
50 |
Domaine de Chevalier |
27 |
10 |
30 |
25 |
67 |
85 |
67 |
70 |
30 |
Haut Bailly |
42 |
22 |
37 |
34 |
55 |
68 |
58 |
62 |
40.5 |
Larrivet Haut-Brion |
52 |
0 |
18 |
5 |
48 |
100 |
82 |
95 |
35 |
Malartic-Lagravière |
48 |
32 |
43 |
42 |
52 |
68 |
54.5 |
54 |
39 |
Pape Clément |
47 |
60 |
60 |
50 |
51 |
40 |
40 |
47 |
35 |
Smith Haut-Lafitte |
30 |
33 |
32 |
23 |
69 |
66 |
64 |
76 |
26 |
Average |
38.9 |
26.0 |
35.1 |
28.4 |
59.4 |
62.0 |
62.8 |
69.1 |
36.5 |
Table 3: Percentage of Merlot and Cabernet (Sauvignon + Franc), 2020-2023
To be fair, all of the wines listed in the above table are very strong, above all in the context of a challenging vintage. And some of them are truly exceptional. But in a vintage in which terroir typicity is generally high, low yields and more Cabernet-dominant blends have resulted in some wines that might seem just a little anomalous in vertical tastings a decade or so from now.
Given all of this, it might seem strange that my top wines of the appellation are rated so highly. But, as I have argued before, this is something of a vintage of glass ceilings – above all on the right-bank and here again in Pessac-Léognan. And when it comes to glass ceilings there are always those who manage to transcend what holds back the rest.
That is most definitively the case for a truly magical and glass ceiling shattering Haut-Brion. But it is scarcely less true for Carmes Haut-Brion, even if one has the sense here that the transcendence has been achieved through a remarkable and now characteristic set of technical achievements that it would be difficult for anyone else to replicate. The proof is in the bottle. Both are profound wines. La Mission Haut-Brion is magical too, but very different from Haut-Brion itself – vibrant, vivid and energetic where its stablemate is calm, authoritative and supremely elegant.
Almost equally impressive, though in rather different ways, are Haut-Bailly and Smith Haut-Lafitte. The former is another technical triumph with the most gracious of tannins and a quite staggering form of plunge pool purity in the mid-palate that really sets it apart. The latter is archetypally Pessac (more accurately, perhaps, Martillac) in a vintage in which that is actually rather rare. It is smoky, gamey and uncompromisingly exuberant. Both are, in the end, exactly what you would hope them to be.
There are plenty of other successes in this vintage, as my more detailed tasting notes attest. But in the end, relatively few of them attain the glory of the 2020 or 2022 vintages.
Yet where Pessac-Léognan does excel, as ever, is in terms of sheer value for money. In two, albeit slightly different price brackets, it is difficult to beat the trio of C de Carmes Haut-Brion, Couhins Lurton and Latour Martillac on the one hand and La Louvière and Picque Caillou on the other. Each has negotiated the challenges of the vintage very well and it is difficult to think of wines anywhere in the region capable of offering more for less.
C de Carmes Haut-Brion (Pessac-Léognan; 60% Cabernet Sauvignon; 38% Merlot; 2% Petit Verdot; pH 3.60; 13% alcohol, with the 25% whole bunch fermentation reducing the degree of alcohol from 13.8%; tasted at Carmes Haut-Brion with Guillaume Pouthier). Wonderfully coloured, with a lovely, limpid, blue-purple rim. This has a beautiful bright, crisp, crunchy fruit. Raspberries, boysenberries, mulberries, brambles, fruits of the forest, apple skin too, and with a redder-hued feel to the fruit than Les Carmes itself. Lots of graphite too and absolutely no trace of the wood. Precise, pixilated and detailed and yet soft and with a shimmering texture. This is highly-layered in the mid-palate, like a pile of silk sheets placed one on top of another but seen first from the top, so you don’t know how far down they go. There’s a pleasing grip too from the tannins, which are ultra-finely grained and which seem to massage the fruit, shaping a lovely fantail on the saline mineral finish. 92-94+.
Carbonnieux (Pessac-Léognan; 60% Cabernet Sauvignon; 30% Merlot; 5% Petit Verdot; 5% Cabernet Franc; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Quite deep and rich for Carbonnieux, with plums, sloes and black cherries. Quite rich, again, on the palate over a moderately broad frame accentuating the sense of density and concentration, but I find this a little ungainly in comparison with other recent vintages. Slightly tough, even if the tannins remain relatively fine-grained. Chewy. I liked the 2022 much more. 89-91.
Les Carmes Haut-Brion (Pessac-Léognan; 50% Cabernet Franc/Bouchet; 30% Cabernet Sauvignon; 20% Merlot; a final yield of around 50 hl/ha, down from a potential 55 hl/ha due to shrivelling of the grapes just before harvest; pH 3.62; 13.5% alcohol – 14.3% before the 60% whole bunch fermentation; tasted at the property with Guillaume Pouthier). The impressive concentration here was achieved by creating the conditions for hydric stress within the vineyard – cutting the leaves in the form of a Christmas tree to increase transpiration. Purple rimmed and intense; radiant, unusually so for the vintage with palpably visible density, viscosity and concentration. Lilac. Violet. A little dark chocolate. Texturally, we have the sensation of silk inter-layered with cashmere, due to the entirely passive immersion maceration practiced here. Pulpy, with copious black cherries, wild blueberries, graphite as if from the nuclear reactor core. There’s cedar too, but more subtly so, iris and peony. Gloriously supple on the attack, with a plunge-pool mid-palate reminiscent texturally of Pichon Comtesse. Glacial and incredibly harmonious, an impression accentuated by the amplitude. The calcaire character of the tannins is much in evidence here. A wine that transcends the challenges of the vintage – that’s what Guillaume Pouthier does! 96-98.
La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion (Pessac-Léognan; 48.3% Merlot; 39.4% Cabernet Sauvignon; 12.4% Cabernet Franc; 14.3% alcohol; tasted at Haut-Brion). Very engaging. A lovely loganberry and raspberry fruit – all perfectly ripe and highly pixilated. Already lush with lovely cedary notes. On the palate, red cherry and red berry fruits. Lots of purity. Sapid and saline in its minerality. In the style of the vintage, it’s just a little austere, but I rather like that. Chewy grape skins on the finish. 91-93+.
Le Clarence de Haut-Brion (Pessac-Léognan; 55.5% Merlot; 40.9% Cabernet Sauvignon; 3.6% Cabernet Franc; 14.2% alcohol; tasted at Haut-Brion). A little more opulent when tasted after La Chapelle, the fruit a shade darker and more stony in texture, with damsons and cherries rather than brambles and blackberries. Lush again. Gorgeous and, in fact, much more opulent and seductive than the slightly austere La Chapelle. A little rose petal. Exceptional for a ‘second wine’, with nice grippy and then chewy tannins. This is graciously poised. 93-95.
Couhins (Pessac-Léognan; 51% Merlot; 45% Cabernet Sauvignon; 4% Petit Verdot; an anomaly in a way, but a rather wonderful one, in that this is owned by INRAE, the French National Institute of Agricultural Research; tasted from a sample sent to me in Bordeaux). Earthy, loamy, with fruits of the forest, blackcurrant, mulberries, a little walnut shell, graphite and just crushed black peppercorns. Aeration reveals black stone fruit too. Very soft on the attack, with a nice sense of energy and forward momentum over the palate; decent concentration too. The tannins are fine-grained though they seem to grow in size of their granularity over the palate making this quite a chewy mouthful on the finish. It needs time, but it’s very pure, if perhaps lacking a little complexity. A little strict, but that’s the style of the vintage. 91-93.
Couhins Lurton (Pessac-Léognan; 85% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14.5% alcohol; tasted at La Louvière with Jacques Lurton and Claire Dawson). Not much mildew here or in any of the Vignobles André Lurton vineyards. Slightly closed aromatically and tight as it often is. But very attractive too. Almost all of the Cabernet Sauvignon from the vineyard is in this, bringing it up to a recent high. Cinnamon. Cinnamon toast. Speculoos (if you’ve ever had one you know what they are!). Gingerbread. Plums. Damsons. Blackberries. Brambles. Black cherries. More cassis and blackcurrant is released with aeration in the mouth. Gamey notes too. A lozenge shape in the mouth, with a dense yet limpid and crystalline core. There’s a nice freshness to this, especially as the cassis notes come through in the mid palate, picking up black cherries as they do so. A vibrant fresh fruit cocktail. Fluid and quite sinuous on the finish, this might well warrant an upgrade after élévage. 92-94+.
De Cruzeau (Pessac-Léognan; 50% Cabernet Sauvignon; 50% Merlot; a final yield of 45 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at La Louvière with Jacques Lurton and Claire Dawson). Quite intense. Sweet spices. A lovely cassis fruit, quite leafy but not at all green or herbaceous; a little gamey, with nice Pessac character. Brambles too. Some cedar is released with gentle aeration. Lightly smoky. Fresh, juicy and sapid, quite saline too but this lacks a little delineation and mid-palate detail. Quite chewy on the finish. This will resolve itself into a fine wine, but it’s not at the level of the 2020 or 2022. 89-91.
Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan; 65% Cabernet Sauvignon; 25% Merlot; 5% Petit Verdot; 5% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 30 hl/ha due to some mildew losses; 13% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). We really jump in quality when we get to this in the Pessac flight at the UGCB tasting – very much above the glass ceiling, indeed shattering it! Creamy briary fruits, mulberry and bramble, blackberry and blackcurrant, a little raspberry too, all supremely crunchy and crisp and coated in dark chocolate, a little mocha and with a parfumier’s essence of petunia too. Hedonistic. A hint of wood-smoke and a touch of nutmeg. On the palate this is full and rich, plump and charged again with fruit. Incredibly intense and very substantial. Long and chewy with the grippy tannins framing a lovely fantail. 94-96+.
De Fieuzal (Pessac-Léognan; 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot; aging in oak barrels, 35% of them new; 13.5% alcohol; Thomas Duclos is the consultant here since the 2019 vintage). A little subdued and reticent at first, but with a little coaxing and aeration it starts to open and unfurl. Herb-encrusted and quite floral, with a delicate note of wild thyme, rosemary and lavender, that essentially Pessac charcuterie, game and smoke spice element, red cherry and dark plum fruits and a little sage and bay leaf. On the palate this has quite tight frame, the tannins and the acidity working together to bind the fruit to a very well-defined and very linear spinal column. Long and rapier-like in its precision, though just a little strict, with quite grippy, angular and granular tannins on the finish. 92-94.
La Garde (Pessac-Léognan; 57% Cabernet Sauvignon; 43% Merlot; tasted at Belgrave). Svelte and soft on the attack, lithe and quite succulent but with good Pessac terroir-typicity. Saline, liquorice, a dark meatiness, a hint of oak smoke and a generous but never dominating spiciness. Plenty of white pepper too. Lovely and on a sustained upward trajectory now. 90-92.
Haut Bailly (Pessac-Léognon; 58% Cabernet Sauvignon; 34% Merlot; 4% Cabernet Franc; 4% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 40.5 hl/ha; 14.3% alcohol; 50% new oak but you wouldn’t have any idea). The Petit Verdot is, for the first time, vinified partially on its own, with some still co-fermented with the Cabernet Franc. Creamy. That macademia nut salinity and creaminess that is present also in the second wine. Darker stone fruits – damsons and black cherry, blackberry and black currant (but just a touch). Cool. Plunge-pool. A nice lift from the Petit Verdot and the Cabernet Franc, bringing both peppery notes but also a certain currant leafiness (white currant, redcurrant, blackcurrant). Cedar. Graphite. Sumptuous, quite opulent for the vintage but with a lovely up-thrust in the mid-palate – a kind of structural freshness conveyed by the Cabernets and the Petit Verdot in a sea of Merlot. Tender, even delicate, but intensely layered and highly detailed. Precise, pure, refined and texturally superb. There are some similarities here with Carmes Haut-Brion in a way in terms of the composition if not the minerality nor the fruit profile. Very long and gently tapering on the finish. Powerful but exquisite at the same time. And, crucially, terribly, terribly Haut Bailly. 95-97.
Haut Bailly II (Pessac-Léognan; 64% Merlot; 34% Cabernet Sauvignon; 2% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 40,5 hl/ha; 33% new barrels; 14.5% alcohol; tasted with Veronique Sanders at Haut Bailly). This now incorporates the fruit from Le Pape. Plump. Nutty. Quite saline in its minerality, like salted macadamia nuts – and with something of their creaminess too. Dark berry and plummy fruits, a little baked plum. Brambles, black raspberry. A touch of sage, liquorice too – with its salinity. One can feel the quality of the fine-grained tannins, which impart a lovely glossy texture. This will be ready to drink on release. Svelte, with impressive delineation and fresh and sapid. Very harmonious for a second wine. 91-93.
Haut-Bergey (Pessac-Léognan; 53% Cabernet Sauvignon; 27% Cabernet Franc; 12% Merlot; 8% Petit Verdot; a low yield and rather more Cabernet in the final blend due to significant mildew losses here). Oddly oxidative at first on the nose, but once that clears we hone in on a very pure, very precise almost pixilated purple fruit with lovely floral notes that reappear on the soft and delicate yet quite dense, cool and fruit-charged palate. Here the sapid fresh black cherry fruit predominates. This lacks the complexity of some and is clearly not the wine they would have wished to make, but I rather like the fruit profile and the slightly more austere texture. 91-93.
Haut-Brion (Pessac-Léognan; 52.3% Merlot; 38.6% Cabernet Sauvignon; 9.1% Cabernet Franc; pH 3.7; 14.6% alcohol; tasted at Haut-Brion). Aromatically restrained and yet enticing and gorgeously tempting. A little introspective and intimate. It invites you in but only for a first visit as it’s not yet ready to share all of its multiple secrets. Texturally sublime. I love the intensely dark berry fruitedness – mulberry, bramble, fruits of the forest. There’s a peony florality too. And more wild briary fruit notes with aeration. Graphite more than La Mission’s cedar. Gorgeous texturally. Floaty and crystalline despite the concentration which is substantial. So soft and caressing. So sapid and juicy in the mid-palate. Quite exceptional and, for me, at a level above La Mission in this vintage. A wine of grace, charm and quiet authority. Beguiling and seductive. 97-99.
Larrivet Haut-Brion (Pessac-Léognan; 75% Cabernet Sauvignon; 20% Cabernet Franc; 5% Merlot, with quite a lot of mildew losses, reducing overall yields to 35 hl/ha; 13.3% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Spicy, salty and very pure fruited – cinnamon, nutmeg, oak smoke and crushed black stones and assorted black berry and stone fruits. A little hedgerow floral note too and a hint of cordite. On the palate, quite intense, with fine-grained tannins enrobing the predominantly stone fruits. Long and with a tight and well-defined dense central core. Needs time but with plenty of potential. 91-93+.
Latour Martillac (Pessac-Léognan; 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 14% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 33 hl/ha with mildew losses on the Merlot; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). A lovely intimate aromatic profile of dark berry fruits – wild blueberry and mulberry, cassis too. There’s also a very fine-grained quality to the tannins here giving this a rare clarity and luminosity, impressive given the layering and density of the fruit. Long and supple on the finish. Impressive. 92-94+.
La Louvière (Pessac-Léognan; 60% Merlot; 40% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 50 hl/ha; pH ; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting and then at La Louvière itself with Jacques Lurton and Claire Dawson). Peppery, spicy, quite dense and rich in a way. Impressive texturally, with very fine grained tannins. Limpid and crystalline, but really only around the extremities for now as the core is so dense as to remain a little impenetrable, impressively so. A lovely gracious fruit with the Cabernet Sauvignon singing. Cassis and leafy notes rise from the dark waters of Merlot like sirens beckoning the sailors towards the rocks. Impressive but this will need a little time. 91-93+.
Malartic-Lagravière (Pessac-Léognan; 53% Cabernet Sauvignon; 42% Merlot; 4% Petit Verdot; 1% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of just under 39 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Plump and plush, with a very pure cassis and black berry fruit, less oak that it used to have a lovely intense purity. There’s a little cedar, sandalwood and walnut oil too and a glorious florality – a little violet and lilac that carries over on to the palate. Soft and supple, really radiant and softly flowing over the palate. Delicate yet intense. Tense and thoroughly excellent. 93-95.
La Mission Haut-Brion (Pessac-Léognan; 52.7% Merlot; 29.6% Cabernet Sauvignon; 17.7% Cabernet Franc; pH 3.7; tasted across the road at Haut-Brion). Beautiful. A subtle florality. Violets and lilac. Black cherry, damson, raspberry, loganberry. Cedar and graphite. Plump, plush, dense and multi-layered, with great depth and density in the context of the vintage. This reaches a level well above the glass ceiling for more earthly terroirs. So much grace and also considerable age-ability. Its slightly more open-textured than Haut-Brion. So elegant, with plunge-pool crystallinity in the mid-palate and so delicately balanced. Poised, harmonious and yet vibrant and energetic. 96-98.
Olivier (Pessac-Léognan; 50 % Cabernet Franc; 45% Merlot; 5% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 45 hl/ha; 14% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Quite a sweet aromatic profile, smoky and spicy too. Baked plums, wilted strawberries and assorted fresh redberries (including redcurrant brining its signature freshness). Quite a basket of fruits in fact. Distinctive. Lighter than some but more dynamic as a consequence. Aerial and vibrant. The acidity is a little elevated on the finish, but I like the direct fresh fruit-forward style. 91-93.
Pape Clément (Pessac-Léognan; 50% Merlot; 45% Cabernet Sauvignon; 3% Petit Verdot; 2% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 35 hl/ha; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Heady and exotic with red cherries and kirsch alongside darker berry fruits. There’s a lovely hint of cedar already and a subtle rose petal note that if anything is stronger on the palate. Lithe and gracious, with plenty of depth and substance but a very open and crystalline mid-palate. I’ve struggled more with this in recent vintages, even if I appreciate the quality; this I really like and I detect a subtle change in directionn. Flinty in its minerality. A touch of Pessac smoke too. 94-96.
Picque Caillou (Pessac-Léognan; 60% Cabernet Sauvignon; 35% Merlot; 5% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 45 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Salty, briny even, with fresh and baked plum and damson alongside assorted crushed predominantly dark berries – a fruit cocktail in effect. A little hint of iris too. On the palate a very pure cassis fruit presented in a tight and compact frame and well delineated over the no less well-defined central spinal column. Fresh, sapid and with impressive precision and clarity this is another fine wine from Picque Caillou. Excellent value as ever. 91-93.
De Rochemorin (Pessac-Léognan; 54% Merlot; 34% Cabernet Sauvignon; 10% Petit Verdot; 2% Cabernet Franc; pH 3.52; 14% alcohol; tasted at La Louvière with Jacques Lurton and Claire Dawson). Quite spicy and peppery from the Petit Verdot, almost all of which was used in the final blend. Quite substantial and very authentically Pessac. Fresh and lifted and with charcuterie rather than gamey notes, with a red and darker berry fruit and a little plum skin. The acidity is well distributed like the tannins over the palate. Chiselled with quite a tight and narrow frame, densely charged. More limpid than de Cruzeau. There’s a nice sapid juiciness on the finish, with little ripples of freshness alternating with the grip of the tannins producing a pulsating effect. Very good for a Merlot-dominated Pessac in 2023. The sustained improvement of recent vintages continues. 91-93.
Smith Haut-Lafitte (Pessac-Léognan; 70% Cabernet Sauvignon; 23% Merlot; 6% Cabernet Franc; 1% Petit Verdot; a final yield of just 26 hl/ha; organic and biodynamic and with a special lable to commemorate the visit of King Charles III; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Once again, a unique wine in the context of the appellation and the vintage. Full, rich, plump and plush like no other, with a deep black cherry fruit, lashings of cedar and a very authentically smoky and gamey Pessac note. Slightly wild and uncompromising in its exuberance. I love too the way the hint of oak works to reinforce the florality. Glorious texturally, a wine that really transcends the limits of the vintage – glass ceiling shattering. Long and quite opulent in a vintage where that is rare. 95-97.
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‘Freshness’ is the watchword for white Bordeaux
As we nears the end of the tour of the leading appellations of Bordeaux, we look at the white wines of Pessac-Léognan and Graves, the blancs secs sampled so far, and the sweet wines of Barsac and Sauternes. Here we find the holy grail for whites – freshness.
It seems sensible to put them together in a single article not just because Barsac and Sauternes now produce some of the leading dry whites of the entire region, even if many of them remain underappreciated, but also because what makes both great in this vintage is the same essential ingredient – freshness.
Freshness is the sine qua non of spectacular white wine because it is the source of tension and interest, turning what would otherwise be rich, flat and flabby into something vibrant, vivid and dynamic. And in an age of global warming, it is becoming ever more difficult to find.
But freshness is the watchword of the 2023 vintage in Bordeaux for the whites. In tasting these wines one might be forgiven for thinking that they come from a rather cooler and more classical growing season than in fact they do. But the secret to their greatness lies not in the average temperature over the growing season (which was relatively high and certainly above the ten-year average) but the comparatively overcast month of July as well as impressive day-to-night temperature ranges during the harvest itself. Both served to lock in freshness. The results, overall, are also rather more homogeneous than the reds and it was often both exciting and refreshing to taste them.
But if the dry whites are great, then it is important to emphasise that the Sauternes and Barsac reach another level altogether. In this vintage I find them truly exceptional – in part for exactly the same reason and in part because the rainfall that came in mid-September provided near perfect conditions for the even and rapid spread of Botrytis cinerea (noble rot) which formed on healthy and perfectly ripe grapes. The yields are, once again, often tragically small (with Climens, Nairac and La Tour Blanche all at less than 3 hl/ha, even if, as Table 1 shows, the average appellation yield is at a somewhat more healthy 12.2 hl/ha). But the quality of these wines, their interest, their individuality and their personality, is truly exceptional.
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
10-year average |
Relative to 10-year average (% change) |
|
Pessac-Léognan blanc |
46.3 |
38.6 |
30.7 |
31.6 |
50.3 |
37.3 |
+34.9 |
Sauternes/Barsac |
13.6 |
12.3 |
3.5 |
14.1 |
12.2 |
13.9 |
-12.2 |
Margaux |
49.2 |
36.3 |
38.6 |
31.3 |
37.7 |
39.7 |
-5.0 |
St Julien |
45.5 |
34.3 |
35.2 |
34.3 |
50.3 |
40.1 |
+25.4 |
Pauillac |
46.7 |
37.4 |
35.1 |
34.8 |
47.1 |
39.7 |
+18.6 |
St Estèphe |
49.7 |
41.2 |
40.7 |
31.5 |
51.6 |
43.4 |
+18.9 |
Pessac-Léognan rouge |
47.2 |
34.6 |
30.7 |
35.7 |
38.1 |
38.5 |
-1.0 |
St Emilion (GC) |
43.0 |
36.7 |
27.5 |
41.2 |
40.5 |
37.2 |
+8.9 |
Pomerol |
43.0 |
39.8 |
28.9 |
32.3 |
45.2 |
36.1 |
+25.2 |
Table 1: Average vineyard yield by appellation (hl/ha)
Given the quality of the vintage it is perhaps unsurprising that the two dry whites of the vintage come from perhaps the two most famous white terroirs of the region, those of Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion. But they are staggeringly different – almost mirror opposites of one another. Haut-Brion is classical brilliance, a grand scale, big tableau wine of staggering potential and harmony. La Mission Haut-Brion, by contrast, is in a way more redolently expressive of the vintage, tight, taut and tense to the core, dynamic and disruptive, utterly mesmerising.
Les Champs Libres is the freshest, the tensest, the most chiselled and structured of these wines and an utterly brilliant advert for Sauvignon Blanc on limestone. It is now reliably one of the truly great blancs secs of the region.
Amongst the Pessac-Léognan classed growth power houses, it is difficult to choose between the sublime but very different personalities of Domaine de Chevalier and Smith Haut-Lafitte. Each is instantly recognisable, each is likely to be seen in time as one of the strongest ever vintages from this duo of exceptional and truly reliable estates.
And Pavillon Blanc de Margaux is once again the star of the Médoc blanc secs, a wine of great purity, great elegance, great intensity and incredible crystallinity. It sets the benchmark for the Médoc, above all in this vintage.
It is exciting also for me to find, I think for the first time, two blancs secs from Barsac and Sauternes amongst my list of the truly greats. They are the beautifully elegant and refined Lilium de Climens (a further honing and elevation of the same style that Bérénice Lurton cultivated in the larger production Asphodèle) and the fantastically energetic Rayne Vigneau Grand Vin Sec, a wine almost pulsating in its combination of freshness and minerality.
Turning to the wines for which Barsac and Sauternes are, quite rightly, rather better known there is a veritable embarrassment of riches in this vintage. At the summit we find two wines of potential perfection – a truly exquisite, discrete and utterly beautiful Climens and a quite brilliant and rather shockingly delicate L’Extravagant de Doisy Daëne.
These are for me the twin super stars of the vintage. But every one of the first growths has made a wine of exceptional quality that seems to express its identity, personality and terroir as clearly as I have ever before witnessed. Whether it is Sigalas Rabaud with its levity and delicate white florality or Lafaurie-Peyraguey with that little hint of lanolin that is, for me, its signature note, each of these wines seems to express itself and its terroir so clearly. They deserve to be tasted together. But alongside those that I have already mentioned, I would also particularly single out a simply stunning Suduiraut (a wine on sparkling form in recent vintages and, something of a personal favourite, Doisy Dubroca. I don’t think I have ever tasted better en primeur samples from either property.
But, quite frankly, de Fargues, La Tour Blanche, Doisy Daëne and Rayne Vigneau, amongst a host of others, will all be very capable of having me in raptures any time following their bottling. If en primeur is the time you buy your Sauternes, then these all deserve your close consideration.
Tasting notes
Graves (blanc)
Chantegrive (Graves; 60% Sauvignon Blanc; 40% Sémillon; 13% alcohol). Reliably fine, unpretentious and authentic Graves blanc that is very much flattered by the vintage. Pure, crisp, with lots of lime and white grapefruit sapid juiciness. Likely to be great value. Simple but very refreshing in its sapidity. Lovely, clean, bright, croquant and easy. 87-89.
Chantegrive Cuvée Caroline (Graves; 50% Sauvignon Blanc; 50% Sémillon; 13% alcohol). The additional Sémillon and and oak aging bring more complexity to this, and it’s really excellent – a ringer for classed growth Pessac at half the price (or thereabouts). Lots of citrus tension, which cuts the richness from the Sémillon. Bright, crisp, dynamic and engaging. A super wine, especially in this vintage. Lime and linden (tilleul) notes. 90-92+.
Clos Floridene (Graves). More oak that Chateau Reynon, more flesh and substance too. A little candlewax, even a suggestion of incense, grated nutmeg, white pepper and multiple citrus notes from mandarin through to pink grapefruit. Sappy. Juicy. Fresh. Finishes on grape skin and grapefruit pith. 88-90.
De Ferrande (Graves). Tasted twice , much better at the UGC. Peach, Granny Smith apple and confit lemon, confit melon too and a nice gooseberry note too. White melon fresh too. Clean, pure, tense and fresh with a nice grippy acidity almost like the granularity of tannins structuring the wine. So, quite pinched and then chiselled giving this interest in and through the mid-palate and elevating it in the process. This wine has progressed a great deal in recent vintages and in 2023 it is excellent. 88-90.
Rahoul (Graves). Very tight and fresh, despite quite considerable concentration. This really sucks in the cheeks with its fresh and dynamic acidity. Lemon and lime cordials, zest and a little white grapefruit. Precise, crisp, articulate. Simple but very accessible if a little strict. 87-89.
Pessac-Léognan (blanc)
Bouscaut (Pessac-Léognan; 41% Sémillon; 59% Sauvignon Blanc – I think, as the technical sheet adds up to 120%!; a final yield of 40 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Sadly there is no red here this year, but the quality of this must provide at least a little compensation. One notices immediately that this is less oaky than it often is or used to be. A little closed and intimate aromatically, but very distinct on the palate. Lime and lime zest, assorted white flowers, a little almond oil, linden, greengage. Decent concentration in the mid-palate but, crucially, this never risks becoming fat, so charged is it with fresh citrus acidity. A subtle change in style with rather less oak and more personality as a consequence. Intriguing, distinct and highly recommended. 91-93+.
Carbonnieux (Pessac-Léognan; 65% Sauvignon Blanc; 35% Sémillon; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Good things are happening here and this is further evidence of that. Oyster shell, iodine, homemade lemonade, citron pressé and lemon zest, peat, a slightly loamy note and a lovely crushed rock and flinty minerality. Incredibly intense, full and rich yet charged with energy on the palate – really impressively so. Hyper-fresh but with lots of density, almost viscous. Somewhat like a sauternes with all the sugar removed but the same density and volume and a similar fruit signature. Honey, assorted citrus elements, white flowers, camomile, confit melon. 92-94.
Clarté de Haut-Brion (Pessac-Léognan; 56.3% Sauvignon; 43.7% Sémillon; 13.4% alcohol; tasted at Haut-Brion; the second wine of both Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion). Almost Chablis-eseque (Dauvissat) in its candlewax note. Linden, lime, lime zest, fleur d’oranger. Incredibly fresh and lifted, aerial and so tense. Limpid, sapid, fresh and crunchy. A lovely stony minerality too. Excellent already and this is just the entrée. 93-95.
Clos Marsalette (Pessac-Léognan; 56% Sauvignon Blanc; 44% Sémillon; a tiny vineyard of just 1.5 hectares; a final yield of 56 hl/ha; 12.5% alcohol; tasted with Stephane and Ludovic von Neipperg at Canon La Gaffelière). Hyper-fresh. Good density and quite compact too. Charged with fresh citrus acidity. Tense and vertical. Bright. Pink grapefruit. Citron pressé. White peach. Sage. Confit melon too. Lovely balance. A pleasing natural sweetness on the clear and precise finish. 91-93.
Couhins (Pessac-Léognan; 90% Sauvignon Blanc; 10% Sauvignon Gris; certified organic). Now reliably exceptional and certainly that in this vintage. A most glorious nose (if I could capture it as a scent and carry around a bottle of it in my pocket as a pick-me-up I’d be, well, picked up quite a lot!). Fresh ginger, lemongrass, yuzu, lime, pink grapefruit, passionflower, confit lemon, maybe a little saffron (but it’s not as sweet as that perhaps implies). A magical texture in the mouth. It’s so soft at first that you expect it to be lighter and less substantial that it actually is, but there is in fact considerable depth and intensity to this and it reveals itself subtly. This is very dynamic over the palate and staggeringly sapid, with waves of fresh juice irrigating the taste buds. I love it. Really special; I think the best I have ever tasted from here. 93-95.
Couhins Lurton (Pessac-Léognan; 100% Sauvignon Blanc; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the property with Jacques Lurton and Claire Dawson). 30% vinified in horizontal amphorae. Confit grapefruit. Lemon zest. Tarte au pamplemousse – does that even exist? Lemon meringue pie. Lily of the valley. This is tense, mega-crisp, bright and searingly vertical and aerial. It’s shimmering and crystalline too. So rich and intense, dense and compact with a tightly defined core. Incredible intensity. So beautifully tempered and tapering. Tense and nervous. So long and pure. Whetstone, crushed rock and rock salt minerality. I really love it. 93-95+.
De Cruzeau (Pessac-Léognan; 100% Sauvignon Blanc; 13% alcohol; tasted at the property with Jacques Lurton and Claire Dawson). Vinified in barrel, foudres and stainless steel. Apple, apple skin, confit apple. Exotic fruits too. Guava, mango, flint. Ginger. Citron pressé and white grapefruit too. Almost a Sauternes profile, but ultra-dry and crisply intense in its acidity. Very fresh and with lots of lift. Glassy and clear. Lovely intensity. Super value. 90-92+.
Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan; 70% Sauvignon Blanc; 30% Sémillon; a final yield of 45 hl/ha; 14% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Very classically ‘Chevalier’ aromatically. Very floral, with less oak presence than before. Gooseberry, greengage, nettle, copious small white blooms, a little walnut oil. On the palate this has a lovely delicate yet intense mouthfeel with great forward momentum. Lithe and, above all sinuous texturally with great length – like a winding river washing freshness downstream and with the acidity welling up from below to bring additional sapidity as it does so. A salmon river of a wine. Excellent. Lifted on the sublime finish. Very exciting indeed. 95-97.
De Fieuzal (Pessac-Léognan; 60% Sauvignon Blanc; 40% Sémillon; aging in oak barrels, around a third of them new). Aromatically very pure if, at first, a little understated and introvert. Aniseed, fennel, gooseberry, lime, mimosa and jasmine. Some blood orange with gentle aeration. Tense and taut with a fabulous and seamless combination of salinity, rocky minerality and viscosity. The density and concentration is very impressive and that, aligned with the intense sapidity and freshness of the citrus notes, allows this to be rich but vividly fresh at the same time. Lemon sorbet on the finish and just as refreshing at that makes it sound. Fabulous. 93-95.
De France (Pessac-Léognan; 80% Sauvignon Blanc; 20% Sémillon; a final yield, alas, of just 20 hl/ha; just 5% new oak; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin and at Belgrave). Sweeter aromatically than either Domaine de Chevalier or Carbonnieux, with more melon and confit melon notes, a little apricot too, even wild strawberries. This is rich and, in comparison with the very best, maybe lacks the vibrant freshness and crunch of the acidity that pulses through the vintage. But it’s very good and some will like its calmer, fuller, richer qualities. A pleasing salinity on the finish. 91-93.
La Garde (Pessac-Léognan; 93% Sauvignon Blanc on limestone; 7% Sémillon on gravel). Pretty, tense, intense and charged with fresh citrus notes and linden, grapefruit, elderflower, elderberry, a little apple blossom. Very lovely. Pure, precise, crystalline. Lithe and so incredibly tense, very pure fruited and yet with good density. Very expressive of the vintage. Brilliantly crystalline. The best yet from here. 92-94.
Haut-Brion (Pessac-Léognan; 58.1% Sauvignon Blanc; 41.9% Sémillon; pH 3.2; aging in oak barrels, 40% of which are new). Richer and deeper than La Mission, more aromatically intense and maybe, because of that, a touch less aerial. Fewer fireworks, greater intensity in a way. Confit grapefruit, confit lemon, mandarin, satsuma, green tea. A little more floral than La Mission Haut-Brion. White flowers. Linden, jasmine. But it’s actually a little less exotic. The waves of freshness are fewer than La Mission, too, but more intense – more the Atlantic breakers bringing tranquillity between each explosion of freshness. That contributes to the long sense of taper towards the finish as if the water is being drawn slowly back to the Ocean. Grand scale wine. Very different to its stablemate in its form and mouthfeel but staggering fresh given its density. So poised and balanced. 97-99.
Larrivet Haut-Brion (Pessac-Léognan; 95% Sauvignon Blanc; 5% Sémillon; a final yield of 33 hl/ha; 13.6% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Very classically ‘Pessac’ but at the same time very true to its more recent style. Iodine and seashell, but not quite as expressively so as, say, Carbonnieux. Wild strawberry, though just a hint, yuzu, mandarin and satsuma, maybe a little frangipane note too and nettles. White peach. Cool and glacial in the mid-palate, very calm and relaxed in a way, with greater luminosity and clarity. Plunge-pool texture. Relaxing and very harmonious, with a lovely citron zest note building on the finish. Very clean. 92-94+.
Latour-Martillac (Pessac-Léognan; 60% Sauvignon Blanc; 40% Sémillon; a final yield of 53 hl/ha; 13% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting at the Cité du Vin). A very pure citrus-charged nose, quite radiant and bright, crisp and aerial. Fleur de sel encrusted lemon, lemon zest, a twist of lime and white grapefruit. Mimosa, just a little; flint. Fluid, lithe and energetic with a glorious zesty freshness that disrupts the tranquil cool of the glacial mid-palate bringing energy, interest and great sapidity. Superb. Beautifully composed and lovely texturally. Gracious. 92-94+.
La Louvière (Pessac-Léognan; 100% Sauvignon Blanc; a final yield of 49 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the property with Jacques Lurton and Claire Dawson). Fermented largely in 600 litre demi-muids. From 4 rather different terroir types. White melon, confit lemon, tarte au citron, mandarine zest and rind. Fresh ginger. Lemongrass. Greengage, gooseberry, white and pink grapefruit. Lovely, vibrant and extremely zesty, lots of energy. Excellent. Perhaps a little more direct than, say, Latour Martillac. More vibrant and disruptive, more energetic and perhaps little less elegant in a way for that. 92-94.
Malartic-Lagraviére (Pessac-Léognan; 80% Sauvignon Blanc; 20 Sémillon; a final yield of 49.5 hl/ha; 13.2% alcohol). Easy to pick blind in a vintage in which the terroir traits of each wine are very transparent. That signature candle wax and fleur d’oranger note, a little white almond and assorted citrus notes – more lime than lemon perhaps, a little peach that we pick up again in the mid-palate. Very pure, quite rich but wonderfully sapid and charged, like many, with up-currents of zestiness from below. Glacial, cool with a gracious plunge-pool texture. 93-95.
La Mission Haut-Brion (Pessac-Léognan; 65.3% Sauvignon Blanc; 34.7% Sémillon; pH 3.2; tasted at Haut-Brion). Zingy and zesty with 51 shades of lemon each vying for attention. Lemon – pure, confit and pressé, lemon meringue pie with some of the lift and levity of the meringue (if none of its sugar). Aerial. Subtle white nectarine, peach, linden, jasmine, passionflower. So complex with exotic fruit notes – guava and passionfruit – but we return always to the citrus. So dynamic, juicy, sapid and fluid. Exciting. Waves of alternating freshness and a certain pinch from the acidity. So vertical. Exquisite. Reverberating. Less poised than Haut-Brion because it’s so dynamic and disruptive, but utterly captivating in its vivid and elemental dynamism. 96-98.
Olivier (Pessac-Léognan; 80% Sauvignon Blanc; 20% Sémillon; a final yield of 45 hl/ha; 13.3% alcohol) Quite creamy, with copious white flowers, nettle, wild herbs, peach skin and a little apricot. On the palate this is ample and quite rich, the acidity not so much welling up from below as entering between the layers of the silkily-textured fruit. Iodine and sea spray on the finish. Very composed and tranquil, but without the energy of some. But still excellent. 92-94.
Pape Clément (Pessac-Léognan; 60% Sauvignon Blanc; 35% Sémillon; 4% Sauvignon Gris; 1% Muscadelle; a final yield of 48 hl/ha). An easy pick. Big, plump, rich and exuberant in its style. Aromatically this is quite explosive. Garden blooms, apricot, peach and white nectarine, almond and frangipane. The acidity here is very well incorporated into the mid-palate and well distributed along the central spine. Very ample and generous, dense too, giving this a cool composed form in the mouth. A lovely plume of clean citrus refreshes the finish and cuts any residual richness. A distinctive style, but it works. 93-95.
Picque Caillou (Pessac-Léognan; 100% Sauvignon Blanc; a final yield of 50 hl/ha; 13% alcohol). Slightly smoky but with a very pure citrus-charged aromatic profile; a little jasmine note too. Tight and with a narrower frame than others, but that merely accentuates the sense of concentration and mid-palate density. A lovely fleur de sel or even oyster shell salinity. Very mineral. Lovely. 92-94.
De Rochemorin (Pessac-Léognan; 100% Sauvignon Blanc; 13% alcohol). Only 1km from La Louvière, the same team and varietal, and yet fundamentally different. More closed. Less exotic. Brioche. Toasty notes. Fifty shades of citrus – lemon and grapefruit. Confit lemon. Confit grapefruit. Lemon meringue pie. Super. Better even than the 2021. Ginger. Jasmine. Mimosa. Mirabelle. Super sapid and wonderfully quaffable and fresh. Excellent. 91-93+.
Smith Haut Laffitte (Pessac-Léognan; 90% Sauvignon Blanc; 5% Sauvignon Gris; 5% Sémillon; a final yield of 36 hl/ha). Honeyed and utterly beguiling. Very floral – gladioli and hyacincth! A great fruit complexity, and a lovely walnut oil nuttiness too. Rich, ample, broad-shouldered and seductive. Quite distinctive. We could almost be in Sauternes aromatically, yet this is 100 per cent crisp and dry on the palate. Confit melon, beurre au fleur de sel, roasted almonds, almond oil, frangipane, peach, nectarine, guava and passionfruit and then, from below, orange and lemon zesty notes. Incredibly dense and impressively vibrant for a wine so rich. A singularity. 95-97.
![](./assets/oxaH9tMjFo/la-mission-haut-brion-1-2048x1536-2048x1536.jpg)
![](./assets/085HpSgtbf/pavillon-blanc-de-margaux-1536x2048-1536x2048.jpg)
![](./assets/oLgetuD7Xr/sauternes-at-the-ugcb-press-2048x1536-2048x1536.jpg)
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Prices
Wine - 2023 vintage |
Appellation |
Per bottle (ex-nég) |
% change |
International trade price |
% change |
2022 price |
Château Haut-Bailly |
Pessac-Léognan |
€ 90.0 |
-25.0% |
£1,080 |
-25.0% |
£1,440 |
Château Troplong Mondot |
Saint-Émilion |
€ 90.0 |
-11.8% |
£1,068 |
||
Vieux Château Certan 2023 |
Pomerol |
€ 186 |
-32.6% |
£2,220 |
-33.30% |
£3,300 |
Château Smith Haut Lafite |
Pessac-Léognan |
€ 91.20 |
-20.0% |
|||
Château Clinet |
Pomerol |
€ 57.60 |
-29.4% |
|||
Château Beau-Séjour Bécot |
Saint-Émilion |
€ 43.20 |
-24.2% |
|||
Château Lascombes |
Margaux |
€ 49.20 |
-21.2% |
|||
Château Margaux |
Margaux |
€ 360.0 |
-30.2% |
£4,320 |
£6,192 |
|
Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux 2023 |
Margaux |
€ 120.0 |
-20.0% |
£1,440 |
£1,800 |
|
Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux 2023 |
Margaux |
€240 |
9.4% |
£2,880 |
9.4% |
|
Château Calon Ségur 2023, |
St Estephe |
€ 78.0 |
-23.5% |
|||
Château Gruaud Larose |
Saint-Julien-Beychevelle |
€ 60.0 |
-13.8% |
|||
Château Canon 2023 |
Saint-Émilion |
€ 90.0 |
-25.0% |
|||
Château Rauzan-Ségla |
Margaux |
€ 60.0 |
-28.6% |
|||
Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion |
Pessac-Léognan |
€76.8 |
-28.9% |
|||
Château Giscours |
Margaux |
€ 40.8 |
-18.4% |
£492 |
£600 |
|
Château L'Eglise-Clinet |
Pomerol |
€ 210.0 |
-19.2% |
|||
Château Pavie |
Saint-Émilion |
€ 234.0 |
-22.0% |
£2,784 |
22.1 |
£3,576 |
Château Pichon Baron |
Pauillac |
€ 103.0 |
-23.4% |
|||
Château Phélan Ségur 2023 |
St Estephe |
€ 31.2 |
-16.1% |
£386 |
||
Château Palmer |
Margaux |
€ 240.0 |
-18.6% |
£2,880 |
-19.5% |
£3,576 |
Château Branaire-Ducru |
Saint-Julien-Beychevelle |
€ 32.0 |
-19.2% |
|||
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande |
St Estephe |
€ 110.0 |
-35.5% |
£1,320 |
-36.0% |
|
Château Lagrange |
Saint-Julien-Beychevelle |
€ 31.20 |
-21.2% |
£372 |
21.5% |
£474 |
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste |
Pauillac |
€ 45.60 |
-22.4% |
£546 |
23.7% |
£716 |
Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion rouge |
Pessac-Léognan |
€ 28.5 |
||||
Château Canon la Gaffelière 2023 |
Saint-Émilion |
€ 50.4 |
-22.2% |
£602 |
-12.3 |
£684 |
Clos Fourtet 2023 |
Saint-Émilion |
€ 70.0 |
-25.5% |
£840 |
||
Chateux Brane-Cantenac 2023 |
Margaux |
€ 44.5 |
-25.8% |
|||
Château Léoville Poyferré 2023 |
Saint-Julien-Beychevelle |
€ 56.5 |
-32.7% |
£674 |
-33.5% |
£1,014 |
Château Beychevelle 2023 |
Saint-Julien-Beychevelle |
€ 50.4 |
-11.1% |
£720 |
-14.4 |
|
Domaine de Chevalier Rouge 2023 |
Pessac-Léognan |
€ 45.6 |
-17.4% |
£550 |
||
Château La Fleur-Petrus 2023 |
Pomerol |
£125 (offered by UK distributor) |
-34.0% |
£1,500 |
-33.6 |
|
Certan de May 2023 |
Pomerol |
£71.67 (offered by UK distributor) |
-28.0% |
|||
Bélair-Monange 2023 |
Saint-Émilion |
£98.33 (recommended UK onward selling price) |
-31.0% |
£590 (6x75cl IB) |
||
Château Suduiraut 2023 |
Sauternes |
£43.2 (recommended UK onward selling price) |
-11.0% |
£519 |
-10.8 |
|
Château Gazin 2023 |
Pomerol |
€ 48.0 |
-27.3% |
£582 |
||
Château Saint-Pierre 2023 |
Saint-Julien-Beychevelle |
€ 32.4 |
-28.9% |
£410 |
-25.4 |
£550 |
La Tour Carnet 2023 |
Haut-Medoc |
£21 (recommended UK onward selling price) |
-7.0% |
|||
Pape Clément Blanc 2023 |
Pessac-Léognan |
£91 (recommended UK onward selling price) |
-7.0% |
|||
Château Pape Clément 2023 |
Pessac-Léognan |
€ 58.2 |
-6.7% |
£708 |
-5.6 |
|
Château d’Issan 2023 |
Margaux |
€ 37.2 |
-27.1% |
£450 |
-26.5 |
|
Cos d'Estournel 2023 |
St Estephe |
€ 114.0 |
-38.7% |
£1,440 |
-35.5 |
|
Château Meyney 2023 |
St Estephe |
€ 18.6 |
-17.0% |
|||
Croix de Beaucaillou 2023 |
Saint-Julien-Beychevelle |
€29.40 |
-18.0% |
|||
Château Grand-Puy Ducasse 2023 |
Pauillac |
€ 23.4 |
-20.7% |
£288 |
||
Château Ausone 2023 |
Saint-Émilion |
€ 432.0 |
-23.5% |
£5,280 |
||
Château Malescot St. Exupéry 2023 |
Margaux |
€ 32.5 |
-28.0% |
|||
Ducru-Beaucaillou 2023 |
Saint-Julien-Beychevelle |
€ 120.0 |
-33.7% |
|||
Quintus 2023 |
Saint-Émilion |
£70 (recommended UK onward selling price) |
27.0% |
|||
Clarence de Haut-Brion 2023 |
Pessac-Léognan |
£100 (recommended UK onward selling price) |
-24.0% |
|||
Echo de Lynch-Bages 2023 (2nd wine) |
Pauillac |
€ 25.2 |
-23.0% |
|||
Château Ormes de Pez 2023 |
St Estephe |
€ 16.8 |
-20.0% |
|||
Gloria 2023 |
Saint-Julien |
£22.90 |
-27.0% |
|||
Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2023 |
Pessac-Léognan |
€ 180.0 |
-31.8% |
|||
Château Lynch-Bages 2023 |
Pauillac |
€ 72.0 |
-31.8% |
£840 |
34.4% |
£1,280 |
La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion 2023 |
Pessac-Léognan |
€ 42.0 |
-36.4% |
|||
Château Haut-Brion 2023 |
Pessac-Léognan |
€ 312.0 |
-39.5% |
£3,780 |
-38.8% |
|
Château Cheval Blanc 2023 |
Saint-Émilion |
€ 384.0 |
-18.3% |
£4,680 |
£5,760 |
|
Château Léoville Barton 2023 |
Saint-Julien-Beychevelle |
€ 55.8 |
-13.1% |
£670 |
-13.1% |
|
Petit Cheval Blanc (2nd wine) |
Saint-Émilion |
£120 (recommended UK onward selling price) |
-20.0% |
|||
Château Lafleur |
Pomerol |
€ 610.0 |
flat |
|||
Pensées de Lafleur |
Pomerol |
£137 (recommended UK onward selling price) |
flat |
|||
Chateau Malartic-Lagravière |
Pessac-Léognan |
£26.5 (recommended UK onward selling price) |
-22.0% |
|||
Château Pédesclaux |
Pauillac |
£25 (recommended UK onward selling price) |
-26.0% |
|||
Château Haut-Batailley |
Pauillac |
€ 36.0 |
-16.7% |
|||
Château Lafon-Rochet 2023, |
Saint-Estephe |
€ 27.5 |
-19.1% |
£330 |
||
Château Chasse-Spleen 2023 |
Moulis-en-Medoc |
€ 19.2 |
-24.0% |
|||
Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild 2023 |
Pauillac |
€ 132.0 |
-26.7% |
£1,644 |
-25.1% |
£2,196 |
Château Angélus 2023 |
Saint-Émilion |
€ 260.0 |
-25.7% |
|||
Château Mouton Rothschild |
Pauillac |
€ 324.0 |
-37.0% |
£4,068 |
||
Château d’Armailhac 2023 |
Saint-Émilion |
€ 32.4 |
-18.2% |
£408 |
-15.7% |
|
Château Cantemerle |
Haut-Medoc |
€ 16.8 |
-19.0% |
|||
Château Talbot |
Saint-Julien-Beychevelle |
€ 36.0 |
-25.0% |
|||
Château La Lagune 2023 |
Haut-Medoc |
€ 25.5 |
-25.0% |
|||
Château Duhart-Milon |
Pauillac |
€ 55.0 |
-8.0% |
£684 |
9.5% |
-£756 |
Carruades de Lafite 2023 |
Pauillac |
€ 145.0 |
-19.4% |
|||
Château L’Évangile 2023 |
Pomerol |
€ 150.0 |
-30.6% |
|||
Lafite Rothschild 2023 |
Pauillac |
€ 396.0 |
-31.7% |
£4,920 |
£7,150 |
|
Pontet-Canet |
Pauillac |
€ 66.0 |
-26.7% |
£790 |
26.9% |
£1,080 |
Clos du Marquis |
Saint-Julien |
€ 38.4 |
-36.0% |
£462 |
||
Léoville-Las-Cases |
Saint-Julien-Beychevelle |
€ 138.0 |
-40.0% |
£1,662 |
-40.0% |
|
Château Batailley |
Pauillac |
€ 26.0 |
-11.90% |
£324 |
-12.90% |
|
Château Haut-Bailly |
Pessac-Léognan |
€ 90.0 |
-25.0% |
£1,080 |
-25.0% |
£1,440 |
Château Troplong Mondot |
Saint-Émilion |
€ 90.0 |
-11.8% |
£1,068 |
||
Vieux Château Certan 2023 |
Pomerol |
€ 186 |
-32.6% |
£2,220 |
-33.30% |
£3,300 |
Château Smith Haut Lafite |
Pessac-Léognan |
€ 91.20 |
-20.0% |
|||
Château Clinet |
Pomerol |
€ 57.60 |
-29.4% |
Analysis
Are the wheels coming off the en primeur campaign?
Bordeaux estates have now released their 2023 vintages. But has the campaign heeded the early warnings and done what the market demanded? db investigates.