Bordeaux 2023 En Primeur

Fresh and aromatic nose with hints of redcurrants leads to a palate full of red fruit, well balanced with fine tannins. 'A very nice vintage for us' says owner Mathieu Ternault'. 0-5 years

Cissac does it again, with a wine they liken to a blend of 2020 and 2022. Winemaker Laurent Saint Pasteur added that he works hard to preserve the fruit character so he limits the extraction a bit more than he did a decade ago, and, interestingly, they have a fine plot of old Malbec which almost ‘seasons’ the blend. Harmonious and ripe, we were very impressed and Cissac gets top marks this year. Will keep a bit too.

While it’s a long trek up to Begadan in northern Medoc we always get the warmest welcome from cousins Frederic and Benjamin. This Tanners favourite is a very attractive wine in 2023; well textured and smooth with the fresh plummy character of the best Medocs on display, a beautiful claret for the mid-term while the characteristic freshness of the vintage makes it sing in the glass. Delicious. 3-9 years.

Typically attractive aroma here, a compote of sweet red and black fruit then gentle and soft in the mouth. Easy, silky feel on the structure and supple in the finish. Very good again, if more ‘up front’ and forward with quite a vivid, saline end, courtesy of it’s organic credentials. Part of the growing Lorenzetti empire and reaping the benefits of top winemaking investment – Lafon Rochet is also now in the stable alongside Pedesclaux. Continues its good recent run and always worth a good look.

Sitting on a mix of alluvial gravel and clay, Potensac is regarded as representing ‘true Medoc style’ – a firm structure with density and concentration as a given. Part of the Leoville Las Cases stable, this year it has a dark, juicy stream with chalky tannin, elegance and a keen energy. There’s a suave side, plenty of blueberry fruit and oaky persistence in the finish. This is an impressive wine that feels very ‘together’ this year.  

Another lovely nose with sweet fruit, almost creamy, then a burst of currant and mulberry. Fresh on the palate, with a bit more blueberry and purity on the finish. Good Pauillac power, this feels like it will take on more texture and weight with age. Straightforward but looks good value, simply lacks a bit of recognition. 3-9 years.

Ben Sichel, winemaker at Angludet, described a particularly challenging time in 2023, with the heat of 2022 as the root cause of a significant drop in yield compared with many other properties.There is 17% Petit Verdot in the blend, which gives a lush core to the wine and a pretty, juicy character. There's silky tannin backing the fresh raspberry fruit, and a clean, pure finish. This is a mid-term Margaux of high quality, it's organic traits very much to the fore. 5-15 years. 

From the plateau in Pomerol, as the name suggests close to the church, this is an excellent wine with the clay soil giving super depth with good tannins. There is plenty of red and black fruit to give balance as well as the juiciness typical of the vintage. Owned by the Casteja family since 1973, this property is making excellent value wines. 5-15 years.

Frederic Casteja makes things happen in Bordeaux. “A good campaign is a quick campaign,” he said, while berating neighbours who watch the market and sit on their hands. His tenure at Batailley has improved the quality while keeping the price under control, and his wine is once again a firm recommendation. Almost minty on the nose, over sweet black fruit. Then dense on the palate with a bit of chew, currant on the back palate. Linear and grainy with an oak framework, this feels blocky, gourmand and should keep a bit.

Opening with a gorgeous perfumed, nose of violet, spices and black cherry, the mid-palate delivers more, juicy black fuits, plum, liquirice, cranberry and mulberry fruit . Well knit with fresh acidity and fine grain tannins this is a sumptuous effort which has a promising future.

Alfred Tesseron at Pontet Canet was thrilled to see us at 8:59 on Tuesday morning and berated his son, Noel, who arrived at 9:20. The chai is beautiful, the new 'eggs' (fermenters) in position, a herd of horses in the stables - the place looks immaculate and it's no wonder the results are superb. The wine had classic Pontet poise, lots of pure fruit backed with that organic ‘freshness’ he says they have been after since starting to convert 20 years ago. It is beautiful, succulent and fresh with a layered texture. Delicious mid to long-term drinking we thought, with bags of style - a top Pauillac. Interestingly we had tasted the 2005 vintage the previous evening and were struck by the similarities in structure and flavour.

Rather castigated across Bordeaux last year for over-cooking the 2022 release price (fortunately they have rectified this for 2023!), we were amused to see in the official en primeur leaflet that they compare this vintage to 1771… On a more serious note, Antoine Gimbert explained that they now handle the fruit extremely gently, stopping pumping-over and letting the juice filter through as softly as possible. With many small vats they can handle individual plots far more carefully, the sum of the parts making a very impressive whole. Las Cases is a real curranty beauty - intense and concentrated in the mouth, very balanced, textured with beautifully crafted tannins. Generous, long, very clean with a lovely finish. 

Brooding, black fruit, damson and mulberry on the nose. The mid-palate delivers savoury and mineral notes amid layers of blackberry, cranberry, cassis and spice. Well structured, with bright acidity (the vintages calling card) and chalky tannins, the Carraudes has a long finish. Its hallmark Pauillac character is as a result of the highly prized Lafite ‘Caudeyrac’ plot, it’s sourced from.

Measured, pure and understated this latest release just oozes finesse. Superbly balanced, with no one element out of place. It delivers a concentrated core of juicy black fruit, spice, touches of graphite and cracked pepper, there is an almost creamy mouthfeel. The tannins are silky and ripe, providing a suitably fine, deliciously long finish.