En Primeur 2023

The 2023 La Tour Blanche is a deep, heady Sauternes. Apricot, mint, white flowers and orange confit are some of the many notes that build as the 2023 shows off its class. There is a real sense of creaminess married with power and intensity that distinguishes this edition of La Tour Blanche.

Score: 93 - 95 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2030-2053

Bright floral character, intensely spiced, this is exuberant and silky, with bright citrus and lime zest, fresh fig and white pear, great quality that maintains lift despite a tiny 3.5hl/ha yield.

Score: 94 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2025-2040

The 2023 La Tour Carnet is superb. La Tour Carnet is one of Bordeaux's hidden gems. The 2023 is another fine edition. Dried herbs, leather, incense, licorice, crushed flowers, chocolate and spice lend notable aromatic complexity. Medium in body and nuanced, the 2023 has so much to offer. In this vintage, it benefits from the addition of fruit from Bernard Magrez's estate in Saint-Estèphe. In some tastings, La Tour Carnet has been more opulent. Either way, few wines in Bordeaux offer a better mix of quality and value.

Score: 91 - 93 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2026-2038

The inky depths that you expect of a Magrez property are fully in play here. Intense, concentrated, good tannic structure, inky and powerful, this has depth and lift, and is full of Haut-Médoc character. 36hl/ha yields.

Score: 92 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2030-2048

The 2023 Tour Saint Christophe is a super-sized, explosive Saint-Émilion. Fasten your seatbelt. It offers a rush of dense, inky fruit, chocolate, cloves, new leather and licorice. This huge, flamboyant Saint-Émilion packs quite a punch. Tasted three times, during which some samples have shown a slightly vegetal quality.

Score: 89 - 92 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2026-2038

This group of Vignobles K wines under JC Meyrou have been steadily building in quality and consistency over the past decade. Well measured but full extraction, with a vibrant but inky plum colour, clear energy, some tight tannins and a high level of black pepper and clove spice. Cassis and black chocolate, good freshness underneath, with rose bud character. 25% new barrels. 46hl/ha yield.

Score: 93 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2029-2040

The 2023 Troplong Mondot is simply stunning. It's one of the best wines yet made under the direction of Aymeric de Gironde. Towering and statuesque, the 2023 explodes out of the glass with tons of vertical energy. Dark red-toned fruit, licorice, spice, lavender, mocha and pencil shavings are some of the many notes that infuse the 2023 with character. The combination of soaring aromatics, chiseled fruit and a limestone-infused finish is nothing less than captivating. What a wine. Aging is in 60% new oak, 22% 20hL foudre and 18% once-used oak. Tasted two times.

Score: 95 - 98 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2033-2063

A blend of 84% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc, the 2023 Troplong Mondot unwinds in the glass with aroma of black raspberries, mulberries and cherries mingled with notions of iris, licorice, black tea and spices. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's textural and mouthfilling, with the mid-palate density so typical of this terroir, its concentrated core of fruit framed by beautifully polished tannins and succulent acids.

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

The 2023 Troplong Mondot was harvested from September 5 to October 9, with 60-70% picked within nine or ten days; other parcels were "stragglers" that required more time. There is actually 4-5% whole clusters in the blend,and according to Aymeric de Gironde, it works like the vin de presse, glueing components of the wine together. Sulfur is only added when the wine is put into barrel. The 2023 has a very well-defined and focused bouquet with pure blackberry, raspberry, ground chalk and light sea cave scents. The palate is medium-bodied with a very crisp and mineral-driven entry. It's chalky in texture and quite tensile in the mouth, with a dash of black pepper on the finish. This is an individualistic Saint-Émilion that will fill out during its élevage. Very long.

Score: 95 - 97 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2050

The 2023 Trotte Vieille is a seriously impressive wine. Dark, resonant and explosive, the 2023 packs a huge punch. A blast of dark fruit, herbs, menthol, spice and licorice saturates the palate, with pretty floral and savory notes that play off all that richness. Superb.

Score: 93 - 95 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2030-2053

The 2023 Trotte Vieille has quite a floral bouquet, with plenty of raspberry and crushed strawberry fruit and hints of potpourri emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with sapid red fruit and fine structure. Though it doesn't possess the sheer horsepower and length of the previous vintage, it has an animated, peppery finish that lingers in the mouth. Proprietor Frédéric Castèja actually prefers this to the 2022, and I can see why.

Score: 92 - 94 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2027-2047