I spent two weeks in Bordeaux in April 2024, where I had the opportunity to taste over 300 barrels of samples from the 2023 vintage. I retasted many of these barrel samples two or three times at different locations. I also had the chance to re-taste many wines from vintages 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022.
You may be curious about how the 2023 red vintage turned out. It is splendid to excellent for the best wines. These wines are pure, ripe, elegant, tender, and sophisticated, with finesse and a velvety texture. The expressive fruit conceals the tannins well, and the wines have an excellent acidity that leaves you wanting more. The only thing 2023 lacks to be a great one is consistency and better quality in the lower ranks. In my opinion, it is significantly better overall than vintages 2021 and 2017.
The key to making successful wine in 2023 for a winemaker was careful maceration/extraction and using less oak than in the 2022 vintage to get the perfect expression of fruit and gentle tannin. The Right Bank, and particularly Saint Emilion and Pomerol, produced some of the best wines in 2023. While there is more consistency among wines on the Right Bank, it does not mean that wines on the Left Bank are of inferior quality; they are just not as consistent.
The 2023 vintage is an excellent year for dry and sweet whites! The weather conditions during the growing season and harvest have been quite favorable. The white grapes were healthy and incredibly aromatic.
The weather was typical for the season in the first four months of the year, and the flowering process went by quickly, promising generous yields. However, high temperatures and rainfall caused mildew outbreaks, affecting some appellations more than others.
July and August were hot and dry, while September had moderate temperatures, which ensured perfect ripeness, healthy grapes, and an abundant quantity of them. The red grapes were not small, had less sugar (0.5-1%) than in 2022, and achieved perfect acidity.
The quality and consistency of the 2023 vintage are lower than those of 2022. However, the perfect acidity in 2023 gives the wines a fresher and more vibrant taste. The purity of the fruit, tenderness, and striking elegance are the hallmarks of the vintage for me. Many properties created equally stunning wines as in 2022 and, in several cases, slightly better than that. This is especially evident in Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. You will find overoaked and over-extracted wines across Bordeaux in 2023, but they are in small numbers.
I won’t compare 2023 to any other vintage; it indeed has its own flavor and style!
As of the time of writing this report (early May 2024), it has been confirmed that prices will likely decrease by 25-40% when prices from several chateaux have been released. This is excellent news for consumers.
Grades for rating wines:
98-100p - perfectly made wines, well on the way to becoming legends.
96-98p - truly remarkable wines with a lot of style and class, great potential, and fabulously made.
94-96p - very focused wines with great precision, personality, and complexity.
92-94p - remarkable wines with style and grace.
90-92p – well-made wines with nice character and focus.
88-90p - admirable quality.
85- 87p – reasonable wines.
Important!
I'll continuously add my TNs to the website during the coming weeks. The first in line are wines from Pomerol and Saint-Emilion.
Pomerol:
This district produced several wines of the vintage and some other tremendous wines as well!
L'Eglise Clinet: 90% Merlot + 10% C. Franc. 14.6% alcohol. This wine is a close rival to the mind-boggling 2022 vintage. It's a powerful yet elegant wine with plenty of black cherries and blueberries, spiced with grated dark chocolate. It’s a juicy, very intense, multilayered, finesse-clad, and sophisticated wine with excellent mid-palate and a mesmerizingly long finish. Awesome wine work! 98-99p.
Lafleur: 54% de Bouchet + 46% Merlot. It is dense, multidimensional, aromatic, and has power mixed with elegance, finesse, and tenderness. Velvety texture. You really don’t feel tannin and oak on the palate. Perfect acidity and awesome midpalate sum it all up perfectly. It is more accessible than the muscular 2022. Fabulous stuff! 98+p.
After tasting barrel samples from 2023, I had the opportunity to taste 2020 and 2019 Lafleur. The multidimensional 2019 (99-100p) and its sibling 2020 (99-100p) were a heavenly treat.
Petrus: 100% Merlot. It is softer and more elegant than 2022. It has intense notes of black cherries, blueberries, and violets, with velvety tannins, finesse, and incredible complexity. It is sophisticated, focused, and precise, with a refreshing finish. Wonderful effort. 98p.
Le Pin: 100% Merlot. 14% alcohol. It has fragrant aromas of violets and black cherries. Acidity is perfect and keeps everything in place. The tannin is barely noticeable, the structure is seamless, and there is excellent mid-palate vibrancy and a sophisticated touch. Amazing stuff. 98p.
La Conseillante: 88% Merlot + 12% C. Franc. 14% alcohol. It is very aromatic on the nose, with violets and iris, blueberries and blackberries, and delicate and distinguished on the palate with terrific elegance and finesse. It has a sophisticated touch and richness. Liquid cashmere. Long and lingering aftertaste. It's a fascinating effort and just a notch after 2022 quality-wise. 97-98p.
Trotanoy: 100% Merlot. It has an intense aroma of wild cherries, violets, dark chocolate, and coffee bean notes. The wine is juicy and fleshy yet elegant on the palate, with great complexity, mid-palate, and strong structure. It needs several decades to mature. In terms of quality, it is just behind the 2022 vintage. 97-98p.
Vieux Chateau Certan: 82% Merlot + 18% C. Franc. 14% alcohol. Intense violets and blueberries are present on the nose. It is distinguished and tender on the palate, mineral, with great complexity, vibrant, superb mid-palate, and has a long and persistent finish. Fabulous stuff. 97+p.
L'Evangile: 78% Merlot, 21% C. Franc, and 1% C. Sauvignon. Violets, morello cherries, truffles, elegance and finesse, many layers, and a sappy, vibrant, sophisticated, persistent finish. It continues the refined and elegant style first seen in the 2022 vintage. Formidable. 97p.
La Fleur Petrus: 96.5% Merlot, 3% C. Franc and 0.5% P. Verdot. It has dark chocolate, crushed cherries, and blueberries, with notes of violets on the nose. It is juicy and complex on the palate, with fine tannins and a long finish. Superb effort! 97p.
Clinet: 75% Merlot + 25% C. Franc. 13.7% alcohol. Aromatic black cherries garnished with violets and truffles on the nose. It is juicy on the palate, has great structure and length, is vibrant, complex, and has a long aftertaste. Terrific stuff. 96-97p.
Clos L'Eglise: This property is located on the left side of the road across from L'Eglise Clinet, in the hamlet of Clinet. Helene Garcin-Leveque owns Clos L'Eglise, Barde Haut, and Poesia in Saint-Emilion. The blend comprises 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc, the highest-ever CF contribution. The ABV is 14%. The nose is aromatic, with black cherries and black truffles. It is potent, juicy, and mineral on the palate. You can really taste the soil! There is great length, vibrancy, and complexity. This is a formidable effort and true to the style of Pomerol. 96+p.
On my request, Helene Garcin-Leveque opened four additional vintages of Clos L'Eglise: 2021 (93-94p), 2020 (97p), 2019 (96p), and 2018 (96+p). These wines confirmed the excellent quality of this property's wines.
Petit Village: It's the first vintage with a certificate of biodynamic vineyard. I tasted it both at the property and at the UGCB tasting at Le Gay and got the same impression. 65% Merlot, 25% C. Franc and 10% C. Sauvignon. 13.5% alcohol. It's powerful, with a big palette of aromas, including violets and wild cherries. It is a bold, vibrant wine with a strong backbone, a fluent midpalate, and a long and persistent aftertaste. Excellent effort. 96+p.
La Croix St. Georges: 100% Merlot. 14.1% alcohol. It's more elegant and tender than usual, with plenty of creamy black cherries and blueberries, notes of dark chocolate, grained tannin, lively, bright acidity, excellent complexity, and a long-lasting finish. It is almost as impressive as the 2022 version. Great work from Jean-Philippe Janoueix. Superb for the vintage. 96p.
Bourgneuf: 90% Merlot + 10% C. Franc. I tasted it on three occasions: at the property, Jean-Pierre Moueix, and Grand Cercle, and the wine was truly impressive everywhere! It is beautifully scented and intense on the nose, with black cherries, blueberries, violets, and black truffle. To be honest, I don't recall any recent vintages of Bourgneuf having such a broad aromatic palette. It is coated on the palate with great complexity and structure, a splendid midpalate, silky tannin, and a lingering finish. A winner! 95-96+p.
At the property, I have additionally tasted the fabulously made 2019 (96p), a bit restrained 2020 (95p) and 2021 (93p).
Certan de May: 65% Merlot, 25% C. Franc and 10% C. Sauvignon. It has an expressive nose of aromatic black cherries and fragrant violets, with added notes of black truffles. It is sappy, fine midpalate, velvety, graceful, complex, and has a lingering finish. Superb. 95-96p.
Le Gay: Tasted twice. It's more tender and elegant this time. Well-integrated acidity and oak. Fragrant cherries and violets, juicy, grained tannin. Well-constructed and complex, lingering finish. Splendid effort. 95p.
Belle Brise: Very cherry (both black and morello) and fragrant violets. Elegant with finesse and purity, vibrant, complex, and precise. Grained tannin. Lingering finish. Lovely and seductive stuff. 94-95p.
I also tasted the superbly crafted 2022, which had already been bottled in March 2024. 95+p.
Sacre Coeur: 100% Merlot. 14.15% alcohol. It is floral on the nose with fragrant violets, juicy and well-knitted on the palate, with a velvety texture and refreshing acidity. Elegant with a cherry aftertaste. Very fine indeed. 94-95p.
Seraphine: 100% Merlot. 14.5% alcohol. It is very aromatic on the nose, with black cherries mixed with grated dark chocolate. Elegance, finesse, silky tannin, vibrant, velvety structure, and a lingering finish. It's a superb effort that, in my opinion, surpasses the 2022 vintage. 94-95p.
Martin Krajewski, the owner, kindly allowed me to taste two additional vintages of Seraphine, including the very aromatic and subtle 2019 (93p) and the more intense 2020 (93-94p). Thanks a lot!
Bon Pasteur: Notes of aromatic cherries and violets. It is on the elegant side, fragrant and tender, lively and sappy. Oak and tannin are well covered by ripe fruit. A welcome change from a normally heavier style. It's a splendid effort for the vintage. 94p.
Les Pensees de Lafleur - 54% Merlot + 46% de Bouchet. Multiaromatic on the nose with black cherries, violets, and grated dark chocolate. Vibrant, velvety texture, splendid acidity, and minerality. Oak and tannin are barely noticeable on the palate. Persistent finish. Impressive effort. 94p.
Beauregard: 74% Merlot, 20% C. Franc, and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. 13.5% alcohol. Twice as much Cabernet Franc in the blend as in 2022. It’s expressive on the nose, with aromatic black fruit (blueberries and blackberries) and notes of milk chocolate. Quite powerful on the palate with a truffy scent, vibrant, fine complexity, and meaty aftertaste. It's a very fine effort. 93-94p.
Cantelauze: 90% Merlot + 10% Cabernet Franc. It has a beautiful cherry nose with notes of violets and black truffle, fine acidity, and silky tannin on the palate. There is a fine balance, complexity, structure, and a lingering aftertaste. It's on par with 2022. 93-94p.
I also tasted other vintages from this property: 2021 (92p), 2020 (94p), and 2018 (93-94p).
La Petite Eglise: 90% Merlot + 10% Cabernet Franc. 14.4% alcohol. an expressive nose of black cherries and notes of dark chocolate. It exhibits sapiness and tenderness, bright acidity, splendid structure, and complexity on the palate, with a persistent aftertaste. It's a fine second wine from L'Eglise Clinet. 93-94p.
Rouget: Tasted twice (Rollands and UGCB). It shows aromatic cherries and notes of dark chocolate on the nose. Elegant, subtle, tender, and well-knitted on the palate. Fine acidity, midpalate, and persistent aftertaste. Splendid effort. 93-94p.
Lafleur Gazin: 100% Merlot. Crushed black cherries and fragrant violets on the nose, sappy, silky fruit and tannin on the palate, velvety structure, seductive, lingering finish. 93p.
La Pointe: It's a tender, plush, and aromatic wine with fine acidity. Well-structured and complex on the palate, with fine balance and a lingering aftertaste. Catchy stuff. 93p.
Latour-a-Pomerol: 100% Merlot. Fragrant cherries and violets. It was well-defined and elegant on the palate. Lively with crunchy fruit and velvety tannin. Persistent aftertaste. 92-93p.
Lagrange: 100% Merlot. It offers aromatic raspberries and morello cherries on the nose. It is well-structured and lively on the palate, with a velvety texture, fine acidity, and a lingering finish. Very seductive effort. For me, it surpasses the 2022 version. 92+p.
L'Ecuyer: Purchased by Clinet in 2022. 75% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. 14% alcohol. The nose is expressive, with aromatic black cherries and fragrant violets. There is a fine complexity, subtle oak notes, and a lingering finish. Seductive stuff. 92p.
Montviel: Aromatic cherries, raspberries, and violets, delicate, sappy, well-defined, lively, silky, nice acidity, lingering finish. Attractive stuff. 91-92p.
Blason de L'Evangile: 95% Merlot + 5% Cabernet Franc. It has aromas of blueberries, violets, and dark chocolate. The wine is well-structured and elegant, with a gentle acidity and smooth finish. It is a very adorable wine. 91p.
La Croix de Gay: Very cherry, nice acidity, sappy, tender, silky texture, pleasant and tasty, smooth aftertaste. 91p.
La Grave: 89% Merlot + 11% C. Franc. Nice fruity nose of black cherries and blueberries, spicy, silky tannin, smooth, and nicely structured on the palate. Soft, fruity finish. 91p.
Tour Maillet
Le Clos de Beau Pere: Black cherries and truffles, grated chocolate, corpulent, well-knitted.
Vray Croix de Gay
La Cabanne
Gazin: I've tasted this wine twice, and my impression remains the same. To be honest, I expected more from this property. It's a nicely made wine. Aromatic, gentle, and with fine structure. However, considering the excellent soil Gazin has, I anticipated more intensity and personality. I hope it will improve after aging in the barrel. For now, 90-91p.
Le Petit Petit Village - Petit Village's second wine. 88% Merlot and 12% C. Franc. 13.5% alcohol. Aromatic black fruit mixed with fragrant violets, juicy, silky tannin, tasty fruit, smooth finish. Attractive. 90-91p.
Benjamin de Beauregard: 90% Merlot + 10% C. Franc. 13% alcohol. Freshness, violets, and morello cherries, attractive, silky texture, nice acidity, smooth finish. 90p.
Saint-Emilion:
It has been an astonishingly successful district in 2023, enjoying great consistency with several potential candidates to earn the title "wine of the vintage." And many other wines aren't bad, either!
Ausone: I visited Ausone in mid-April and spent an hour with Edouard and Constance Vauthier, during which I had the pleasure of tasting their 2023s. The Grand Vin is made from a blend of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot and has an alcohol content of 14%. This blend has the highest percentage of Cabernet Franc in recent years. Although the 2023 Ausone is delicate, it should not be underestimated due to its underlying power and intensity beneath its elegant, finesse-clad, and sophisticated core. The wine has an extremely seductive floral aroma (violets!) with great complexity, sublime structure, and excellent acidity. Huge amounts of fruit perfectly balance the oak. The aftertaste won’t end. It is difficult to say if it is better than the 2022s, but we will know that after bottling. 98-99p.
Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse): Josephine Duffau-Lagarrosse continues her fairy tale. She produced exceptional wine in 2023, agonizingly close to her stunning effort in 2022. This wine comprises 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc, with 14% ABV. The nose is utterly expressive and fragrant, with scents of black cherries, violets, and iris. It is pure, graceful, elegant, and sophisticated on the palate. The wine has excellent acidity, a great mid-palate, and silky fruit embraced with velvety tannins that gently caress your taste buds. The finish is long and mesmerizing, and the wine tells you to come back for more!
Josephine is replacing the old vinification cellar with a new one this summer (2024). The new cellar will increase the number of vats from 9 to 16 (mostly the concrete ones), as she wants to extend parcel-by-parcel vinification to more vats. She has also planted more Cabernet Franc in the vineyard. 98-99p.
2023 Croix de Beausejour, Beausejour's second wine, blends 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc and has a fragrant bouquet of raspberries and red currants. The palate shows a silky texture, crunchy fruit, and a lingering aftertaste. It is a captivating wine. 91p.
2021 Beausejour - now in bottle. Only 27 hl/ha. 95+p. 2021 Croix de Beausejour - 89p.
Cheval Blanc: 46% Cabernet Franc, 52% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. 13.8% alcohol. On the nose, it has a burst of fragrant violets and roses, accompanied by aromatic cherries and raspberries. The blend showcases the Cabernet Franc, which is particularly noticeable. The wine has a perfect structure on the palate, with a fabulous mid-palate and silky texture. It is vibrant and has stunning richness. The finish is so heartfelt. It’s an incredibly fascinating wine. 98-99p.
I also tasted the bottled 2021. Sublime, subtle, and elegant. 96+p.
Figeac: It's the 130th vintage of the Manoncourt family. The blend consists of 42% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, and 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, with an alcohol content of 13.5%. The wine has a delightful aroma of raspberries, violets, and iris. It is subtle and mineral on the palate, with great depth and structure, an excellent mid-palate, silky texture, grained tannins, and an exquisitely long aftertaste. I expect this wine to compete with the 2022 vintage to become the best Figeac produced recently. This is an outstanding effort. 98-99p.
Frederic Faye, the manager at Figeac, was kind enough to let me taste the 2021 and 2020 vintages. 2021 was formidable all the way, and I rated it 96p. 2020 was captivating and a sheer delight for the senses. 98+p.
Angelus: Stephanie Rivoal de Bouard, CEO of Angelus since 2012, has transformed this property into a refined and intellectual wine in recent vintages by increasing the amount of Cabernet Franc and using considerably less oak. Benjamin Laforet, the young winemaker since 2017, does a great job at Angelus. The wine is 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc. On the nose, there are intense morello cherries and raspberries, while on the palate, it's elegant and plush, with a strong backbone, great complexity, sophisticated touch, and finesse. It has a great mid-palate and long aftertaste. This is stupendous quality. 98p.
After a barrel sample of 2023, I enjoyed 2021 Angelus, a silky and sophisticated wine that tasted even better now than from the barrel. 96-97p. During lunch, I was treated to a wonderful bottle of the 2000 Angelus, which was truly spectacular and timeless. 99p.
Tertre Roteboeuf: Excellent news for fans of flamboyantly flavored fruity wines from this property! Francois Mitjaville has crafted an iconic 2023 vintage! The wine had a powerful aroma of black cherries and violets. The palate was rich and seductive, with excellent complexity and seamless structure. Silky berries and grained tannin. Sophisticated touch. The finish was long and caressing. As usual, it was an utterly expressive effort from Francois Mitjavile. 97-98p.
The 2022 TR I tasted afterward was a dream wine to enjoy and had even more intensity and length than the 2023 vintage. 98p.
Belair Monange: 98% Merlot + 2% C. Franc. It is very aromatic on the nose, with black cherries and violets, and is delicate, vibrant, and sappy on the palate. It has great complexity, length, finesse, velvety tannin, and a long, lingering finish. This is a very impressive effort for the vintage. 97-98p.
Beausejour Becot: 77% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. 14% alcohol. Significant improvements have been made since Julien Barthe became the general manager of this property in 2016. In 2018, a new technical director joined the team, and together, they oversaw a modernization project that included the construction of a new underground cellar. While 2022 is an exceptional year for B. Becot, 2023 also promises to be entirely exciting (an expressive wine with finesse) and gets a rating of 97+p.
Canon: 71% Merlot + 29% C. Franc. 14% alcohol. It is a highly flavorful and delicate wine with tones of morello cherries, roses, and violets. There is great complexity and structure, silky tannin, a splendid midpalate, and a long aftertaste. Superb wine. 97p.
Pavie Macquin: 82% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. 14.1% alcohol It is quite flamboyant, with a great nose of aromatic morello cherries and raspberries, with great acidity, midpalate, structure, and length. It has a delicate raspberry aftertaste. Fabulous stuff. 97p.
Valandraud: It has a very complex nose with an intense aroma of morello cherries and fragrant violets. There is a refreshing acidity that connects extremely well with lush fruit and velvety tannin. splendid complexity and fabulous structure, great midpalate, and long aftertaste. Highly impressive. 97p.
Croix de Labrie: 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. 14.2% alcohol. It has a great nose with intense notes of black cherries, blueberries, and violets. The wine is expressive with great finesse and elegance, a velvety structure, grained tannins, fine acidity, and an intense finish. Well done, Courdurie couple! 96-97p.
Le Dôme: 80% Cabernet Franc + 20% Merlot. 14.1% alcohol. It is intense on the nose, with notes of crushed cherries, black truffles, and violets. On the palate, it is concentrated, splendidly structured, and vibrant, with a great mid-palate. It has great refreshing acidity, length, and a long finish. Formidable. 96-97p.
Clos Fourtet: Tasted twice with the same impressive result. Delicious on the nose with cherries, raspberries, and violets. Elegant with finesse. Acidity is well-integrated. Great complexity and midpalate. Long and persistent finish. Excellent effort. 96+p.
Corbin: 90% Merlot + 10% Cabernet Franc. 13.4% alcohol. This is a subtle and captivating wine with pure finesse and elegance, great balance, and velvety texture. It has a broad palette of aromas, especially violets and iris. The perfect acidity, vibrancy, and "invisible" tannin make this wine an utterly seductive "catch." As impressive as 2022! 96p.
Anabelle Cruse Bardinet let me retaste vintages 2022 (96p), 2021 (93-94p), and 2020 (96p). It's a pretty collection of finesse-clad wines. Thanks a lot!
La Confession: 70% Merlot, 27% C. Franc and 3% Malbec. 14.5% alcohol. Blackberries and blueberries on the nose, juicy and well-defined. It is more elegant than powerful, with finesse and fine acidity, vibrancy, and splendid structure. It's semi-modern in its expression. Persistent finish. Superb effort. 96p.
La Gaffeliere: Fragrant roses and violets on the nose. It has a juicy and vibrant character, with a fine midpalate and structure and a persistent finish. The acidity and oak are well integrated, resulting in great balance. It is a great effort. 95-96p.
Maison Cardinale (Fleur Cardinale): 56% Merlot, 37% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon. 14.5% alcohol. It is seductively aromatic, with scents of raspberries, roses, and violets. Sappy and perfectly balanced, displaying expressive fruit, silky tannins, and bright acidity. It finishes with a lingering and persistent aftertaste. Quite delicious! 95p.
La Couspaude: Tasted twice, this wine has fragrant notes of wild strawberries and spicy raspberries on the nose. It is well-knitted, juicy, tender, elegant, with finesse, splendidly structured, and has a lingering finish. It's a gorgeous wine. 94-95p.