En Primeur Bordeaux 2023

The 2023 La Violette emerges from a tiny 1.68 hectare vineyard in the heart of Pomerol, 100% hand-destemmed and vinified in 100% French oak barrels from cooper Saury. Sumptuous and racy, the 2023 offers up a beguiling mix of crème de cassis, blueberry, menthol, licorice, spice and French oak. La Violette remains one of the most distinctive wines in Pomerol.

Score: 93 - 96 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2030-2048

This is intense, rich character, grilled coffee, blueberry, a little heavy through the mid palate although has good depths and texture, Pomerol typicity, very much also on the estate signature. Close to the church plots in Pomerol, Vignobles Parent.

Score: 92 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2027-2038

From the team of Château Le Gay and a smaller production release based on 100% Merlot vinified and aged in new barrels, the 2023 Château La Violette is slightly deeper purple-hued and offers an absolutely awesome bouquet of red and blue fruits, smoked earth, graphite, spring flowers, and incense. Complex, layered, and nuanced, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a broad, layered, seamless mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and a great, great finish. It's up with the top handful of 2023s and is a brilliant effort in the vintage.

Score: 95 - 97 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com

The 2023 Le Gay is intensely aromatic, floral and quite pretty. Crushed flowers, spice, mint, herbs, licorice and tobacco meld into a core of dark red/purplish berry fruit. All the elements are very nicely balanced in this stylish, mid-weight Pomerol from the Parent family. The 2023 is a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc vinified entirely in 100% new French oak barrels. Élevage is projected to be 14 months, about 2 months shorter than normal. Tasted two times.

Score: 93 - 95 Antonio Galloni, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2030-2048

Supple texture, campfire smoke and grilled liqourice, with leafy iris and peony florals. Plenty of charm, with blackberry and black cherry fruit, although the finish has a flash of heat. Vignobles Parent.

Score: 92 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2030-2044

The 2023 Le Pin is all sensuality. Rich, deep and explosive, the 2023 possesses notable depth. It is an especially exuberant, dense Le Pin. Dark-toned fruit, iron, leather, scorched earth and incense gradually unfurl in the glass. The long, sustained finish is suggestive of what is certain to be a very bright future. I tasted the 2023 from the en primeur blend and then directly from barrels crafted by Seguin-Moreau, the historical cooper of choice here, and Taransaud, a more recent addition. I found young wines of tremendous freshness and verve. This is a magnificent showing from Jacques Thienpont, Fiona Morrison MW and Guillaume Thienpont.

Score: 96 - 99 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2033-2063

The 2023 Le Pin is another strong effort for this small Pomerol winery, wafting from the glass with aromas of wild berries, violets, exotic spices and creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, polished and suave, it's velvety and refined, with attractive purity of fruit, lively acids and a long, gently vanillin-inflected finish. It's the result of multiple harvests, starting with young vines, between September 11 and 23.

Score: 94 - 96 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

The 2023 Le Pin was picked between September 11 and 23 at 39hL/ha—four pickings according to age of vine and plot. It matured in 65% new oak (this figure has gradually reduced since the 2020 vintage). They had no mildew, due to the free-draining gravel soils, though the Thienponts saw more at L'If. I love this nose. This is so pure and refined, it seems to embrace and gently hug the senses, like your favorite aunt or uncle. It blossoms in the glass to reveal subtle crushed stone and graphite notes. The palate has unerring symmetry, finely chiseled tannins and a linear, penetrating finish that goes on and on. This is one of the best vintages of Le Pin I have tasted from barrel, more serious and more floral than some recent vintages.

Score: 97 - 99 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2050

The 2023 La Petite Eglise is a serious, deep wine. It is one of the few second wines in Bordeaux that needs some time in bottle to be at its best. Dark-toned fruit, graphite, leather, menthol, spice and incense lend this large-scaled Pomerol a ton of distinction. A dollop of Franc (10%) adds tension and vibrancy.

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

As usual, the 2023 La Petite Eglise is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc that checks in at 14.4% alcohol. Wafting from the glass with aromas of plums and cherries mingled with notes of dark chocolate and truffle, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and succulent, with a rich core of fruit, sweet tannins and good depth at the core, concluding with a broad, oak-inflected finish.

Score: 91 - 93 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

The 2023 Vieux Château Certan is like a drug. Its exotic aromatics, deeply layered fruit and sublime textures are just captivating. I tasted the 2023 from an assembled base blend and four core components. Every wine was nothing short of breathtaking. When I think of the archetypes of greatness in Bordeaux, VCC is one of them. The 2023 is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Like all producers, Alexandre and Guillaume were forced to decide whether to pick their Cabernets before or after the September rains. As it turned out, none of the lots picked before the rain made it into the Grand Vin. Only those picked later were deemed of high enough quality.

Score: 96 - 98 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2031-2063

The 2023 Vieux Château Certan bursts from the glass with demonstrative aromas of dark berries, pencil shavings, violets mingled with notions of burning embers, iris, crushed mint and black tea. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and sensual, with a gourmand attack that segues into a layered, enveloping mid-palate, it's polished and perfumed, with a sweet core of fruit and a long, gently oak-inflected finish. This year's blend of 82% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc checks in at 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.74.

Score: 94 - 96 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

The 2023 Vieux Château Certan was picked from September 18 to 29. This year, there is no Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend as the fruit did not reach full ripeness, according to winemaker Guillaume Thienpont. The fruit was cropped at 43hL/ha as they suffered no mildew, there were one-third fewer pump-overs, and this vintage matured in two-thirds new oak. It has a well-defined bouquet, a little sultry at first: black cherry, iodine, violet flower and a touch of crushed stone. This unfurls beautifully in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins. Broader in the mouth compared to the Le Pin that I tasted right before, this is slightly more savory in style thanks to the 18% Cabernet Franc, landing gently on the finish. This is an elegant, slightly earthier VCC that will age beautifully in the bottle.

Score: 94 - 96 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2029-2055