Crème de cassis, spicy oak, graphite, and lead pencil shavings, with that classic Saint-Estèphe damp earth character, all emerge from the 2023 Château Cos D'Estournel, a deep purple-hued effort based on 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, and 1% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that was aged in 50% new French oak. It's a rich, concentrated, powerful Cos offering plenty of tannins, ample mid-palate depth, beautiful sweetness of fruit, and a great finish. This serious, brilliant 2023 deserves 5-7 years of bottle age (you'll be excused for drinking bottles today) and will keep for 40-50 years. Drink 2030-2075.

The 2023 Clinet has a deep garnet-purple color. It slowly emerges from the glass with wonderfully fragrant scents of dark chocolate, violets, plum preserves, and blueberry compote, leading to hints of kirsch and rose oil. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers energetic black and blue fruit layers, with a velvety texture and lively backbone, finishing long and perfumed. Beautiful!

Lilacs, violets, smoke, spice, cherries, plums, licorice, orange rind, and chocolate mint fill the aromatic profile. On the palate, the wine is energetic, vibrant, long, and up-beat. The fruit offers purity, persistence, length, and width. It takes a few sips before you find its heart. But, once you do, it's apparent that the layers of vibrant, red fruits, complicated by the nuances of orange zest, are special. The refined, silky, finish builds as it lingers. The keys to the vintage here were the combination of cloudy summer skies with heat spells in September. In the cellars this is the first vintage with a pre-maceration cool-down which helped protect the grapes from oxidation. The wine blends 75% Merlot with 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. 14% ABV, 3.7 pH. Harvesting took place September 13 - September 20 for the Merlot, and September 25-26 for the Cabernet. Drink from 2027-2060.

This is full-bodied yet tight and poised, with a pretty, pure center-palate of ripe fruit and fine, integrated tannins. Classy presence. May be better than 2022.

Deep rich plum in colour, great balance and careful extraction, you are held by steady hands here. Cloves, cocoa bean, liqourice, freshly cut dried herbs, thyme and fresh sage, slow-build and slow progress with slate-textured tannins. A great quality Clinet, well judged appellation typicity, and floral kick on the finish. 80% new oak, 42hl/ha yields.

The 2023 Clinet is powerful and racy right out of the gate. Crushed flowers spice mocha and a kiss of French oak meld into a core of dark red- and black-toned fruit. This modern stylish Pomerol is so expressive. Hints of graphite lavender crushed rocks and pencil shavings linger on the substantial finish. Tasted two times. 2030-2048

Rich and layered the 2023 Clinet wafts from the glass with aromas of dark berries spices and licorice framed by creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied deep and complete with a rich chassis of powdery tannin underpinning its sweet core of fruit it concludes with a broad vanillin-inflected finish. As is routinely the case at this address it's a successfully rendered Pomerol in a more modern style.

The 2023 Clinet was picked from September 13 to 26 at 42hL/ha and aged in 80% new oak. It has a very appealing bouquet quite pure with vivacious red cherries crushed strawberry and violet scents. The oak is neatly integrated. This is almost Saint-Émilion in style. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins and a fine bead of acidity lightly spiced with a crisp and linear finish. This is a delightful composed Clinet that should drink well after four to five years.