The Grand Cercle always organise a very professional press tasting at Château de la Dauphine in Fronsac. It’s a great opportunity to taste the breadth of the wines made across Bordeaux, especially on the right bank. Amongst the Côtes de Bordeaux tasted with such a wide variety of terroirs [Blaye, Cadillac, Castillon and Francs] and approaches to winemaking, unsurprisingly there was heterogeneity. The most impressive 2023s for me at the Grand Cercle event from Castillon were Château Côte Montpezat, Château Veyry and Clos Puy Arnaud. Tasted elsewhere Château Alcée and Château d’Aiguilhe where also very good from Castillon. In Francs, Château La Prade and Château Puygueraud were excellent. Château de Haut Coulon looked good in Cadillac. Outside of these other 2023 Côtes de Bordeaux often felt lean and a little angular. These probably will flesh out during élevage, so it would be important to taste these wines again down the track once they are bottled.

The following notes were taken at the Grand Cercle tasting at Château de la Dauphine on Saturday 20 April, with other notes taken on Château Alcée, Château La Prade, Château Puygueraud tasted with Nicolas Thienpont on Sunday 21 April and Château d’Aiguilhe tasted in the Neipperg line up on Friday 19 April. I hope you find the notes useful.

Château Ampélia, Castillon – Côtes de Bordeaux, 2023

Deep; slight less dense; purple edge; dirty note at first which blew off; nice entry; bit cleaner on the palate but feels a bit pinched; lean and rather angular with firm acidity. [Vineyard 8.8ha, 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc] Tasted April 2024. Drink 2028-2035. 85-87+

Château Alcée, Castillon – Côtes de Bordeaux, 2023

Deep and arterial; concentrated and to the rim; plump aromatics with a lovely seam of plummy black fruits on the nose; very attractive; textured palate with wonderful purity and length. Fresh finish. Excellent stuff. From clay and limestone soils from three plots. [88% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, yields 18.5hl/ha, 11.8ha in production]. Tasted April 21, 2024. Drink 2027-2035. 91-92+

Château Carignan, Cadillac – Côtes de Bordeaux, 2023

Deep and black; reddy purple at edge; sweet, ribena; compote fruiot notes; summer pudding; attractive; some spice; little more awkward on the palate; needs to settle; has freshness, cherry fruits and acidity; has some chew and dryness [might be the acidity]. Little lean on the end but let’s see how it develops in barrel. [Vineyard 50ha, 70% Merlot, 15% Cab Sauvignon, 15% Cab Franc]. Tasted April 2024. Drink 2027-2035. 85-87

Château Côte Montpezat, Castillon – Côtes de Bordeaux, 2023

Mid depth; freshly sawn wood and blue fruits; quite attractive; has tension; little angular but fruit not too thin; quite lean but should fill out. [Vineyard 28ha, 70% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Franc, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon]. Tasted April 2024. Drink 2026-2037 86-88+

Château d’Aiguilhe, Castillon – Côtes de Bordeaux, 2023

Deep colour; spice and schist; tightly woven on the palate but I quite like this. Sappy and refreshing. Will put on weight during élevage. No second wine Seigneurs d’Aiguilhe this year [90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 30hl/ha, 20% new oak, remainder in foudre and tanks. 14% alc]. Tasted April 2024. Drink 2028-2035. 89-91+

Château de Haut Coulon, Cadillac – Côtes de Bordeaux, 2023

Deep and saturated; colour tight to rim; plums and prunes with some schist; loaded on the nose and solid; soft attack; quite round; not over extracted; perhaps a little simple but nice purity; lacks a bit of depth on the end.  This works well though in the vintage context. [Vineyard 3.3ha, 61% Merlot, 21% Cab Sauvignon, 18% Petit Verdot]. Tasted April 2024. Drink 2027-2033. 87-89+

Château de Laussac, Castillon – Côtes de Bordeaux, 2023

Deep; opaque at centre; sweet jammy note; strawberry; some cordial tones; but also lacks concentration; quite light without much character. Loose and easy. Not extracted mind. Lacks depth. Might put on weight in barrel. [Vineyard 13ha, 75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc]. Tasted April 2024. Drink 2027-2035. 83-85

Château de Laussac, Cuvee Sasha, Castillon – Côtes de Bordeaux, 2023

Deep and tight to edge; some savoury notes; polish; not that expressive; good entry; little medicinal; but soft; not a huge amount to it. Not extracted but lacks a bit of depth. Some wood on the finish. Better than the regular bottling. [Vineyard 13ha, 75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc]. Tasted April 2024. Drink 2027-2035. 85-87.

Château Haut Bertinerie, Blaye – Côtes de Bordeaux, 2023

Deep and saturated; some blue fruits; some eau de vie; bit raisin notes too; eau de vie notes again; lacks depth with an angular finish. Hopefully will fill out. [25ha, 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec]. Tasted April 2024. Drink 2026-2033. 84-86

Château La Prade, Francs – Côtes de Bordeaux, 2023

Deep and concentrated looking; lovely plush aromatics; perfume and spice; lovely palate; caressing fruit but firmly structured. Very clear and precise narrative here with a fresh and firm finish. Plenty of textured fruit. 21% Cabernet Franc in the blend here on limestone soils. Impressive. [79% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc, yields 32ha/ha, 6.5ha]. Tasted April 21, 2024. Drink 2027-2035. 91-92+

Château Puygueraud, Francs – Côtes de Bordeaux, 2023

Mid depth, fresh looking and healthy in the glass; pretty aromatics, plums and ripe black fruit tones; lots of matter in the middle here on the palate, soft and easy tannins; this is generous and attractive Puygueraud; fresh finish. Really good. A success given the challenging wet summer with lots of mildew pressure. The low yields were the culminative affects of two years of relative drought here. Malbec, replanted in 2019, returns in this blend. [90% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec, yields 23hl/ha, 34.5ha.] Tasted April 21, 2024. Drink 2027-2035. 90-91+

Château Réaut, Cadillac – Côtes de Bordeaux, 2023

Deep and dark; tight to rim; legs; some black fruits; black cherry; freshness; mid weight; little dumb; fresh and well balanced but not with bags of character but good-ish. [Vineyard 26ha, 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc]. Tasted April 2024. Drink 20207-2033. 85-87+

Château Reynon, Cadillac – Côtes de Bordeaux, 2023

Deep and tight to rim; black cherry and dark chocolate notes; bluer fruit tones; tough entry; little lean and sappy from the acidity; again sappy finish. Grip. [Vineyard 33ha, 68% Merlot, 14% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon]. Tasted April 2024. Drink 2027-2033. 85-87

Château Veyry, Castillon – Côtes de Bordeaux, 2023

Deep and arterial; bright blue fruits; some dark chocolate; ripe entry; rounder and with more middle than some; this works well; has balance, flesh and harmony by comparison. Some delicacy. Light finish but works. [4ha, 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc]. Tasted April 2024. Drink 2027-2037. 88-90+

Carat de Chateau Réaut, Cadillac – Côtes de Bordeaux, 2023

Deep and saturated look; little reductive; blue cherry fruit; little cherry aid; but fresh; some fresh fruit with more flesh; works better; some chew but acidity. Not that much fun at the moment though but should come good. [26ha, 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc]. Tasted April 2024. Drink 2027-2035. 85-87

Clos Puy Arnaud, Castillon – Côtes de Bordeaux, 2023

Deep and arterial; tight to edge; Pontefract cakes, liquorice hint; quite ripe; pretty solid; some saline notes too; sweet ripe fruit; quite caressing on the palate; round; soft; appealing; for early drinking. Nicely judged. [15ha, 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon]. Tasted April 2024. Drink 2028-2040. 90-92+