En Primeur Bordeaux 2023

The 2023 Alter Ego is plump, juicy and super-expressive. Soft, silky tannins enshroud a core of plum, red cherry, spice, menthol and mocha. All the elements are so nicely balanced. A burst of red-toned fruit and spice lingers on a finish lifted by bright acids. This is such a sensual Alter Ego.

Score: 93 - 95 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2043

Wafting from the glass with pure aromas of cherries, berries, plums and potpourri, the 2023 Alter Ego de Palmer is medium to full-bodied, bright and vibrant, with a vigorous core of fruit framed by supple tannins. It's a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot.

Score: 92 - 94 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

The 2023 Alter Ego represents one-third of the crop, coming exclusively from gravel soil and picked at 32hL/ha. It displays a very deep purple hue. The bouquet is notably opulent, with the Merlot very expressive and shaping the aromatics at the moment. Hints of cassis and violets lurk beneath, perhaps needing a little more delineation. The palate is actually cut from a slightly different cloth, more restrained and a touch spicier than expected. Graphite and tobacco emerge toward the finish, as if the reins have been passed over to the Cabernet component. This will be fascinating to revisit in bottle—I would just like to see more aromatic composure.

Score: 92 - 94 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2048

The 2023 Brane-Cantenac is a sensual, silky wine. There's plenty of depth and structure behind that, but the first impression is most definitely one of elegance. Crushed flowers, spice and dried herbs meld into a core of super-expressive, dark, red-toned fruit. The 100% new oak is impeccably balanced within the wine’s frame. Brane-Cantenac remains one of the best relative values in Bordeaux, or anywhere, for that matter. This is a fine effort from proprietor Henri Lurton and his team. Tasted two times.

Score: 94 - 96 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2033-2063

The 2023 Brane-Cantenac is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot (which saw some saignée), 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Carmenère and 1% Petit Verdot, and it completed its malolactic fermentation in barrels as has been the rule at this estate since the 1990s. Offering up aromas of dark cherries, cassis and spices framed by creamy new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy, with a creamy core of fruit and a long, gently lactic finish.

Score: 93 - 95 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

The 2023 Brane-Cantenac was picked from September 4 to October 2 at 45.7hL/ha with the highest IPT (Indice de Polyphénols Totaux, a measurement of tannin) ever with respect to the Merlot, which underwent some saignée in tank. Matured entirely in new oak, it has wonderful delineation on the nose, quite floral with pressed violets infusing the lifted black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a silky-smooth entry and a silver bead of acidity. Pure black fruit infused with graphite lends this Pauillac-like attributes, sustained on the finish, as usual. This is a very classical Brane-Cantenac— a worthy follow-up to the 2022.

Score: 93 - 95 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2029-2050

The 2023 Cantenac Brown is concentrated, ample and generous right out of the gate. Blackberry, incense, new leather, tobacco, menthol and chocolate are all amplified to the maximum. As is often the case, Cantenac Brown is one of the more extroverted wines in Margaux. It's a style that works so well. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2023 needs time to shed some of its baby fat.

Score: 93 - 96 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2033-2063

The first vintage produced in the estate's new state-of-the-art winery, the 2023 Cantenac Brown has turned out very well indeed, offering up aromas of dark berries, pencil shavings and violets, followed by a medium to full-bodied, rich and layered palate that's serious and precise, concluding with a long, resonant finish. This blend of 71.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and 1.5% Cabernet Franc represents 52% of the estate's production; and it reflects both the new winery's enhanced capabilities, along with the presence of old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon derived from holdings recently acquired in the heart of the plateau of Margaux.

Score: 93 - 95 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

The 2023 Durfort-Vivens is a very pretty, understated wine. In 2023, Durfort is marked by a brighter profile than usual: red fruit, blood orange and flowers. Medium in body and persistent, with good energy and very fine balance, the 2023 is promising. Even though it’s showing a touch of oak at this stage, this layered and sumptuous offering is showing well.

Score: 92 - 95 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2031-2053

The 2023 Durfort Vivens is once again dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, which represents 92% of the blend. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of minty cassis, plums and berries mingled with hints of pencil shavings and violets, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with good concentration, sweet tannins and a long, penetrating finish. With a pH of 3.66 and 13.7% alcohol, it's a resounding success.

Score: 94 - 95 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

Cassis, ripe tobacco, cedar pencil, chocolate, and smoky nuances all shine in the 2023 Château Durfort-Vivens, a gorgeously textured, medium to full-bodied, ripe, textured, straight-up velvety Margaux offering integrated tannins, plenty of classy background oak (it's resting in 70% new barrels), and a great finish. It's another brilliant Margaux in the vintage with tons to love.

Score: 94 - 96 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com

The 2023 Ferrière is a hugely promising wine. At this early stage, 2023 looks like a wine of notable refinement. Ferrière is typically a big Margaux with large-grained tannins, but that is not the case at all with 2023. Dark cherry, plum, lavender, spice and menthol abound. Claire Lurton likes to present this wine from tank, before the wine is put into wood, in order to show the quality of the fruit. For that reason, the en primeur sample is really just a snapshot.

Score: 92 - 94 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2031-2053

This is one of the best Ferrieres for years, with waves of blackberry, cassis, fennel, anis, liqourice root, all sweet and pure and intense, with velvety tannins. Great stuff. 40hl/h yield, 3.79ph, harvest Septemboer 13 to october 2, highest yields for for 12 years, 40% new oak for ageing overall, along with concrete eggs, touch of amphoras.

Score: 92 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2030-2044

Checking in as 61% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest mostly Merlot, raised in 40% new oak, the 2023 Château Ferriere is beautiful, with juicy red (and some blue) fruits as well as classic Margaux notes of spice, flowers, and leather. It's complex and medium-bodied, with a supple, layered, elegant texture, beautiful tannins, and a great finish.

Score: 91 - 93 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com