There is a lot to like with 2023 Saint Julien. Across the board, everyone in the appellation produced very fine wines in a beautiful, elegant, modern-classic style that deserves the attention from fans of the appellation.
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. Julien wines were tasted in my home office in early 2026 in non-blind conditions.
2023 Saint Julien Reviews and Ratings…
2023 Beychevelle – St. Julien – Chocolate, flowers, red fruits with hints of black fruits, and espresso on the nose require a bit of effort to unfold. The wine offers a reserved sense of creaminess, fresh and energetic red fruits, with hints of minty freshness and spice, adding complexity. This is a good thing, as it features length paired with a refreshing elegance from the mid-palate that carries through to the finish. The wine blends 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot. This is the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon ever used in the blend! Drink from 2029-2060. 95 Pts
2023 Beychevelle Amiral de Beychevelle – St. Julien – Minty, and herbal, with just enough red fruits to keep things interesting. The medium-bodied, fruity palate is already open and inviting, with a crisp vibrancy, paired with roundness to the peppery currants in the finish. This will be delicious on release and for over a decade after that. The wine is produced from 51% Merlot with 49% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink from 2026-2036. 91 Pts
2023 Branaire Ducru – St. Julien – Espresso, cherries, blackberries, herbs, mocha, and spice already emerge aromatically. On the palate, the wine unfolds layers of soft, sweet, pure, and lively blackberries, plums, spice, and mocha in a forward, vibrant, fresh style, with a smooth, refined, flavorful finish. This is a wine that will age quite well, yet it will also be delightful to drink after just a few years of aging. The wine blends 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5.5% Cabernet Franc, and 3.5% Petit Verdot. Drink from 2028-2055. 94 Pts
2023 Ducru Beaucaillou – St. Julien – Flowers, mint, cocoa, espresso, black cherries, blackberries, plum sauce, and Asian spices form the aromatic perfume. On the palate, the texture is refined. There is a smooth, creamy quality to the fruit that is rare in 2023. The berries are ripe, clean, and pure, with a lively freshness, which is the hallmark of this vintage. The long, classic, exquisite finish feels sophisticated as it crosses your palate and lingers. The finish holds your attention for nearly 50 seconds. Ducru Beaucaillou continues its unstoppable streak of exceptional vintages. Produced from blending 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 15% Merlot. Drink from 2030-2065. 98 Pts
2023 Ducru Beaucaillou Le Petit Ducru – St. Julien – Flowers, cherries, and a hint of cocoa in the perfume get the wine started. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, forward, fruity, round, and already easy to taste. Drink this in its youth for its fresh, racy fruits, or age it for its earthy complexities. You cannot go wrong either way. The wine blends 72% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Petit Verdot. Drink from 2026-2037. 92 Pts
2023 Ducru-Beaucaillou La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou – St. Julien – The initial fun note of cinnamon stands out before you discover its flowers, cherries, and espresso nuances. Refined and reserved, with ample red fruits that come with a salty, chalky, minty edge, allow it 1-2 years in the bottle, and this is going to be good to go. The wine is a blend of 58% Merlot, and 42% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink from 2028-2043. 93 Pts
2023 Finegrave – St. Julien – Medium-bodied, forward, chewy, crisp, bright, and ready to go, while the wine is not overly complex, but it is already quite nice, and easy in your glass. and crisp. Drink from 2026-2031. 88 Pts
2023 Finegrave Evoke Cuvee Speciale – St. Julien – Forward, medium-bodied, soft, elegant, bright, and focused on its sweet red-currant and cherry profile, this wine will be easy to enjoy on release and for a decade after. One of the few Bordeaux wines produced from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink from 2026-2034. 89 Pts
2023 Gloria – St. Julien – Flowers and cherries define the nose, and bring you to its vibrant, medium-bodied, red berry, and spice-driven, elegant, and bright finish. Forward in style, the wine will be ready for enjoyment just about on release. The wine is produced from 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2027-2043. 92 Pts
2023 La Bridane – St. Julien – Earthy, herbal, and loaded with sagebrush and cedar, it is hard to find the fruit. Medium-bodied, bright, crisp, green and peppery, the finish dries out quickly. Drink from 2026-2030. 83 Pts
2023 Lagrange – St. Julien – Tobacco, herbs, cedar, currants, blackberries, and a hint of spearmint fill the perfume. Not a showy vintage, more classic in style, with effort, the wine offers its cherry, and currant character. Refined and reserved, a few years of bottle age is warranted. The wine blends 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot. Drink from 2029-2055. 94 Pts
2023 Langoa Barton – St. Julien – Already offering tertiary notes of tobacco, smoke, cedar, herbs, blackberries and flowers in the nose, on the palate, the wine is dark, chewy, uplifted, concentrated, and I really like the refreshing touch of minty, freshness in the classically-styled finish. The wine blends 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2029-2055. 93 Pts
2023 Leoville Barton – St. Julien – Flowers, blackberries, tobacco, cedar, and spice box aromas pop with ease in the perfume. Parked in the middle of classically-reserved, and modernity, there is a chewy, salty edge to the wealth of currants in the mid-palate, and in the finish that really works here. The wine is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2030-2060. 95 Pts
2023 Leoville Las Cases – St. Julien – It takes just a bit of effort to explore the perfume before revealing its essence of ripe blackberries, cigar wrapper, cassis, flowers, espresso, and a variety of spices. Clearly traditional in style, but not harsh, green, or dry. Instead, the wine is restrained, elegant, and regal, with layers of ripe, dark fruits, minerality, cherries, and dried herbs. One of the longest-lived wines of the vintage, but for Leoville Las Cases, it will drink well before or around 10 years of age. It can also evolve for 30 years or more. Made from a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Merlot. This marks only the third time in the estate’s history that the blend contains more Cabernet Franc than Merlot. It is also the smallest amount of Merlot ever placed into the Grand Vin. Drink from 2030-2065. 97 Pts
2023 Leoville Las Cases Clos du Marquis – St. Julien – Espresso, cigar box, blackberries, dark red pit fruits, and flowers fill the perfume. The wine is medium-bodied, refreshing, chewy, and vivid, with a crispness and energy to the salt-edged, currant finish. The wine was made from a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2027-2042. 93 Pts
2023 Leoville Las Cases Le Petit Lion du Marquis de Las Cases – St. Julien – Blackberries, flowers, and a hint of tobacco open the nose. Medium-bodied, forward, and already inviting, the fruits show off their spicy, chalky, salty, minty edges with ease. This is a perfect introduction to Leoville Las Cases. The wine blends 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and 8% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2027-2038. 91 Pts
2023 Leoville Poyferre – St. Julien – Espresso, chocolate, truffle, black cherries with flowers, and cinnamon spice in the background open the perfume. On the palate, the wine is silky, lush, opulent, and sexy. This is a superb accomplishment for the vintage. There is freshness, with ample fruit, sweetness, length, energy, and roundness. Interestingly light on its feet, yet it is no featherweight wine. This will age and evolve quite well, but it is going to offer a lot of pleasure in its youth. The wine is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. Drink from 2028-2055. 96 Pts
2023 Moulin de la Rose – St. Julien – Underbrush, tobacco, cedar, and cigar notes paired with red berries get this little-known, Saint Julien going. Medium-bodied, fresh, and ready to go, the palate offers ample fruits and lift from start to finish. This will be at its best over the next decade or so. Drink from 2026-2033. 90 Pts
2023 Saint-Pierre – St. Julien – Medium-bodied, graceful, and energetic, the wine offers a strong touch of florality before you begin to enjoy its core of sweet, ripe, and fresh, red pit fruits, with accents of cocoa, espresso, and licorice. This is going to be delicious just a year or two after it’s released. Drink from 2028-2045. 93 Pts
2023 Talbot – St. Julien – Flowers, licorice, blackberries, black cherries, and a hint of chocolate drive the perfume. The medium-bodied, creamy palate packs in all the ripe, sweet fruits, peppery spices, and chalky minerality you could ask for. Drink from 2029-2050. 94 Pts
2023 Teynac – St. Julien – Medium-bodied, chalky, and with a strong undercurrent of assorted green herbs, with overly bright red berries, perhaps air and age can add to the wine. Drink from 2026-2031. 87 Pts
Up next, we continue our look at 2023 Bordeaux with 2023 Margaux and in case you missed it, 2023 Pauillac
