As is often the case, our 2023 Saint Emilion report covers too many wines for a single article, so we are publishing it in two parts. Part one covers wines A-K, and Part two features wines L-Z.
Saint Emilion is a massive region covering over 5,000 hectares. So, as you probably surmise, with numerous levels of terroir, 2023 Bordeaux is not a homogeneous vintage. Yet, with that being said, there are several 2023 St. Emilion wines that are superb, offering vitality, ripe fruits, length, charm and early drinkability.
For a detailed overview and analysis of the vintage’s growing season, harvest, overall attributes and faults, producer quotes, as well as links to all of our 2023 Bordeaux appellation reports 2023 Bordeaux Vintage Report and Analysis
All of the following 2023 St. Emilion wines were tasted in my home office in early 2026 in non-blind conditions.
2023 Saint Emilion Reviews and Ratings Pt. 2 Wines L-Z…
2023 Adaugusta – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Raspberry, and mint pop in the nose. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, soft-textured, bright, and fresh, with sweet, strawberries, raspberries and red plums in the finish. The wine is going to be easy to taste on release. Drink from 2026-20376. 90 Pts
2023 Angelus – St. Émilion Grand Cru – The gorgeous expression of Angelus delivers a core of sweet, vibrant, elegant fruit with a beautiful sense of purity, accompanied by its racy freshness. The long, intense, balanced finish is packed with nuances of espresso, chalk, crushed stone, cherries, plums, and cocoa. There is depth and concentration, as well as a lingering sweet red-berry, spice, mint, and floral endnote that entices you to take another sip. The Cabernet Franc makes a strong impression in 2023. The wine blends 60% Merlot, with 40% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2029-2060. 97 Pts
2023 Angelus Carillon d’ Angélus – St. Émilion Grand Cru – The floral bouquet and basket of cherries in the perfume will get any taster interested in what comes next. The medium-bodied palate is soft, polished, vibrant, and filled with red pit fruits, and a judicious addition of spice that you taste and feel from the middle to the finish, with a touch of refreshing mint on the backend. The wine blends 90% Merlot, with 10% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2027-2040. 93 Pts
2023 Ausone – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Deeply colored, the wine is intensely floral, showcasing lilacs, roses, and violets. You also notice notes of espresso, licorice, black cherries, and raspberries, with a pronounced mineral essence. While the nose is impressive, the palate is even better. It is intense, rich, plush, and elegant, offering lift, purity, and refinement, all of which is enhanced by a strong oceanic influence felt through its layers of dark red, black, and blue fruits, espresso, and spice. The seamless finish lingers long after the wine leaves the glass. The wine blends 60% Cabernet Franc with 40% Merlot. Drink from 2030-2065. 98 Pts
2023 Ausone Chapelle d’Ausone – St. Émilion Grand Cru – The nose opens with a unique combination of marine-influenced florals, licorice, and cherry aromatics. The palate is medium-bodied, elegant, fresh, and polished with lively, creamy red berries. It is difficult to believe this is a second wine. The wine blends 60% Cabernet Franc, 35% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink from 2028-2045. 94 Pts
2023 Badette – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Flowers, chocolate, cherries, licorice, and espresso are what you find before hitting the core of lush, creamy, soft, polished, sweet, red fruits that taste and feel great. Drink from 2028-2039. 92 Pts
2023 Balestard La Tonnelle – St. Émilion Grand Cru – The combination of red fruits, flowers, and espresso in the nose works well here. Medium-bodied, elegant, fresh, with good energy, minerality, and a hint of chocolate that adds to the lingering sweet, vibrant, red fruits from the mid-palate to the finish. Drink from 2027-2040. 92 Pts
2023 Barde Haut – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Spearmint, espresso, black cherries, and blackberries, with a hint of wet-forest-floor aromatics, put on a nice display. The palate is equal to the task. The essence of crushed rocks and stones appears before you encounter layers of sweet, ripe, supple, vibrant red, with black fruits that linger, elegantly balanced between lift and refinement. The wine is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2027-2045. 95 Pts
2023 Beau-Sejour Becot – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Pure silk and velvet, with a freshness and energy coupled with its richness that make all the difference this year. With its seemingly endless layers of sweet, luscious plums, cherries, smoke, licorice, cocoa, flowers, spice, and crushed rocks, this is a beauty. The wine is full-bodied, with a gorgeous depth of flavor, seamless texture, vibrancy, and purity of fruit. The silky finish coats your mouth with flavor and the essence of its vineyard as it builds and expands. This is the first vintage produced in their new cellars. The wine is a blend of 77% Merlot and 23% Cabernet Franc, with a dollop of Cabernet Sauvignon as well. Drink from 2029-2060. 98 Pts
2023 Beausejour – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Your first introduction to the wine is its floral bouquet. From there, you discover layers of sweet cherries, smoke, spice, menthol, and a subtle background note of cocoa. The palate is even more impressive with its soft, silky, alluring display of salt-tinged red berries, spice, crushed rocks, stones, and mint, which adds freshness and vitality. The wine is hedonistic and contemplative, making it a pleasure to spend time with. It is effortless to drink, but don’t be fooled; this is also suited for decades of aging. The wine blends 70% Merlot with 30% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2028- 2055. 97 Pts
Screenshot
2023 Beausejour Croix de Beausejour – St. Émilion Grand Cru – It is the blend of lift, fresh flowers, and creamy, ripe, red fruits that make and keep this interesting. Vibrant, clean, and pure, with fabulous energy and a touch of minerality in the endnote, ensures this is well worth checking out. Though not much is made, it is well worth seeking out. And the best part is that this should be delicious upon release. Drink from 2026-2034. 92 Pts
2023 Belair-Monange – St. Émilion – The floral bouquet showcases an aromatic profile before revealing notes of licorice, tobacco leaves, marine influences, black cherries, and fragrant plums. On the palate, the wine delivers vitality with sweet, fresh, energetic red fruits complemented by a strong sense of minerality, and a refreshing hint of orange that develops on the backend of the finish. Grace and elegance are evident here, standing out in a crowd. Only the second vintage produced in their new, state-of-the-art cellars is made from 100% Merlot. Drink from 2029-2055. 96 Pts
2023 Bellefont-Belcier – St. Émilion Grand Cru – The display of flowers, cinnamon, cloves, and red berries pops with little effort. Elegant, soft, vivid, fresh, spicy, and refined on the palate, this will be fabulous with just a year or two in the bottle, and it will only get better with more age; in fact, consumers can look forward to 20-30 years of age. The wine is a blend of 72% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink from 2028-2050. 95 Pts
2023 Bellevue St. Émilion Grand Cru – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Black cherries, crushed rocks, flowers, espresso, and licorice fill the aromatic profile. The wine is lifted, vibrant, and elegant. The finish is long, bright, and loaded with ripe fruits, accompanied by a salty edge in the vibrant finish. The wine is produced from 100% old, vine Merlot. Drink from 2029-2045. 94 Pts
2023 Berliquet – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Flowers, black cherries, raspberries, vanilla, and spice fill the perfume. Silky, refined, and polished, there is a nice sense of purity to the fruits on the palate, and in the energetic, elegant and refreshing finish. This is already providing pleasure, but the best is yet to come if you can wait a few years. This is the first vintage produced in the new cellar, which expanded from 9 tanks to 24 vats, allowing for parcel by parcel vinification. You can taste and feel the difference here. The wine blends 59% Merlot, with 41% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2026-2048. 94 Pts
2023 Blanche Hermine – St. Émilion Grand Cru – One of the few St. Emilion wines produced from 100% Cabernet Franc pops off with mint, spearmint, cedar, tobacco leaf and dark strawberries. The palate is medium bodied, bright, crisp, and clean with a focus on its core of cherries and strawberries with their distinctive refreshing note of mint that is there all the way t the end note. You can drink this young. Drink from 2026-2037. 86 Pts
2023 Boutisse – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Fresh, fruity, juicy, and vivid, with a lot of character and charm in its core of sweet, clean red berries, and pit fruits. I really enjoy the balance between softness and polish in the fruits that display in the spicy finish. You can enjoy this with pleasure on release, or age it for additional complexity. Drink from 2026-2040. 93 Pts
2023 Cadet Bon – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Black raspberries, flowers, vanilla, underbrush, espresso, cocoa and smoke fill the perfume. Supple, creamy, and fresh on the palate, the wine finishes with a nice blast of sweet cherries topped with chocolate and peppery spices. The wine blends 70% Merlot, with 30% Cabernet Franc. For the first time, 8% of the wine was whole bunch fermented. Drink from 2027-2040. 92 Pts
2023 Candale – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Flowers, chocolate, and spicy, red berries create the attention-seeking nose. Fresh, forward, fruity, and juicy, the wine is medium-bodied, with a lively touch across all the red fruits in the finish. The wine blends 75% Merlot with 25% Cabernet Franc, which is the first time the estate has featured this much Cabernet in the blend. Drink from 2027-2037. 92 Pts
2023 Canon – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Rich, opulent, heady, and hedonistically-styled wine, the nose kicks off with its showy display of black cherries, black raspberries, violets, roses, lilacs, licorice, mint, tobacco, and an array of spices. The palate is geared for pleasure, with multiple layers of richly textured, flamboyant dark, mildly-smoked red fruits, paired with the essence of minerality and a touch of forest greenery. This is the perfect backdrop for the wine’s layers of salt-tinged fruits that linger, build, and expand, allowing you to experience a wine with a beautiful sense of purity and no hard edges. The wine blends 71% Merlot with 29% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2029- 2060. 98 Pts
2023 Canon Croix Canon – St. Émilion Grand Cru – The perfume is all about its notable floral scents, accompanied by black raspberries, licorice, and mint. Medium-bodied, elegant, and refined, this is going to offer silky pleasures on release and for at least a decade after that, making this is perfect to keep busy with, while waiting for the Grand Vin to develop. The wine blends 54% Merlot with 46% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2026-2038. 93 Pts
2023 Canon la Gaffeliere – St. Émilion Grand Cru – The Cabernet Franc, as well as the Cabernet Sauvignon, really stand out this year. The bouquet is all about its myriad of flowers, mint, cigar wrappers, spice, licorice, and sweet cherries. Intensely mineral-driven, so you get the essence of crushed rocks, and stones paired with waves of sweet, vibrant, pit fruits that taste as good as they feel. The wine blends 45% Cabernet Franc, 35% Merlot, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink from 2028-2055. 96 Pts
2023 Cantenac – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Flowers, and chocolate-covered cherries define the perfume. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, soft, fresh, and fruity, with a sweet cherry-toned finish. This is going to be good-to-go on release and for up to a decade after that. Drink from 2026-2034. 89 Pts
2023 Cap de Mourlin – St. Émilion Grand Cru – I like the nose, with its floral accents and red fruits. The medium-bodied palate has nice fruit, but there is a distinctive green note in the mid-palate and finish that takes away from the berries. This easy to enjoy with just about on release. Drink from 2027-2037. 89 Pts
2023 Capet-Guillier – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Bright and fresh cherries, strawberries, and red pit fruits with touches of smoke, herbs, and flowers pop on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied, crisp, and comes with nuances of marine-influenced red berries, olives, herbs, and cocoa in the finish. Allow it a year or two in the bottle, and it will be even better. The wine blends 70% Merlot, with 30% Cabernet Franc, with a portion of the grapes fermented with the stems attached. Drink from 2028-2038. 92 Pts
2023 Carteau – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Medium-bodied, oaky, with a lot of fruit, and potential, but the oak has to better integrate, allowing more of the fruits to show. Drink from 2025-2035. 90 Pts
2023 Chauvin – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Flowers, raspberries, strawberries, licorice, and mint open the wine. On the medium-bodied palate, the wine is soft, sweet, and refined, with a chalky edge on the backend, making it an energetic pleasure to taste on release, or you can wait a bit for more complexity. Drink from 2027-2038. 92 Pts
2023 Cheval Blanc – St. Émilion Grand Cru – A riveting vintage of Cheval Blanc, balancing its opulent character with firm tannins and energy. In 2023, it is the Cabernet Franc that shines, with its pungent aromatic profile, opening with a bouquet of flowers, spices, mint, Cuban cigars, black and red fruits, cocoa, and a hint of orange peel. This is a slow-developing tasting experience: It takes time to get going, holding back some of its personality. On the palate, you experience its full length, purity, vibrance, elegance, and refinement, along with its tannins and energy, as the wine builds in intensity, lingers, expands, and captures your attention for nearly 60 seconds. The château believes it is better than the 2022; I do not agree (Although they are close), though I understand their perspective. The wine blends 52% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. 2030-2065. 99 Pts
2023 Clos Badon Thunevin – St. Émilion Grand Cru – A blast of black cherries is accompanied by layers of chocolate, crushed rocks, cherries, licorice, spice, espresso and raspberries in the nose, and on the round, fresh, and creamy, juicy palate. Give this just a year or two to soften, and come together and enjoy it over the next 12 or more years. Drink from 2027-2040. 92 Pts
2023 Clos Cantenac – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Produced from 100% Merlot, the perfume delivers its herb, licorice, flowers, spice, and plummy profile with ease. The cherry and plum-filled palate is bright, fresh, and fruity, with a long, chewy, marine-influenced finish. This was my first encounter with this wine, and as you can see, I liked it quite a bit. I am looking forward to tasting the 2025 soon. Drink from 2028-2040. 92 Pts
2023 Clos Dubreuil – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Espresso, black cherries, licorice, smoke, flowers and chocolate permeate the nose. On the palate, the wine is lush, and creamy in texture, leaving you with espresso, chocolate, licorice and sweet, black cherries in thee mid palate, and in the finish. You can enjoy this with pleasure on release, or age it for more earthy complexity. Drink from 2027-2040. 93 Pts
2023 Clos Fourtet – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Your initial introduction packs in flowers, red plums, cherries, black raspberries, crushed rocks, and chocolate in the perfume. The palate offers good concentration in a fresh, energetic style, perfectly balancing its sweet, lifted fruits with minerality. There is length, purity, and refinement, with a lingering, vibrant finish. The wine blends 87% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink from 2028-2055. 96 Pts
2023 Clos Fourtet La Closerie de Fourtet – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Licorice, flower, and cherries fill the wine in the nose, and on the medium-bodied, forward, fresh, and sweet, palate making this simply delicious on release. The wine was made from blending 85% Merlot, with 15% Cabernet Franc. The wine comes from a parcel selection. Drink from 2026-2032. 90 Pts
2023 Clos Saint-Vincent – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Bright, vibrant, crisp, fresh, red fruits are the name of the game here. Medium-bodied, silky, fresh, vibrant an spicy on the palate, there is a touch of peppery, Indian spice on the backend of the finish. Drink from 2026-2036. 90 Pts
2023 Clos St. Martin – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Flowers, black raspberries, mint, and hints of espresso show with little effort in the perfume. On the palate, the wine is vivacious, upbeat, and fresh. The elegant, refined fruits are clean, pure, and long, dark chocolate, espresso, and black cherries, a touch of mint, and salty chalk in the finish. The wine blends 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a new style for Clos Saint Martin, with much less new oak and a larger percentage of the wine aging in amphora. Drink from 2028-2045. 93 Pts
2023 Clos de Sarpe – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Their blend of oceanic, salty aromas with their smoky edge is completely unique to their terroir. From there, you find concentrated, salty-edged, sweet, ripe pit fruits, spice, and peppery notes that fill your palate as they expand and linger before reaching the long, chalky finish. Give it time to come together. It is worth the wait as this could develop into something as special as it is unique. Drink from 2029-2055. 94 Pts
2023 Clos des Jacobins – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Quite chocolatey, with espresso notes that glide along with all of the sweet, red pit fruits in the perfume. Round, fresh, and creamy on the palate, with ample sweet, red berries with a hint of mint, peppery spice, and a shot of espresso on the backend of the finish. Drink from 2027-2039. 92 Pts
2023 Clos-de-lOratoire – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Flowers, tobacco, spearmint, and spice ride along with all the fresh black raspberries in the nose. On the palate, the wine is supple, creamy, and vibrant, with a lot of freshness in the red fruit finish. There is lift to the sweet, ripe, round berries on the mid-palate, and in the finish. The wine blends 75% Merlot, with 25% Cabernet Franc. This is the one of the vintages of Clos de l’Oratoire I’ve tasted yet. Drink from 2027-2042. 94 Pts
2023 Corbin – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Flowers, smoke, licorice, plums, cherries, and underbrush create the complex aromatic profile. The palate is even better than the perfume with its elegant, refined, soft, medium-bodied layers of sweet, ripe, juicy cherries and plums that make and leave a lasting impression. And it is only going to get better from here with a year or two in the bottle. The wine blends 95% Merlot with 5% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2027-2042. 94 Pts
2023 Cote de Baleau – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Cherry blossoms and licorice fill the perfume. The medium-bodied palate is elegant, soft, fruity, and creamy, focusing on its refined, cherry finish, as it should. This will be quite a pleasure to enjoy on release, and over the next 10-12 years. The wine blends 95% Merlot, with 5% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2026-2036. 92 Pts
2023 Couvent des Jacobins – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Smoky, with licorice, flowers, spice, and chocolate-covered cherries fill the perfume. licorice, flowers, and spice. The wine is soft, round, lush, and polished with an easy-going character, making this fun to enjoy just about on release. The wine blends 84% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot. Drink from 2027-2040. 92 Pts
2023 Croix de Labrie – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Espresso, smoke, licorice, and plums fill the perfume. There is ample richness on the full-bodied palate, silky tannins, and a finish packed with a chocolate-coated, plummy, chalky, and black cherry lingering note. You can enjoy this young, or age it for more complexity. The wine blends 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Cabernet Franc. This is the first vintage with this much Cabernet in the blend. Drink from 2028-2048. 95 Pts
2023 Dassault – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Espresso, mint, flowers, dark chocolate, and red fruit are already expressive in the aromatic profile. The palate is round, ripe, rich, and lush, with waves of sweet, ripe, deep fruits topped with chocolate and a blast of spicy, espresso that kicks in at the back of the finish. This is the first vintage with Thomas Duclos as the consultant at Chateau Dassault. The wine blends 73% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink from 2027-2040. 93 Pts
2023 De Ferrand – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Chocolate, flowers, mint, truffle and red pit fruits form the complex aromatic profile. On the palate, the wine is even better with its gorgeous display of silky, elegant fruit, soft, refined textures, and a beautiful purity to the chocolate-tinted berries on the mid-palate that carries through to the finish. he wine blends 65% Merlot, with 35% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2027-2040. 94 Pts
2023 Destieux – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Smoke, licorice, black cherries, espresso, mint, and chocolate form the nose, as well as shape the round, creamy, fruit-filled palate. You can enjoy this at just a year or two of age, and it should evolve for 12-15 years after that with ease. Drink from 2027-2040. 92 Pts
2023 Faugeres – St. Émilion Grand Cru – I really like the wine’s floral nature. It works perfectly with its layers of plush, polished, rich, ripe, sweet, and most importantly, long, creamy, fruit-filled finish with just a touch of savory, peppery herbs on the backend. This will be a beauty to enjoy upon release, or, if you prefer, age it a few years for greater complexity. The wine blends 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink from 2026-2045. 93 Pts
2023 Faugeres Calice de Faugeres – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Spicy, red fruits, espresso and black raspberries create the perfume. On the medium-bodied palate, the wine is forward, soft, and elegant, making it as easy to like as it is easy to drink. This is perfect for near-term, delicious enjoyment. Drink from 2026-2032. 90 Pts
2023 Figeac – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Distinctively floral in the nose, with additional nuances of cigar wrappers, mint, forest floor, and spicy red, with black fruits. The palate is even more joyous. Medium-bodied, elegant, electric, sweet, fresh, and just a touch of spiciness to waves of pure, red with black fruits that exude a gorgeous sense of purity. There are no hard edges. This is the quintessential definition of elegance. For history buffs, this is the 130th vintage under the ownership of the Manoncourt family. Drink from 2029-2060. 99 Pts
2023 Figeac Petit-Figeac – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Red fruits and flowers fill the perfume. Medium-bodied, sweet, vibrant, and refined, the wine leaves you with freshness and a touch of salt accompanying the red berries, kirsch, and Indian spices. Feel free to pop a cork on release while waiting for the Grand Vin to develop. Drink from 2026-2035. 91 Pts
2023 Fonbel – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Flowers, spice, mint, and cherry aromas pop in the aromatic profile. The palate is medium-bodied, with a vibrancy to its red fruits, and mint leaves, along with a mineral-driven edge to the finish. The wine blends 64% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8% Carmenere. Drink from 2027-2038. 92 Pts
2023 Fonplegade – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Licorice, flowers, espresso, orange blossoms, cherries, and black raspberries fill the perfume. The medium-bodied palate balances perfectly between its silky freshness and all of its ripe, round, refined, vibrant fruits. The lingering endnote of salty chocolate and refreshing mint seals the deal. The wine blends 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2029-2045. 94 Pts
2023 Fonroque – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Showing better in the bottle than it did from the barrel, the wine pops with notes of espresso, licorice, black cherries, cocoa and plums in its aromatic profile. Medium-bodied, round, soft, forward and vibrant, the chocolatey, cherry filled palate with its touch of sea-salt on the backend seals the deal. Drink from 2027-2038. 91 Pts
2023 Franc-Lartigue – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Flowers, cherries, and licorice form the nose. The medium-bodied palate is soft, round, and fruity with and an oaky-edge to the palate, delivering chocolate and raspberries and plums with a bit of truffle and chalk in the finish. Drink from 2027-2038. 91 Pts
2023 Franc-Mayne – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Chocolate, smoke, licorice, flowers, black cherries, and spice blend together perfectly in the nose. On the palate, the wine is soft, round, and plush, with some oak that needs to better integrate before you can find, and enjoy all of the ripe, sweet, polished, juicy fruits. The wine was made from 100% Merlot. Drink from 2027-2042. 93 Pts
2023 Grace Fonrazade – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Forward, round, supple, easy-going, with ample ripe, sweet, fruits, but there is some oak remaining that needs to be better integrated for the wine to show even better, You can enjoy this on release, but a bit of patience giving it a year or two in the bottle will help. Drink from 2023-2035. 89 Pts
2023 Grand Faurie – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Medium-bodied, lighter, fresher. styled, fruity wine for early consumption that is going to taste great on release. Drink from 2026-2034. 87 Pts
2023 Grand Mayne – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Elegant, finesse-driven wine packed with espresso, smoke, flowers, cherries, plums, chocolate, and licorice. Medium-bodied, refined , soft, and supple, this is already quite charming and is only going to get better from here with a few years in the bottle. The wine blends 75% Merlot with 25% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2027-2045. 94 Pts
2023 Grand-Barrail-Lamarzelle – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Medium-bodied, light, bright, fresh, and focused on the red berry side of the style range. This will at its best in its energetic youth. This will be just fine to enjoy on release. Drink from 2027-2031. 87 Pts
2023 Grand-Corbin – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Flowers, herbs, licorice, espresso and red pit fruits show easily on the nose, and on the medium-bodied palate. You can enjoy this with ease on release, or age it for more complexity. Drink from 2026-2038. 90 Pts
2023 Grand-Corbin-Despagne – St. Émilion Grand Cru – From the get-go, the perfume offers its aromatic profile featuring its showy display of Allspice, flowers, licorice, and black raspberries with little effort. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, soft, elegant, and fruity, leaving you with sweet, ripe, refined black raspberries, cherries, and plums that carry all the way through to its creamy, supple-textured finish. The wine is produced from blending 75% Merlot, with 25% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2027-2048. 93 Pts
2023 Guadet – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Herbs, forest floor, red berries, and floral notes open the nose. The wine is medium-bodied, fresh, bright, and crisp, finishing with cherries and strawberries with a peppery edge. Drink from 2027-2038. 92 Pts
2023 Haut Brisson – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Light, bright, fresh, almost high-toned, easy-drinking, soft-textured, medium-bodied wine with a fruity but straightforward finish, making this perfect for near-term, enjoyable drinking pleasure. The wine blends 95% Merlot with 5% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2027-2038. 90 Pts
2023 Haut Gros Caillou – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Cherries, flowers, and cocoa scents are found in the nose. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, round, polished, forward, fresh, and vibrant, with a sweet, already easy-to-like cherry finish. You can enjoy this with please on release. The wine blends 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink from 2026-2033. 89 Pts
2023 Haut Rocher – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Flowers, licorice, cherries, and a sprig of mint come together in the perfume. Medium-bodied, vibrant, fresh, and soft, there is an easy-going sweetness with good energy and plenty of soft, ripe red fruits to keep everything interesting. on the mid-palate, and in the finish. The wine blends 65% Merlot, with 20% Cabernet Franc, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Malbec, Drink from 2026-2037. 91 Pts
2023 Haut Simard – St. Émilion – Showing much better in the bottle, than in the barrel, which is always a great sign, aromatically the wine pops with flowers, mint, oceanic scents, licorice, and an assortment of cherries. Medium-bodied, with a vibrancy, and strong mineral accent, the wine finishes with minty freshness and red pit fruits. The wine blends 60% Merlot with 40% Cabernet Franc. This is quite nice to drink today, and it can age for over a decade as well. This is clearly the best vintage of Haut Simard I’ve ever tasted! Drink from 2026-2040. 93 Pts
2023 Haut Veyrac – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Not overly concentrated or complex, it is an already delicious wine that is not shy about delivering a medium-bodied display of sweet, ripe, soft, elegant cherries, strawberries, and juicy plums. This shows better in the bottle than in the barrel, which is always a good thing. Made from a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2026-2037. 90 Pts
2023 Haut-Sarpe – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Mint, spearmint, cedar, and oak show up before delving into the soft, lush, round layers of polished cherries, plums, spice, and espresso. The energetic theme, with its addition of minerality and spice, adds a lot to the wine. Drink from 2027-2039. 90 Pts
2023 Jean Faure – St. Émilion Grand Cru – Flowers, spice, cedar, cherries, and marine influences create the perfume. The palate is fresh, vibrant, and lively, with an earthy, mineral-driven character that should age quite well. Give it a year or two in the bottle, and it will be even better. The wine blends 65% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, and 6% Malbec. Drink from 2027-2043. 93 Pts
Up next, we continue our look at 2023 Bordeaux with 2023 St. Emilion Pt. 2 Wines L-Z and in case you missed it 2023 Pomerol, Lalande de Pomerol
