En Primeur Bordeaux 2023

The 2023 Bourgneuf is such a classy wine. Sleek, elegant and beautifully delineated, Bourgneuf is all class. Crushed rocks, mint, lavender, spice, rose petal and sweet pipe tobacco are some of nuances that take shape in the glass. More than anything else, the 2023 is a Pomerol that epitomizes understated finesse. This is another terrific effort from the Vayron family. Tasted two times.

Score: 92 - 94 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2043

The 2023 Bourgneuf is an especially impressive effort that underlines this estate's proximity to Trotanoy (one block actually reaches the outbuildings of Trotanoy). Unwinding in the glass with aromas of mulberries, exotic spices, licorice, incense and lilac, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and textural, with a dense, creamy core of concentrated fruit framed by a serious chassis of sweet, powdery tannin. This is likely to number among the sleepers of the vintage.

Score: 93 - 95 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

The 2023 Bourgneuf was picked September 12 to 27. This has an enticing bouquet with black cherries and wild strawberry fruit, cohesive and focused with neatly integrated oak. The palate is medium-bodied with fine structure. A keen line of acidity cuts through the black cherries and bilberry fruit, closing with a tangy, saline finish that urges you back for more. Bravo. This is a fine Pomerol from what continues to be an under-estimated estate.

Score: 92 - 94 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2048

The 2023 Clinet is powerful and racy right out of the gate. Crushed flowers, spice, mocha and a kiss of French oak meld into a core of dark red- and black-toned fruit. This modern, stylish Pomerol is so expressive. Hints of graphite, lavender, crushed rocks and pencil shavings linger on the substantial finish. Tasted two times.

Score: 94 - 96 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2030-2048

Rich and layered, the 2023 Clinet wafts from the glass with aromas of dark berries, spices and licorice, framed by creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and complete, with a rich chassis of powdery tannin underpinning its sweet core of fruit, it concludes with a broad, vanillin-inflected finish. As is routinely the case at this address, it's a successfully rendered Pomerol in a more modern style.

Score: 94 - 95 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

The 2023 Clinet was picked from September 13 to 26 at 42hL/ha and aged in 80% new oak. It has a very appealing bouquet, quite pure with vivacious red cherries, crushed strawberry and violet scents. The oak is neatly integrated. This is almost Saint-Émilion in style. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins and a fine bead of acidity, lightly spiced with a crisp and linear finish. This is a delightful, composed Clinet that should drink well after four to five years.

Score: 93 - 95 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2027-2047

The 2023 Clos l'Église presents a gorgeous contrast of intense dark fruit against a mineral backbone that confers energy. There's a ton of nuance here. Graphite, crushed rocks, plum, mocha, spice, leather and dried herbs are all vividly sketched. There's a bit more Cabernet Franc in this year's blend, as one of the Merlot parcels is being replanted. That results in an especially nuanced Clos l'Église that captures the best the year had to offer.

Score: 93 - 95 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2045

Smoky oak, good ift and zip, waves of rosemary and black chocolate, cocoa bean, espresso, intense but with peony and iris aromatics, and fresh waves of acidity that sends the palate upwards to meet blueberry fruits. Love the silky texture, and the grip, very appellation signature. Oldest vines here are more than 80 years, planted before the frost of 1956. Mathieu Bellot is the vineyard consultant, but no outside winemaking consultant.

Score: 93 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2029-2042

The 2023 La Conseillante is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine. Medium in body and silky, with exceptional balance, the 2023 impresses from start to finish. Crushed flowers, lavender, spice, mocha and tobacco are some of the many nuances that emerge over time. More than anything else, the 2023 impresses with its balance and total class. It's a wine that marries the elegance of La Conseillante with a bit more mid-palate resonance and sustain through the finish than some recent vintages. Yields were 43 hectoliters per hectare. Élevage consists of 70% new oak, 27% used barrels and 3% amphora. Tasted two times.

Score: 95 - 97 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2033-2063

One of the great wines of the vintage, and one that can rival its 2022 counterpart, the 2023 La Conseillante wafts from the glass with a strikingly floral bouquet of violets, lilac, raspberries, exotic spices, candied orange, pipe tobacco and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, supple and fleshy, its textural attack segues into a layered and enveloping core of pure, vibrant fruit framed by sweet tannins and concluding with a long, precise finish. It's a blend of 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc, some 30% of which is maturing in amphorae. Harvest began on September 7, lasting until October 2, block by block.

Score: 98 - 100 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

The 2023 La Conseillante was picked from September 7, with the final Cabernet Franc brought in on October 2 at 43hL/ha. There were just six days of picking over 3.5 weeks. Matured in 70% new oak, it has a very well-defined bouquet with black cherries, wild strawberries, touches of violet and a hint of crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied with a captivating, edgy opening. Just slightly granular in texture thanks to the tannin structure, it’s very harmonious and poised, with a sophisticated, mineral-driven finish. This is an exceptional La Conseillante from Marielle Cazaux and her team. It will rank alongside the 2022 even if it is very different stylistically.

Score: 96 - 98 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2042

The 2023 L’Eglise-Clinet is fabulous. Rich, deep and vertical in structure, this is all poise. Nothing in particular stands out, as all the elements are impeccably balanced. Time in the glass helps this open a bit, but the 2023 is a wine of reserve—a wine that is not showing all its cards. Gravel, incense, tobacco, dried herbs and mocha open with some coaxing. This will be stellar in time.

Score: 94 - 97 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2030-2053

The 2023 L'Eglise Clinet unwinds in the glass with brooding aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with baking chocolate, pipe tobacco and toasty new oak. Full-bodied, layered and muscular, with a sweet core of fruit framed by rich, powdery, generously extracted tannin, it's broad-shouldered and powerful, concluding with a long, expansive finish. It's a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc that checks in at 14.6% alcohol.

Score: 93 - 95 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

The 2023 L'Eglise-Clinet was picked between September 10 and 14 and matured in 82% new oak. It has a stunning bouquet with enthralling delineation and focus, very intense with blackberries, raspberry, crushed stone, Earl Grey and a touch of blood orange. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins and a dash of cracked black pepper. It's very harmonious and fans out brilliantly on the finish. It is surely going to vie with the stupendous 2022, and this ranks as one of the best wines of the vintage. Tasted on two visits at the beginning and end of my Bordeaux tastings.

Score: 98 - 100 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2032-2060