En Primeur Bordeaux 2023

The 2023 Le Petit-Mouton is fabulous. It could easy be a Grand Vin at another address. Rich, ample and beautifully resonant in the glass, the 2023 impresses with its notable palate presence. Dark red cherry, pomegranate, cinnamon, rose petal and new leather are some of the many notes that build. The 2023 is seriously impressive. Wow!

Score: 93 - 95 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2027-2043

Aromas of dark berries, cassis and cigar wrapper introduce the 2023 Le Petit Mouton, a medium-bodied, fleshy wine with good depth and density, its lively core of fruit framed by sweet, powdery tannins, concluding with a penetrating finish. It's a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

Score: 91 - 93 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

The 2023 Le Petit-Mouton is aged in 50% new oak. It has an intense nose, mainly black fruit commingling with briar and light estuarine scents. Perhaps the aromatics feel a bit "secretive" at present. The palate is medium-bodied with a concentrated entry. This is a voluminous and powerful Pauillac for the vintage, driven by that 79% Cabernet Sauvignon. There’s a fine bitter edge on the finish; give this Le Petit Mouton three to five years in bottle.

Score: 91 - 93 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2045

The 2023 Pichon Baron is stellar. It is another wine in this lineup that impresses with its finesse and nobility. Dark and enveloping, with terrific freshness, this Grand Vin is so expressive. The 2023 is an understated, wonderfully refined Pichon Baron. Dark fruit, violet and mocha build into the resonant finish.

Score: 95 - 97 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2033-2063

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.

Score: 95 - 97 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

The 2023 Réserve de la Comtesse is fabulous. This is the first vintage in which Cabernet Sauvignon drives the blend, the result of extensive replanting over the years and vines that are now old enough to be used here. Among other things, that means the Réserve is more closely aligned with the Grand Vin in style, starting in the vineyard. Potent and explosive, the 2023 offers up a heady mélange of dark fruit, leather, spice, grilled herbs and lavender. It’s a stellar wine in every way. Tasted three times.

Score: 92 - 94 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2043

A terrific second wine, the 2023 Resèrve de la Comtesse wafts from the glass with a pure bouquet of blackcurrants, dark berries, lilac and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, layered and velvety, it's sensual and vibrant, with melting tannins and a deep core of cool fruit framed by polished but present tannins. This blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc marks the 50th anniversary of this second wine's production.

Score: 91 - 93 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

The 2023 Réserve de la Comtesse has a lovely bouquet, discrete initially, then opening with cassis and light violet fruit. It never shouts too loudly at this early stage. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannins on the entry. There’s also a stronger graphite element than I have noticed in recent vintages, due to the higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%). This is a classically styled Réserve.

Score: 90 - 92 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2027-2037

The 2023 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande marries elegance, power and sophistication. Soft, ripe tannins wrap around a core of inky dark fruit, licorice, spice, pencil shavings, lavender and menthol. Bright acids pull it all together on the finish. In 2023, Pichon Comtesse blends Merlot picked early for freshness and Cabernets picked later for tannin ripeness and flavor complexity. Readers will have to be patient, but the 2023 holds considerable promise for those who can wait. This is another stellar effort from the team led by General Manager Nicolas Glumineau. Tasted three times.

Score: 95 - 98 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2033-2073

The 2023 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a brilliant wine that will be worth a special effort to track down. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of wild berries and cassis mingled with licorice, lilac, iris root, violet, burning embers and pencil shavings, it's medium to full-bodied, seamless and complete, with a deep, layered core of cool fruit that largely conceals it's ultra-refined structuring tannins. At a very measured 13% alcohol and 3.67 pH, it unites all Pichon Comtesse's sensuality with unimpeachable Pauillac classicism. The 2023 is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc.

Score: 97 - 99 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

The 2023 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande was picked from September 6 until 29, with some rain on September 20 in the middle of Cabernet picking. But, Nicolas Glumineau remarked that the vineyard/fruit was in good condition; one day of rain did not affect the quality. The 2023 has a quintessential Comtesse bouquet, displaying pure and expressive black fruit laced with violet and graphite, delivered with impressive delineation. The palate is very refined on the entry. This is armed with beguiling symmetry—poised yet intense on the finish. It doesn’t exert huge grip because it knows it doesn't need to, and it fans out gloriously. Outstanding.

Score: 96 - 98 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2029-2060

The 2023 Pontet-Canet is a powerful, impressively constituted wine. Dark, vibrant and sensual in the glass, the 2023 is somber and mysterious in bearing. Black plum, gravel, lavender, graphite and licorice all meld together in the glass. More than anything else, the 2023 is incredibly well put together. In this vintage, the wine was blended at the beginning of élevage rather than at the end, as was the custom in the past. This is a gorgeous and hugely promising Pontet-Canet. I especially admire its finely cut precision and soaring aromatics.

Score: 94 - 97 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2030-2048

With the 2023 vintage, this estate has crafted a wine of unprecedented aromatic intensity and precision that marks a significant evolution. Revealing an elegant, fresh bouquet of mulberries and cassis mingled with notions of violets, gentian and menthol, the 2023 Pontet-Canet is medium to full-bodied, seamless and multidimensional, with a pure and precise core of fruit that's framed by ultra-refined tannins and a powerful but controlled profile, concluding with long, mineral, licorice-inflected finish. It's the result of more daring harvest decisions than in previous years: By picking the Merlot earlier to highlight fresh, fruity notes rather than baked, sun-kissed flavors and simultaneously delaying the Cabernet Sauvignon harvest until after September 28 to refine tannins, the 2023 Pontet-Canet marks a significant evolution at this renowned estate. At this early stage, its élevage appears to be more discreet, too. This wine, which I'd be delighted to own, is a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, matured in 50% new oak barrels, 35% amphorae and 15% once-used barrels. - Tasted by Yohan Castaing

Score: 96 - 98 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

The 2023 Pontet Canet, which underwent a 34 day harvest (see producer profile for detailed info), has a very pure bouquet with dark cherries, blackcurrant and touches of vanilla, cohering over the course of ten minutes in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, with very supple tannins matched by a keen line of acidity. There is plenty of creaminess on the mid-palate, fine grip and a pinch of black pepper toward the finish. Moderate in length, there’s lovely linearity here and an underlying salinity that becomes evident with continued aeration. Very fine.

Score: 93 - 95 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2050