I’ve already posted thoughts on a number of leading properties in St Emilion in 2023. In addition to these visits, I also spent a morning tasting blind those St Emilion Grand Cru Classés at the Grand Cercle press event. I’ve included detailed thoughts on these properties in this post in addition to my earlier notes. Combined there are reviews here on just under thirty wines from the appellation in 2023. At the Grand Cercle event I was especially impressed with Château Grand Corbin Despagne, Château La Croizille, Château de Pressac, Clos Debreuil and Château Destieux. These wines had depth and style and fine texture. I also enjoyed Château La Marzelle and the biodynamic Château Fonroque. Overall, these Grand Cru Classés are different stylistically to the wines made at these properties in 2022, reflecting the elegance of the 2023s overall. While they lack the concentration and sheer volume of the ‘22s, they offer delicacy and more evident freshness and are by no means lacking concentration in their own right. It will be fascinating to follow the progress of the ’22 and ’23 vintages in St Emilion down the years.

I’ve listed the notes first on those properties tasted at the Grand Cercle and then collated my earlier notes taken from tastings at Clos Fourtet, Château Larcis Ducasse, Château Canon-la-Gaffelière, Château Valandraud and Château Laroque. I hope you find the notes useful.

Grand Cercle St Emilion Grands Crus Classes tasted blind Saturday 20^th April [in order tasted]

Château Grand Corbin Despagne, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Deep and saturated; pretty fruit; attractive lift; perfumed; like this; bright fruit but with well-integrated oak. Attractive mid palate; flesh; perfumed fruit tones on the palate; not hugely concentrated but works really well; has delicacy and some savoury fruit tones on the end. This will develop nicely. [Vineyard 75% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon]. Tasted April, 2024. Drink 2029-2040. 89-91+

Château Fombrauge, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Deep and saturated; earthy, smoky notes; some liquorice; has a bit of a zinfandel note; full and rich; but not that hugely interesting for me but it works in a muscular way. [Vineyard 92% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Freanc]. Tasted April, 2024. Drink 2030-2042. 87-89+

Château Rol Valentin, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Mid depth; healthy looking with some fruit tones; smoky; liquorice; quite similar to Fombrauge; again some oak; chunky and needs to settle. [Vineyard 78% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 7% Malbec]. Tasted April, 2024. Drink 2030-2040. 87-89

Château La Croizille, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Deep and saturated; close to the edge; rich ripe and layered; blue fruits; black cherries; cool and precise; impressive; attractive; plenty of fruit but nicely focused; medium weight; round tannins and good length. Good to very good. [Vineyard 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon]. Tasted April, 2024. Drink 2030-2038. 90-92+

Château de Pressac, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Deep and dark; tight to edge; sweeter; some cashmere and satin red fruits; strawberry; bit lusher and more decadent; similar tones on the palate; sweet and ripe; open and full. Lacks some structure on the finish but an early drinking crowd-pleaser. [Vineyard 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Carménère, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec]. Tasted April, 2024. Drink 2028-2038. 90-91

Château Sansonnet, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Deep and saturated; saturated and up to the edge; some brightness; little plum and black cherry; fresh, some perfume; has nice weight and softness; some grip and attractive. [Vineyard 85% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon]. Tasted April, 2024. Drink 2028-2040. 89-91+

Clos Debreuil, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Deep and dark; tight to rim; seam of black cherry and liquorice, sweet and attractive; works nicely; impressive; nicely integrated sweet oak and really good focus; nice entry; good extract and matter and has concentration. Works nicely and is layered. Good future ahead. Extract and matter but will work nicely. [Vineyard 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon]. Tasted April, 2024. Drink 2028-2038. 90-91+

Château Tour Baladoz, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Arterial colour; saturated; very tight to rim; ripe cherry; full and enticing; quite full and smooth palate; ripe cherry and black fruits; lacks a bit of evident structure and middle but easy and soft; finishes with a twist but lacks a bit of concentration. [Vineyard 77% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot]. Tasted April, 2024. Drink 2030-2035. 86-88

Château Yon-Figeac, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Mid depth; little looser at the rim; little reductive at first; but fresh; stalky; in the glass opens out; fresh entry; more chewy in the middle – less the tannin more the sappiness; Quite lean and sappy on the finish. Not as impressive as the others. Narrow. Will fill out I expect but not showing well. [72% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon]. Tasted April, 2024. Drink 2028-2035. 85-87

Château La Marzelle, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Deep and saturated; tight to rim; opaque at centre; briary fruits; clean; some ripe plums, schist; attractive; soft entry; lacks a bit of concentration in the middle [it may fill out] but attractive and soft enough. Some briary notes on the end. Easy. [Vineyard 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon].  Tasted April, 2024. Drink 2029-2040. 89-91+

Château Destieux, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Deep and saturated; fraction looser; liquorice; fine seam of fruit; concentration; some cashmere; strong and deep aromatics; deep and some concentration; lots of extract and flesh not over extracted. Works well. Good narrative drive and consistent. Good length and finish, Impressive. [Vineyard 66% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon]. Tasted April, 2024. Drink 2030-2040. 90-92+

Château Fonroque, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Mid depth; fresh looking but looser at edge; bluer fruit tones; more primary fruit; bubble gum fruit; quite nice fruit compote; I’m guess this as Fonroque [it is]; fresh briary fruit on the palate; needs to settle but has freshness. Sappy. Some length. [Vineyard 76% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc]. Tasted April, 2024. Drink 2029-2030. 88-90+

Château Montlabert, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Mid depth; easy and soft; not hugely expressive; opens up with more briary blue fruit characters; [these are changing a lot in the glass]; quite sweet ripe fruit tones; strawberry and red fruits; some decadence; nice spicy finish. Works well. Toasty note on the end. [Vineyard 72% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc]. Tasted April, 2024. Drink 2029-2039. 88-90

Château Laroze, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Deep and saturated; some marzipan and black cherry; little sweet and sour note; sturdy on the nose; quite angular and sappy on the palate; higher toned; will settle down and fill out further. Has flesh but quite sappy. Expect this to fill out. [Vineyard 61% Merlot, 27.5% Cabernet Franc, 7.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec]. Tasted April, 2024. Drink 2030-2040.  87-89

Other properties tasted in St Emilion 19^th-21^st April 2024.

Château Côte de Baleau, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, 2023.

Lovely colour – deep and tight to rim; dense; ripe and joyful, ripe plums and cherry; black cherry; tightness and grip on the palate; freshness; lively. Gritty finish. Fresher vintage than ’22.Good length. Brambly/briary. [95% Merot, 5% Cab Franc, 25% new oak, 25% one yr, 25% two yrs and 25% in cuve. Fourteen months élevage overall, 17ha, 40hl/ha, 14% alc, 3.45 pH]. Tasted April 2024. Drink 2028-2038. 89-91+

La Closerie de Fourtet, St Emilion Grand Cru, 2023

Deep saturated; lively looking; deeper more saturated aromatics than the Cote de Baleau; deeper; plums; creamy cherry; some minerality; sappy but has lots in the middle; quite plump and satisfying; acidity; some chew; fresh mineral on the finish. Nice combination of ripe fruit and fresh acidities. Attractive. [85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 15% new oak, 83% one and two year oak, 2% jar, whole berry ferment with pigeage, 14-18 months élevage, 14% alc, pH 3.56, 46hl/ha]. Tasted April 2024. Drink 2028-2033. 90-92+

Clos Badon, St  Emilon Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Deep colour; tight to edge; sturdy, briary aromatics; fresh and stalky; nice tension between the fruit and the harmony; soft extraction to the tannins; lots of extra but well handled. Has a certain delicacy. Not the weightest but fresh. Has good texture on the finish. Tasted April, 2024. Drink 2028-2038. 90-91

Clos Fourtet, St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Mid depth; legs; fresh, juicy and pretty; saline and fresh; mid weight; has juice and lightness and delicacy; attractive and fresh; lighter vintage for sure but this is very nicely balanced. Some tightness on the palate with a limestone-influenced saline finish. This should age well and Cuvelier believes it’s closest perhaps to a modern day 2001. It is certainly refined and harmonious. [87% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% new oak, 58% one and two year oak, 2% jar, 14-18 months élevage, 14.5% alc, pH 3.54, 46hl/ha]. Tasted April 2024. Drink 2030-2045. 94-96

Clos de l’Oratoire, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Deep, earthy looking; spices and notes of freshly sawn wood on the nose [the 25% Cabernet Franc in the blend]; little tighter on the palate than usual; needs to open up; tight and spicy with good sap and structure; fresh with some chew on the end but this works. Again, this should put on weight during elevage but not as plush as 2022 here. Chalk and cheese in that regard. [75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, certified organic; 30% new oak, 13.5% alc, 44hl/ha. Harvested 21-25 September, 2023]. Tasted April 2024. Drink 2029-2038. 89-91

Château Canon La Gaffelière, St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Mid depth; earthy; again quite tight and serious, freshly sawn wood notes and spicy plum tones, textured on the palate and there is some pretty fruit here with violet notes; fresh and vibrant; soft and supple fruit in the nice middle; good length and texture. The Cabernets [Franc and Sauvignon] dominate here currently. Again, this should fill out further during elevage. [45% Cabernet Franc, 35% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% new oak, 13% alc, certified organic, harvested 20-29 September]. Tasted April 2024. Drink 2030-2045. 93-95

Château Larcis Ducasse, St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Deep and dark; healthy looking; tight and concentrated at first; opens up to reveal layered fruit on the nose; plenty of ripe, plummy fruit on the palate; textured and plush. Really fine finish and excellent length. Wonderful stuff here again. Tighter and more evidently structured than the ’22 at the same stage, this is a fascinating partner to that wine and it will be interesting to follow the development of the two vintages. [86% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, yields 43 hl/ha (75% grand vin), 50% new oak, mixture of 225L and 500L barrels 9.37ha in production, 14% alc]. Tasted April 21, 2024. Drink 2030-2045. 96-97

Château Laroque, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Beautiful colour; deep at centre and purple at edge; perfumed aromatics; raspberry, mulberry, very enticing; wonderful purity here as usual; very harmonious and balanced on the palate with texture to the tannins; fresh finish and a real lightness of touch. This is a very fine wine with tension and verve. Qualitatively almost up with the 2022 last year but stylistically quite different. Great effort. One of the wine values of the vintage. [99% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, yields 46hl/ha, 48% selection to grand vin, 14.15% alc, pH 3.42, 16-18 months oak ageing in barriques [50% new] and large oak foudres] Tasted April 2024. Drink 2030-2043, 94-96+

Château Lynsolence, St Emilion Grand Cru, 2023

Deep and saturated; stalky, briary notes has freshness; savoury edge at the back; ripe; schist and concentrated; some chew and depth; quite dry and extracted on the end. Puckering new oak a bit. Let’s see how it settles. Tasted April, 2024. Drink 2028-2038. 87-89

Château Mangot, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Deep and saturated; tight to rim; fresher black cherry; fruity; attractive aromatics; creamy and black fruits; quite nicely integrated; bright and with good punctuation on the end. Works. Tasted April, 2024. Drink 2030-2038. 90-91

La Mondotte, St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Deep looking; full and plump; opens up; nicely layered fruit which unfurls; structure beneath the plush fruit; some mineral and schist with that wet limestone rock; tight on the finish but plenty of intensity. From a 4ha south facing vineyard on the limestone plateau with some of the old blocs dating back to ’37. Ludovic Neipperg believes the ‘23 has more structure than ’19 with more concentration. Overall, this felt much less of a show stopper than the 2022 but it will definitely flesh out further during elevage. [80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 40% new oak, 37hl/ha, harvest 19-30 September, 13.5% alc]. Tasted April 2024. Drink 2023-2045. 94-96+

Château Pavie Macquin, St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Deep and dark, lovely colour tight to the rim; mineral, schist and liquorice; seam of black fruit; big palate with structure but plenty of flesh here. This is impressive. Excellent length. Cyrille Thienpont was explaining that much of the work in the vineyard and in the cellar is in trying to gain greater finesse here. It’s always had power and extract. [82% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48hl/ha, 50% new oak, 13ha in production, 14% alc]. Tasted April 21, 2024. Drink 2032-2045. 96-97

Virginie de Valandraud, St Emilion Grand Cru, 2023

Deep and saturated; colour close to the edge; dense; very elegant on the nose but nicely layered; savoury; attractive entry; very well integrated; polished; nicely compacted; fine. Has length on the finish. Quite polished. Length and intensity on the finish. Tasted April, 2024. Drink 2028-2036. 91-92+

Château Valandraud, St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Deep and attractive; super saturated colour; intense and tight to the rim; inky; some raisin; some chocolate; creamy fruit; very inky; concentrated yes but lacks a little bit of freshness on the palate; chocolate and espresso notes alongside tannin on the finish. Lots of density and extract here. Feels long term. Powerful yet not as succulent a prospect as ’22 at the same point. Keen to see this again after elévage. [Blending 84% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% ABV, 3.5 pH.] Tasted April, 2024. Drink 2030-2050. 95-96+

Château Villemaurine, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, 2023

Deep and saturated; schist; some wet rock; fresh briary notes; freshness and has some texture on the palate. Has grip and punctuation on the finish. Savoury. Tasted April, 2024. Drink 2029-2038. 88-90

3 de Valandraud, St Emilion Grand Cru, 2023

Deep and saturated; legs; colour close to edge; briary fresh fruit; stalky notes; attractive palate; briary and brambly notes; soft tannins; flattering end. Round and harmonious. Easy on the finish. [90% Merlot with 5% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. 14%]. Tasted April, 2024. Drink 2026-2033. 88-90