Mangot 2023

Another beautiful wine from this perpetually improving property, the 2023 Château Mangot delivers aromas of blackberries and mulberries mingled with hints of licorice, pencil shavings, bay leaf and violets. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a seamless, complete profile and impressive mid-palate density, it's a blend of 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon with élevage combining, as usual, new oak, used barriques, foudre and amphorae. This dynamic 37-hectare estate is located in Saint Étienne de Lisse on clay-limestone soils. It's a single block, ranging from the plateau above the château to the plateau below, with slopes and terraces in between. Farming is organic, with seeded cover crops retained year-round, and vinification is parcel by parcel to produce the best components to inform the optimal assemblage. It's planted with some 75% Merlot, but that's tending to decline at the expense of Cabernet Franc, little by little, as blocks are replanted, and élevage unites traditional barriques with less-oxidative vessels such as amphorae, of which Mangot was a pioneer. The style emphasizes precision and purity of fruit without any obtrusive winemaking signatures. On a qualitative roll, Mangot is one of the best values in contemporary Bordeaux, and the 2023 vintage is another strong effort. The Todeschini family reacted to conditions with rigorous sorting and by shortening the duration of pre-fermentation macerations and alcoholic fermentation, working the ferments even less than usual.

Score: 92 - 94 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Date: 26 April 2024