|
| | "With 2023, we returned to Bordeaux." Alexandre Thienpont of Le Pin & Vieux Château Certan |
| | | ▪ "Generally, the 2023s are relatively more tannic than we’ve become accustomed to, more linear and vertical, though endowed with greater fruit concentration than the 2021s. That appeals to my predilection. The best wines embrace these traits while maintaining sufficient fruit and grip, occasionally harking back to the kind of barrel samples encountered in the early days of my career, and I mean that in a good sense. One virtue that underlies the best wines is a brightness or what the French term éclat. It’s a kind of nascent energy that, in my experience, augurs a sample that will evolve into a great wine. This brightness derives from the fruit, acidity, fineness of tannins, and the more intangible concept of their personality, a combination of all .... The pinnacles of 2023 possess all these factors."
Neal Martin, Vinous
|
| ▪ "The young wines, tasted from cask, reflect [a] paradox, possessing — at their best — the depth, density, and ripe tannin of a sunny vintage but also the vibrant, expressive aromas and flavors of a more traditionally 'Atlantic' season. The best 2023s are just as exciting as the best 2022s ... [and] the 2023s may be released at prices as interesting as any we have seen since 2019."
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
|
| ▪ "So far, I have tasted more than 900 barrel samples of 2023 Bordeaux with my team over the last 10 days in the region, and the best reds show balance and freshness with deep center palates of ripe fruit and a complement of polished tannins. In many ways, I like them better than many of the highly touted 2022s because they are so Bordeaux in their nature with their tensioned mouthfeels and energetic finishes."
James Suckling
|
| |
|
| | | ▪ "The 2023 L'Église-Clinet was picked between September 10 and 14 and matured in 82% new oak. It has a stunning bouquet with enthralling delineation and focus, very intense with blackberries, raspberry, crushed stone, Earl Grey and a touch of blood orange. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins and a dash of cracked black pepper. It's very harmonious and fans out brilliantly on the finish.
It is surely going to vie with the stupendous 2022, and this ranks as one of the best wines of the vintage." |
| ▪ "A blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, L’Eglise-Clinet 2023 has a pH of 3.7. It is deep garnet-purple in color and opens with an initial burst of gregarious fruit, with blueberry preserves and ripe, juicy plums giving way to perfumed waves of lilacs, cinnamon stick, star anise, crushed rocks, and forest floor. The medium to full-bodied palate is tightly coiled at this stage with the taut, intense black and blue fruit core intertwined with minerals and exotic spices, supported by firm, rounded tannins and compelling tension, finishing very long and fragrant. A head-turner."97-99
Lisa Perrott-Brown MW, The Wine Independent |
| | | | ▪ "The 2023 Pavie is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a few moments of swirling to unlock scents of blueberry pie, cassis, and preserved plums, eventually giving way to a gorgeous perfume of violets, star anise, cedar chest, and iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate shimmers with bright, fresh black fruit layers, framed by firm, ripe, rounded tannins and Pavie's signature tension, finishing very long and very fragrant. This is breathtaking. The blend is 51% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, and 17% Cabernet Sauvignon ..."
98-100
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent
|
| ▪ "The depth and intensity is really out of this world. The richness is there, but it's all in balance and has an almost weightless feel to it. It's medium- to full-bodied with purity and definition, and the magic of limestone soils keeps the pH low, giving energy, bright acidity and verve. Terrific young red."
99-100
James Suckling
|
| | | | ▪ "Perfumed nose, fragrant and so scented, a touch of blackcurrant leaf, plum, graphite and dark chocolate. Silky soft, bright and so delicately presented. Crunchy and crisp red fruits and ripe black fruits with some spiced undercurrents and wet stone touches. Much lighter in terms of fruit profile than some - summer berries, tangy and vibrant with super fine tannins giving the structure and support. This has finesse and power - less plushness and richness than last year of course - it’s more sleek and straight, firm and controlled but still has width and layers of flavour and texture. Refined, and definitely cool. ‘Classicism’ with no overt heat on offer. I love the hint of strawberry sweetness and tannins that completely coat the mouth. I think this will be great in time. Maybe not so charming right now but there’s no faulting the finesse and refinement. 44% grand vin production. 12% press."
97
Georgie Hindle, Decanter Magazine
|
| ▪ "A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot, the 2023 Pichon-Longueville Baron is a terrific effort from this estate, unwinding in the glass with aromas of crème de cassis, dark berries, pencil shavings, cigar wrapper, violets and burning embers. Medium to full-bodied, layered and textural, it's deep and concentrated, with sweet structuring tannins and a long, resonant finish. The charm and vibrancy of the vintage lends this considerable appeal, without effacing Pichon Baron's more serious, Cabernet-driven personality."
95-97
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
|
| | | | ▪ "Guillaume Pouthier and his team have once again crafted one of Bordeaux's most unique and characterful wines. Revealing aromas of mulberries and raspberries mingled with notions of vine smoke, orange zest, rose petals and spices, the 2023 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and concentrated, with a powerful, vibrant and complete mid-palate, concluding with a long, ethereal and mouthwateringly saline finish. Sensual, suave and seamless, its beautifully refined tannins are, analytically, more abundant than even those of the 2022 vintage, yet they are so brilliantly integrated as to be near-imperceptible. This blend of 50% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot is crafted for longevity, though its refined structure will make it surprisingly approachable at an early age. It's maturing 70% in new oak barrels, 20% in 18-hectoliter foudres and 10% in amphorae. A creditable yield of 50 hectoliters per hectare represents a decided agronomic success ..."
97-99
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
|
| ▪ "This is a fantastic wine and very, very exciting, with purity and brightness to the floral, spicy and blackberry notes. It’s full and deep with agility and weightless. You feel the greatness in this. The winemaker says this is more concentrated and structured than the 2022. Lightly salty. 60% whole-berry fermentation. 50% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot. From organically grown grapes."
98-99
James Suckling
|
| | | | ▪ "This is so elegant and sophisticated already, with a really electric presence and length that goes on and on. It's medium- to full-bodied with an intensity of tannins. It remains weightless and energetic. The pH is 3.41, making this a vivid and lively wine. Currant, orange and stone. Sea salt, too. The limestone soils created a unique wine here in 2023. A blend of 71% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Franc."
99-100
James Suckling
|
| ▪ "A blend of 71% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Franc, the 2023 Canon has a pH of 3.42 and it will age in barriques for 16-18 months, of which 50% are new. It is deep garnet-purple in color and sails out of the glass with bold notions of juicy blueberries, fresh plums, and Bing cherries, giving way to hints of black pepper, fragrant soil, and violets. The medium to full-bodied palate shimmers with energetic black and blue fruits, framed by super-satiny tannins and compelling tension, finishing long and fragrant. Absolutely ethereal."
98-100
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent
|
| | | | ▪ "A Rauzan-Ségla with solid tannins that are muscular, well toned and beautiful. Black currants, blueberries and flowers. Chewy finish. One for the cellar. Classic. The Cabernet went to the gym. 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, one of highest percentages ever."
98-99
James Suckling
|
| ▪ "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."
96-98
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
|
| | | | ▪ "This is a twitchy, lively red with brambleberry, black olive and a real sense of limestone. The tannins are very well integrated. Lots of energy. Medium body. Extremely long. Very cool, fine wine from this estate in this year. 3.35 pH. 14.2% alcohol. 82% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Best ever?"
98-99
James Suckling
|
| | | | | | ★ Please Note:
▪ All orders are subject to confirmation
▪ Certain quantities may prove limited
▪ All allocations are secured with longstanding négociants in Bordeaux
▪ Pre-arrival futures: ETA 2027
▪ Larger formats may be available upon request: please inquire
▪ All wines are shipped to, and will be fulfilled from, our Orange County, California warehouse
▪ The purchaser is responsible for paying any applicable taxes or tariffs
▪ See Retail Terms & Conditions and Shipping FAQs |
| | Continue the hunt at retail:
|
| | | | In the market for a specific wine, producer, or vintage? |
| | | | | Spectrum Wine Santa Ana (HQ)
• Santa Ana, California
www.SpectrumWine.com
Phone: 949-748-4845
Fax: 949-567-1360
Hours:
Mon - Sun, 10:00am - 6:00pm
|
| | Spectrum Wine Newport Beach
• Newport Beach, California
www.SpectrumWine.com/Storage
Address:
865 Production Pl
Newport Beach CA 92663-2809
USA
Hours:
Tue - Sat, 10:00am - 5:00pm, By Appointment |
| | Spectrum Wine Hong Kong
• Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
www.SpectrumWine.com
Phone: 852-2116-1103
Fax: 949-567-1360
Email: Carmen.Lee@SpectrumWine.com
Address:
Room 1603, 16/FMiramar Tower
132 Nathan Rd
Tsim Sha Tsui
Hong Kong SAR
Hours:Mon - Fri, By Appointment |
| | Spectrum Wine Minneapolis
• Minneapolis, Minnesota
www.SpectrumWine.com
Phone: 949-748-4845 x 302
Address:
Minneapolis MN
USA
Hours: Mon - Fri, By Appointment |
| | |
|
| |
