En Primeur Bordeaux 2023

The 2023 Calon Ségur is a wine for readers who can be patient. In many recent years, Calon Ségur has been quite showy, but this is not one of them. Bold acids and huge tannins dominate at this stage. Bright red-toned fruit is a signature, but the 2023 is a powerful, young Calon Ségur that will clearly need time to come together. Bright acids extend the finish beautifully.

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

The 2023 Calon-Ségur is another en primeur success for this resurgent Saint-Estèphe third growth. Wafting from the glass with aromas of cassis, pencil shavings, wild berries and plums, it's medium to full-bodied, cool and layered, with a deep and integrated core, terrific concentration, lively acids and refined structuring tannins, concluding with a long, penetrating finish. It's a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot that checks in at 14% alcohol.

Score: 94 - 96 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

The 2023 Calon Ségur was picked September 6 to 30 at 45hL/ha. As usual, it is being aged entirely in new oak for a planned 20 months. It has a tight, cohesive bouquet of predominantly black fruit intermixed with wild hedgerow, tobacco and melted tar. The palate is medium-bodied with impressive grip on the entry—quite fresh, with a subtle marine tincture and a touch of Japanese nori in the background. It gently fans out on the finish, but it remains controlled and especially linear for Calon-Ségur, perhaps less swayed by the Merlot (15% of the blend). Classy.

Score: 92 - 94 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2030-2060

The 2023 Capbern is a plush, sensual wine. Juicy dark plum, spice, mocha, gravel and incense are all amplified in this racy, wonderfully inviting Saint-Estèphe. Soft, supple tannins wrap it all together in style. Readers looking for an affordable wine to drink over the next 10-12 years will adore this. Superb.

Score: 90 - 92 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2025-2038

A serious, brooding wine, the 2023 Capbern offers up aromas of cassis and dark berries mingled with licorice and spices. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, with good depth and concentration, it's built around lively acids and powdery tannins. It's a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon (an unusually high proportion for Capbern) and 29% Merlot with the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

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

The 2023 Capbern was picked from September 6 to 20 at 45hL/ha, matured in 60% new oak. Alcohol is stated at 14.6%. It has a ripe, plush bouquet with brambly red fruit, raspberry confit and just a hint of orange rind coming through with aeration. The palate is well-balanced and cohesive, with slightly powdery tannins, gentle grip and a touch of warmth on the spice box-tinged finish. The acidity (pH is 3.7) keeps this on an even keel, but I would be inclined to drink it after two or three years.

Score: 89 - 91 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2027-2040

The 2023 Cos d’Estournel is fabulous. Dark, resonant and inviting, the 2023 has so much to offer. All the elements are beautifully woven together. Black cherry, plum, licorice, espresso, mocha and incense fill out the layers. Readers will find a Cos endowed with tremendous substance and intensity. I can't remember a young Cos with this much fruit concentration, yet there is nothing overdone here. I loved it.

Score: 96 - 98 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2033-2063

A contemporary classic in the making, the 2023 Cos d'Estournel has turned out beautifully, reflecting a lighter touch with extraction that has delivered more sensuality and harmony without the loss of any of the estate's signature power and authority. Wafting from the glass with deep aromas of cassis, wild berries, orange zest and exotic spices, framed by well-integrated new wood, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a concentrated core of fruit, beautifully suave tannins and a cool, seamless profile. It's a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that attained 12.9% alcohol and is being matured in 50% new oak.

Score: 95 - 96 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

The 2023 Cos d'Estournel, picked from September 12 to 29 and matured in 50% new oak, blossoms in the glass. The aromatics deliver nearly immediate gratification: black cherries, wild strawberries, crushed violet petals and vanilla pod. It’s all quite sumptuous but very well focused. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled, slightly powdery tannins. It’s beautifully balanced with a very pure and seductive finish. This is a notably composed and assured Cos d'Estournel, almost a lesson in how less can be more. It’s only a couple of steps behind the previous vintage.

Score: 94 - 96 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2033-2065

The 2023 Cos Labory is a powerful, dense wine. Big tannins wrap around a core of dark fruit, gravel, spice, menthol and mocha. This strapping, old-school Saint-Estèphe packs plenty of punch. Clearly, Cos Labory is a work in progress. It will be some years before the Cos team can turn the estate around, as there is so much work to be done, especially in rehabilitating the vineyards. Even so, this is a fine effort for a property in transition.

Score: 91 - 93 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2030-2045

Aromas of dark berries, pencil shavings and spices introduce the 2023 Cos Labory, a medium to full-bodied, layered and velvety wine that's fleshy and enveloping, with a deep core of fruit underpinned by plenty of sweet, powdery tannin. Now overseen by the team at Cos d'Estournel, this is a strong effort for this estate.

Score: 90 - 92 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

The 2023 Cos Labory is the first vintage made completely by Michel Reybier's team. The 2023 went through a parcel selection and use of peristaltic pumps. Matured in 30% new oak, it has a slightly richer and more decadent bouquet, perhaps reflecting the summer heat more than Cos d'Estournel. The palate is medium-bodied with juicy ripe tannins, fleshy in style but there is satisfying structure in situ. Quite marine-influenced towards the finish with a tangy peppery aftertaste. Give this 3-4 years in bottle. It's not far from the 2022 in quality.

Score: 89 - 91 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2027-2045

The 2023 La Dame de Montrose is a rich, heady wine. Succulent dark cherry, plum, new leather, spice, menthol, licorice and mocha are beautifully amplified. Explosive to the core, the 2023 possesses tons of aromatic intensity and pure volume. This showy, Merlot-based Dame is quite alluring.

Score: 92 - 94 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2027-2043

Another strong performance from this bottling, which dependably numbers among Bordeaux's top three or four second wines, the 2023 La Dame de Montrose reveals aromas of cassis, pencil shavings and licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied, deep and dense palate that's polished, pure and layered, with sweet tannins, lively acids and a saline finish. It's a blend of 61% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc.

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

The 2023 La Dame de Montrose has a light and slightly tertiary nose, with touches of tea leaves infusing the black fruit. The palate is soft and supple on the entry, with licorice-tinged black fruit and a rounded, cracked-black-pepper-tinged finish. There’s good body for a Deuxième Vin. This will give a decade of drinking pleasure.

Score: 89 - 91 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2026-2037