The aromas in this young Margaux are so primary, reminding me of grape must fermenting in the vat, then turning to perfumes and flowers. Violets and roses. Full-bodied but it comes across as so agile and bright, with vivid acidity that makes the wine crunchy and linear. As Alexis, one of the owners of Margaux said, this really shows the DNA of the estate. Weightless. One of the wines of the vintage. 3.6 pH. Blend of 89% cabernet sauvignon, 5% merlot, 4% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot.

In competition for wine of the vintage, with a single swirl, you find roses violets, lilacs, black, with red cherries, espresso, cocoa, and boysenberries in the haunting aromatic profile. On the palate, the wine is silky, velvety, energetic, and lively. Instead of the weight and intensity found in the 2022, the 2023 focuses on its purity, refinement, length, vivacity, and sensual textures. The seamless finish resonates for 60 seconds, leaving you with lingering waves of incredibly sweet, and pure cherries. Part of the reason for the success of the vintage at Margaux is due to the combination of the amount of rain, and even more importantly, the timing of the rains, which helped the vines reach a better level of maturity. It is interesting to note that macerations were slow, and easy, with some vats taking 28 days due to the lower ABV levels. The wine blends 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. 13.1% ABV. 3.61 pH, 15% press wine. 41% of the crop was placed into the Grand Vin. Picking took place September 11-October 6. The length of the harvest was due to intermittent periods of rain during the harvest, so picking stopped and started, which is another key to the success in 2023. Drink from 2030-2065. 98-100 Pts.

The Grand Vin 2023 Château Margaux is based on 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc and was aged 21 months in 100% new French oak. Deep purple-hued and opaque, it offers sensational aromatics of crème de cassis, mulberries, flowery incense, blue fruits, graphite, and smoky tobacco on the nose. It's full-bodied on the palate and has a broad, layered, seamless mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a gorgeous finish. It's not far off the style of the 2020 and is shockingly good! Will it shut down? Time will tell, but this is a sensational effort that deserves a solid decade of bottle age. Drink 2035-2073.

The 2023 Le Pin is one of the wines of the vintage. It starts and ends there. Seamless, silky and remarkably pure, the 2023 is off-the-charts gorgeous. Everything is in perfect balance. The 2023 is not an especially opulent or dense Le Pin, rather it is a wine of remarkable completeness. Floral overtones, bright fruit and mid-weight structure are the signatures, and yet the 2023 has gorgeous mid-palate pliancy and the most cashmere-like tannins imaginable. Yields came in at a generous 39 hectoliters per hectare. New oak was 67%, a reduction from the 100% that was the norm a few years ago.
  

Vibrant peony and ruby red colour, this hums with movement and energy through the palate, a complex bloom of lavendar and white rose flowers, fresh and dense at the same time. Classical Margaux, with the savoury quality of the best wines of the year, a ton of fine tannins with a reserved sculpted architecture. The drinkability of this vintage is such a welcome return, and this is exceptionally good quality, and a real pleasure to taste. Superb winemaking from Philippe Bascaules. 41hl/h yield (compared to 25hl/h last year), 41% of the production in this 1st wine.

The 2023 Chateau Margaux, accounting for 41% of this year's crop, is deep garnet-purple in color. A little shy to begin, it needs some swirling before notes of black cherries, blackcurrant pastilles, and anise emerge from the glass, leading to suggestions of fragrant soil, lilacs, and cardamom with a touch of iron ore. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly crafted, with fabulous tension creating an exhilarating sense of energy in the mouth, offset by firm fine-grained tannins to support the vibrant red and black berry layers, finishing long and perfumed. So fragrant and graceful, this could only be Chateau Margaux! The blend is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, with pH 3.60. "There is a little more Cabernet Franc this year. More and more has been making it into the First Wine. We have been grafting over some vines to Cabernet Franc and planting more.

The 2023 Château Margaux which contains 15% vin de presse is quintessential Château Margaux. It immediately blossoms in the glass with irresistible crushed violets on the nose instantly demanding attention—you will gladly give it. Exquisitely defined and very focused with supremely well integrated oak this is blessed with laser-like precision. The palate is silky smooth on the entry perhaps a little feistier than expected thanks to a liberal sprinkling of black pepper. Quite structured (like the Pavillon Rouge) and gentle you can almost overlook its grip. It finishes with a concentrated graphite-tinged finish that lingers long in the mouth. This First Growth will require ten years in bottle to really show what it is capable of.

The 2023 Château Margaux shows considerable promise, unfurling in the glass with aromas of cassis, violets, spring flowers and sweet tobacco, framed by a deft touch of new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's taut, concentrated and classically structured, with sweet, refined tannins and lively acids, concluding with a long, mouthwatering finish. It's a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot that attained 13% alcohol.

The 2023 Château Margaux shows considerable promise unfurling in the glass with aromas of cassis violets spring flowers and sweet tobacco framed by a deft touch of new oak. Medium to full-bodied deep and layered it's taut concentrated and classically structured with sweet refined tannins and lively acids concluding with a long mouthwatering finish. It's a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon 5% Merlot 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot that attained 13% alcohol.

The source remains a secret, but whichever château is ultimately responsible, this is a clever bit of buying from the Aldi team. It's a classy, classic claret from the bountiful 2023 vintage, with a cedary lilt behind the cassis and super-fine-grained tannins.

89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. 41% of the production. Cask sample. Energy and intrigue but more reticent than Pavillon. Lots of charm on the palate with attractive fruit, silky tannins and freshness. A certain drive and persistence but perhaps not quite the depth of top years. (JL)