Château Le Prieuré 2023

Exceptionally floral and playful, a highly aromatic bouquet; dense palate, pronounced chalky tannins, straightforward, powerful, energetic, and super fresh on the finish. Bravo!

Spring bouquet and red berry aromatics leap from the glass, introducing a bright attack on the palate, which reflects tangy raspberry as well as brightness, nuanced depth and freshness: a success from St-Emilion this vintage, although the tannins are a bit tight overall. Planted on clay and limestone soils, the vineyard includes Merlots that average 33 years of age, and that reveal a certain wet stone minerality on the mid palate. Managed by the team of Château Calon Ségur, where it was tasted. Conservative score as the 30% new oak ageing (18 months) should soften the tannins and broaden the palate.

The 2023 Le Prieuré, the first to be made in smaller vats, has another discreet bouquet following on from its stablemate, Vray Croix de Gay, clean, precise and focused with blackberry and raspberry fruit, undergirded by subtle crushed stone notes. The palate is medium-bodied with a little creaminess on the entry that belies the structure underneath. Quite classical in style with admirable sapidity, this is a classy Saint-Émilion that will age in bottle for up to 15 years, possibly more. Very fine.

The flowers and black raspberries in the nose easily grab your focus. On the palate, the wine is silky, vibrant, and fresh, with lift, energy, and waves of creamy raspberries, cherries, and spice to top things off. The wine is a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2027-2045.

Score: 91–93. On the nose, it reveals a sensual, opulent bouquet with aromas of bramble and other small wild berries, as if strolling through Snow White’s forest. The palate, with a satiny texture, is lifted by notes of licorice, cinnamon, and old rose. It retains a certain restraint on the finish, with a clay-like character.

Offers solid fruit for the vintage, with juicy-edged boysenberry and morello cherry fruit that shows good energy, while iris, violet and apple wood accents add range through the toasted finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2033.

This was classified until the 2022 ranking, but because of new purchases of vines they are now again Grand Cru. 11.6ha now, before 6.2ha, 50% new oak for ageing. Gunsmoke, fennel, blueberry fruit, so balanced and finessed with real verticality and tension, and really clear mouthwatering salinity on the finish; and pumice stone mouthwatering texture to the tannins on close of play. Not tasted En Primeur.

Elegant ageing notes share the spotlight with hints of ripe black berries, liquorice and a floral touch. Gradually, the oak fades into the background, helping to highlight the aromas already present. Slightly creamy on the attack, the wine builds step by step. It strikes a fine balance between tension and power, with precise, beautifully integrated tannins in keeping with a vibrant freshness. A mouth-watering, elegant wine of excellent definition, with a slightly saline finish enhanced by its persistence.

Deep, dark colour. Highly aromatic nose with ripe fruit, developing notes of cherry, plum, vanilla and caramel as the glass is swirled. A strong sense of identity. Extremely precise on the attack, very aromatic through the mid-palate, with a classy texture and lovely black-fruit flavours; the wine evolves with energy without the tannins standing out. It finishes long and complex. A score that places this wine on a par with the 2022.