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.