Bordeaux 2023

Tasted April 2024. 100% Merlot. 14% ABV and 65% new barrels. Rich and rounded, the fruit here is ripe without becoming exotic, and there is lots of depth and a brooding feel to the flavours, with licorice and dark chocolate. Beautiful aromatics and savoury layers on the palate, with lots of smooth tannins. There is brilliant interplay between ripe dark fruit and refreshing acidity.

Tasted April 2024. 88% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc. 14% ABV and 70% new barrels. Structured and floral, with a distinct elegance this vintage. The 2023 has a gourmand quality, with appetising mineral notes around pure, ripe black fruit and tons of fine tannin. The finish is long, with mouth-watering acidity and more savoury, mineral notes.

Tasted April 2024. 41% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon. 13.5% ABV. Vibrant style, with a lot of bridled power. Black, dense berry fruit within a classical structure, typical of Figeac, with stony textural elements, ripe but firm tannins, and distinct graphite aromas and flavours. Beautiful long, pure finish, with layers of rocky, mineral flavours and fresh bramble.

Tasted April 2024. 70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc. 14% ABV and 60% new barrels. Bright floral aromatics, damson, with peony, violet perfume. Juicy fruit on the palate, refreshing acidity, restrained and delineated flavours. Complex spicy notes are restrained too and there's some savoury Cabernet Franc leafiness.

Tasted April 2024. 70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc. 14% ABV and 60% new barrels. Bright floral aromatics, damson, with peony, violet perfume. Juicy fruit on the palate, refreshing acidity, restrained and delineated flavours. Complex spicy notes are restrained too and there's some savoury Cabernet Franc leafiness.

Tasted April 2024. 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 11% Petit Verdot. Tronquoy is nearby to, and owned by, Château Montrose, and offers incredible value for money. It's concentrated and rich, but in 2023 shows delicacy and purity. Blackcurrant and black plum dominate on the palate, with velvet tannins and a mineral finish.

Tasted April 2024. 61% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc. Pure and vibrant with concentrated cassis and plum, with fresh mint and iodine. Silky on the palate with a little grip on the appetising saline finish.

Tasted April 2024. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc. In the 2023 vintage the team at Montrose have focused primarily on their 'terrace number four' which was the site of the original plantings at the estate. The result is seriously impressive with tension, depth, length and layers of crushed shell, iodine, fresh mint and opulent black berry fruit.

Tasted April 2024. 82% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc. 14% ABV with two thirds of the wine matured in new barrels. An elegant iteration of one of our favourite Bordeaux estates, with crushed velvet texture, and layers of mineral and savoury complexity with truffle, graphite and exotic spice on the nose.

Tasted April 2024. 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot. 14.3% ABV. Dark berries, and delicate floral aromas. On the palate there is lots of fine tannin, with a dark chocolate, toffee richness from the oak maturation and gentle spice. Refreshing, appetising acidity.

Tasted April 2024. 84% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc. 14.1% ABV. Pure and expressive, with the explosive aromatics of the vintage matched by the natural density of the Troplong Mondot terroir. Rich and spicy on the palate, tempered by mineral tones and grippy but elegant tannins. There's inate power here but reined in effortlessly by the textural complexity the team have created.