Château Peyrou is gelegen te Saint Magne de Castillon op de grens met Saint-Emilion. Cathérine Papon Nouvel behoort zonder enige twijfel tot de meest dynamische van de regio (zij is ook eigenaar van Clos Saint Julien en Petit Gravet Aîné in Saint Emilion). Binnen de Bordeaux-regio is zij dé voortrekker van de biodynamische wijnbouw. Zij voelt de natuur als geen ander aan en weet steeds het beste van de druif naar boven te halen in haar wijnen.
Vinous – Antonio Galloni – 90-93
The 2023 Clos Puy Arnaud is a huge, powerful, intense wine with a ton of fruit density. This feels a bit heavy and overdone—unusually so. Dark fruit and mocha linger. We will see where this goes.
Le Château Reynon, à Béguey, dans les Premières Côtes de Bordeaux, a été acheté en 1958 par le père de Florence Dubourdieu, Jacques David ; sa fille et son gendre Denis Dubourdieu, lui ont succédé en 1976. Grâce à leurs efforts, Château Reynon est aujourd’hui l’un des crus les plus renommés des Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux.
Le Château Reynon Rouge possède une couleur profonde et des arômes fondus aux nuances de réglisse, de cassis, de fumée ; les saveurs sont veloutées, fines et puissantes.
Vinous – Antonio Galloni – 89-91/100
The 2023 Reynon is a terrific entry-level offering from the Dubourdieu family. Crushed red berry fruit, spice, pomegranate, menthol and blood orange are nicely pushed forward. All the elements are so well balanced. Reynon is consistently delicious and also a great value. I would be very happy to own a case of this.
D’un point de vue géologique, le terroir de Clos Floridène ressemble ici beaucoup à celui de Barsac. Une mince couche de sables argileux riches en oxyde de fer, « les sables rouges du Barsacais », recouvre le sous-sol calcaire. Cette dalle rocheuse limite la profondeur d’enracinement de la vigne à environ 50 cm. Au cours de l’été, le calcaire finement poreux restitue à la vigne l’eau dont il s’est imbibé pendant l’hiver, évitant une contrainte hydrique excessive. Une petite partie du vignoble de Clos Floridene (3,1 hectares), sur la commune d’Illats, occupe une croupe argilo-graveleuse.
Vinous – Antonio Galloni – 87-89/100
The 2023 Clos Floridène has an open, redcurrant, wild strawberry and sous-bois bouquet that needs a little more vigor. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. Cohesive with a touch of white pepper and clove toward the finish, this is balanced yet needs a little more brightness and tension.
Vinous – Antonio Galloni – 89-91/100
The 2023 La Tour de Mons is a pleasant, fruity Margaux to drink young while the flavors remain vibrant. Succulent red cherry, spice, blood orange and pomegranate take center stage. Tour de Mons is not especially complex, but it is tasty.
Vinous – Neil Martin – 92-94/100
The 2023 Labégorce has a well-defined nose that leans slightly more toward red than black fruit. It’s understated at first but soon coheres and gains intensity. The palate is medium-bodied with very pliant tannins. Satin-like in texture and very cohesive, with a touch of spice on the finish, this is a classy Margaux that will give a great deal of pleasure over the next 15 to 20 years. Warning through: it will be difficult to resist in its youth.
Vinous – Antonio Galloni – 92-94/100
The 2023 Marquis de Terme is a dense, powerful Margaux. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, new leather, espresso and cloves are all amplified, lending the 2023 tons of textural volume and richness. All the elements are so well balanced. This is a fine vintage for Marquis de Terme, a wine that has improved markedly in recent years.
Vinous – Antonio Galloni – 93-95/100
The 2023 Marquis d’Alesme is impressive. Raspberry jam, blood orange, white flowers, mint and lavender abound. Silky, elegant tannins wrap it all together in style. A closing burst of bright acids and lifted floral notes lends the last kick of resonance. Classy, elegant and polished, the 2023 is one of the best recent editions I have encountered. Tasted two times.
Vinous – Neil Martin – 92-94/100
The 2023 Malescot Saint Exupéry was cropped at 38hL/ha, picked a day later than the previous year. Lea Zuger told me that they now use six foudres installed in November, meaning there is 60% new oak—less than other vintages. Barrel-maturation will be 14 to 16 months. Whereas in 2022, nearly all the estate’s fruit went into the Grand Vin, this year it represents 75% of the volume. Displaying blackberry and briar on the nose, this demands some coaxing from the glass. There’s just a light, confit-like aroma in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with a fine structure, slightly powdery tannins, modest weight and noticeably fresh acidity and salinity, the latter especially prominent toward the finish. More classically hewn compared to the 2022, this will require five or six years in bottle. Classy.
Vinous – Antonio Galloni – 92-94/100
The 2023 Malescot St. Exupéry is a powerful Margaux that will need a bit of time to come together. Potent tannins wrap around a core of red/purplish fruit, lavender, mint and dried herbs. These days, Malescot is not quite as unyielding as it used to be, but this remains a decidedly old-school Margaux in style and overall philosophy.
Vinous – Neil Martin – 92-94/100
The 2023 Deyrem-Valentin has a quintessential Margaux bouquet that is extremely well defined. Pure black cherry and blueberry fruit tones gently unfurl in the glass. The oak here is neatly integrated. The palate is wonderfully balanced with gentle grip, sapid black fruit and veins of blueberry, harmonious and poised with an insistent tug on the finish. This over-performs given its status and comes highly recommended.
Vinous – Antonio Galloni – 96-98/100
The 2023 Rauzan-Ségla is fabulous. Rich, dense and explosive, the 2023 soars out of the glass with captivating aromatics. Readers will find a vertical, deep Margaux endowed with tremendous character and nuance. All the elements are so well-balanced. Crushed rocks, plum, blood orange, spice and leather are some of the notes that explode into the finish. In 2023, the Grand Vin is distinctly red-fruited and vibrant. Rauzan-Ségla is one of the most memorable wines of the vintage. It was nothing short of stellar on the four occasions I tasted it.
Vinous – Antonio Galloni – 92-94/100
The 2023 La Sirène de Giscours is, quite frankly, a sensational second
wine. Dark, resonant and imposing, the 2023 dazzles from start to
finish. Here, too, I am so impressed by the wine’s balance and richness.
Black cherry, lavender, sweet spice and mocha build in the glass,
leading to an explosive finish supported by big tannins.
Vinous – Antonio Galloni – 96-98/100
The 2023 Giscours is the very best wine I have ever tasted here. Giscours has been knocking on the door of Bordeaux’s elite for a few years now. Two thousand twenty-three is the year in which Giscours joins the region’s big boys and girls. A towering, majestic Margaux, the 2023 dazzles from start to finish. What a wine!
