En Primeur Bordeaux 2023
St Emilion - The wines with tasting notes
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[Add to shopping basket] | Clos Fourtet | St Emilion | £420 | 6x75cl | 92-94 | 97-98 | 94-96 | 95 | 94-96 | 94-96 | |
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The 2023 Clos Fourtet is pure class. Elegant and soaring, the 2023 offers up an exciting mélange of dark-toned fruit, leather, incense, dried herbs, pencil shavings and crushed rocks. Beams of supporting limestone-infused tannin and acid give Clos Fourtet is super-distinctive feel. The long, enduring finish is a thing of beauty. Clos Fourtet remains a benchmark example of wines from Saint-Émilion's famed limestone plateau. Tasted two times. Score: 94 - 96 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2030-2063 This is so full of energy. It’s full-bodied with electrified tannins and a long, long finish. So polish and focus here with exquisite balance and length. Score: 97 - 98 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com The 2023 Clos Fourtet is especially suave and refined this year, wafting from the glass with deep aromas of red berries, licorice, violets and pencil shavings, framed by a nicely integrated patina of new oak. Medium to full-bodied, supple and layered, with a velvety attack that segues into a bright, precise mid-palate, it's pure and lively, concluding with a mineral finish. Score: 94 - 96 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Starts right out of the gate with fragrant white flowers, lime zest freshness, scraping pumice stone limestone feel, strong Clos Fourtet character coming through, with cassis and black cherry fruits, a whirl of peony and iris flowers, inching forward step by step through the palate. Aged in 2% amphora, 45% new oak, with berries destemmed but uncrushed befpre fermenting. Stephane Derenoncourt consultant. Score: 95 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2030-2045 The 2023 Clos Fourtet was picked from September 14 to October 3 and aged in 40% new oak. The nose is very attractive and quite sensual in style with red cherries, crushed strawberries and incense. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, fresh, focused, pure and quite linear on the finish. This is much more classically styled than the 2022, and it conveys tenderness and persistence. Superb. Score: 92 - 94 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2027-2047 Checking in as 87% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, raised in 50-60% new oak, the 2023 Clos Fourtet has a beautiful limestone-driven style in its red and blue fruits as well as floral and chalky nuances that emerge with time in the glass. Medium-bodied, incredibly well-balanced, and elegant on the palate, it has fine tannins and outstanding length, as well as a gorgeous limestone character. It's a beautiful wine from this family estate that readers will love to have in their cellars. Score: 94 - 96 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com |
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[Add to shopping basket] | Figeac | St Emilion | £894 | 6x75cl | 96-98 | 97-98 | 96-98 | 98 | 95-98 | 94-97 | |
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The 2023 Figeac is gorgeous. Seamless and vibrant, with captivating elegance, this is an absolute beauty. What I admire most is its exceptional balance. Everything is in the right place. Time in the glass brings out hints of gravel, dried herbs, licorice, tobacco and cedar that add dimension. Although it is early, Figeac is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. Score: 95 - 98 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2033-2073 The density and finesse to this is terrific, offering blackberry, dark chocolate, walnut and hazelnut, as well as currant and sandalwood. Orange peel, too. Full-bodied and compact with a superb core of thick, velvet-textured tannins and a juicy finish. Extremely long. 41% merlot, 32% cabernet franc and 27% cabernet sauvignon. Score: 97 - 98 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com A brilliant classic in the making, the 2023 Figeac unwinds in the glass with aromas of cassis and mulberry mingled with notions of iris, cigar wrapper, pencil shavings, burning embers and spices. Medium to full-bodied, rich and layered, it's deep and concentrated, with an enveloping core of fruit that's framed by powdery tannins and lively acids, concluding with a broad, atypically mineral finish. It's a blend of 41% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc and 27% Cabernet Sauvignon that attained 13.5% alcohol. Score: 96 - 98 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Fragrant floral aromatics straight off the bat, peony and violet, and a vibrant juiciness that travels through the palate. Savoury dark fruit character, with flint and textural interest, full of Figeac finesse. 130th vintage of the Manoncourt family at Figeac, and the first vintage where they knew they were Premier Grand Cru Classé A from the start of the season, as it was announced in September 2022. 130mm of rain lower than average over the growing season here, allowing a long slow harvest from September 6 to October 5, 45hl/h yield. Score: 98 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2032-2050 The 2023 Figeac was cropped at 45hL/ha from September 6 until October 5, one of the longest harvest periods ever. It matured in 100% new oak, as usual. My samples included the 5% vin de presse. This has a very perfumed bouquet: red fruit rather than black, iris flower rather than violet, light sous-bois and tobacco scents deriving from the Cabernets. The palate is medium-bodied, and the Cabernets really "sing" on the entry. Black fruit mixes with graphite and light tobacco notes, surging with fresh acidity and real brightness, or what the French call éclat. There’s gentle grip here—classic Figeac from start to finish, with a subtle marine influence toward the close. This will be a wonderful Saint-Émilion that ranks amongst the best wines of the vintage. Chapeau! Score: 96 - 98 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2030-2065 The 2023 Château Figeac is Merlot-dominated but includes 32% Cabernet Franc and 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the élevage all in new French oak. Classic Figeac purple fruits, tobacco, leafy herbs, violets, and graphite all emerge on the nose, and it hits the palate with medium to full body, a remarkable sense of purity and precision, fine-grained tannins, and a gorgeous finish. Hitting 13.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.68, it's a beautiful wine in the vintage that shows the absolute class of this château today. Score: 94 - 97 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com |
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[Add to shopping basket] | Fonbel | St Emilion | £79 | 6x75cl | 88-90 | - | - | - | 90-92 | - | |
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The 2023 de Fonbel is an exotic wine, perhaps because of its varietal blend of 64% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Carménère. Rose petal, mint, lavender and dried herbs open in the bouquet. I find the tannins a bit severe on the finish, but perhaps élevage will take care of some of that. Score: 90 - 92 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2043 The 2023 Château de Fonbel was picked from September 12 to October 5. It has a straightforward bouquet with predominantly black fruit, hints of licorice and subtle gravel scents. It’s finely delineated if missing a little power. The palate is medium-bodied and fleshy with pliant tannins, closing with a gentle and lightly spiced finish. Drink it over the next decade. Score: 88 - 90 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2026-2034 |
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[Add to shopping basket] | Franc Mayne | St Emilion | £136 | 6x75cl | 90-92 | 93-94 | - | 92 | 92-94 | - | |
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The 2023 Franc Mayne is a plush, exotic Saint-Émilion. Rose petal, raspberry jam, mocha, licorice and chocolate infuse the 2023 with notable depth. This plush, extroverted Saint-Émilion is quite forward and racy—quite the charmer. Franc Mayne is all Merlot, but it has very strong aromatic and saline signatures that recall Franc. Tasted two times. Score: 92 - 94 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2030-2043 A tight and bright young Franc Mayne with blackberry, currant and orange-peel character. It’s medium-bodied with linear tannins and a vivid finish. Polished character here. Score: 93 - 94 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Ripe black fruits, orange peel, liqourice, cocoa bean, careful construction, attractively measured grilled oak, not the concentration of the 2022 at this property, but it has a more supple appeal, and great to see the consistency in differently-styled vintages. Second year in organic certification. Thomas Duclos consultant since 2018. 50% new oak barrels and 50% of wooden casks and amphoras. Score: 92 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2030-2044 The 2023 Franc Mayne is quite intense on the nose with black cherries, kirsch and light brown spice aromas, though it needs a little more delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly chewy tannins. Modest in depth, it’s a bit muscular on the finish that just misses the nuance I have discerned in other vintages. A second bottle is better and shows more precision on the palate. I adjusted my score accordingly. Score: 90 - 92 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2040 |
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[Add to shopping basket] | Grand Mayne | St Emilion | £162 | 6x75cl | 92-94 | 92-93 | - | 93 | 92-94 | - | |
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A heady, exotic Saint-Émilion, the 2023 Grand-Mayne makes a strong opening statement. Readers will find a wine of dimension and textural resonance. Blackberry, chocolate, licorice, spice and dried herbs are all beautifully amplified. This is impressive. Score: 92 - 94 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2030-2043 A very fine-grained red with tannins that caress your palate. Medium body. Reserved fruit character. Shows a nicely crafted expression already. Score: 92 - 93 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Bright ruby red, vivid depths to the body of the wine, well balanced, kick of eucalyptus and mint, hint of grilled cloves, with clear juice and limestone grip running through the black cherry and damson fruit. The Nony family has produced another exceptional vintage here. 50% new. 49hl/ha yield. Possible upscore in bottle. Score: 93 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2030-2044 The 2023 Grand Mayne was picked from September 11 to October 5 at 49hL/ha, matured in 60% new oak. It has a fragrant and pure bouquet: a mixture of red and black fruit, wilted roses and a light marine scent. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, a keen thread of acidity and a sense of mineralité toward the finish. Nicely poised throughout, this is a very delicious and refined Saint-Émilion in the making, deserving four or five year in bottle. Score: 92 - 94 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2027-2047 |
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