Clos du Marquis, Saint-Julien 2023

A blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and 9% Cabernet Franc that spent 16 months in 50% new French oak, the 2023 Clos Du Marquis is a bigger, richer wine in the vintage. Its deep purple/plum hue is followed by blockbuster aromatics of blackcurrants, smoke, tobacco, spice, and chocolate. Rich, full-bodied, deep, and layered on the palate, it has ample mid-palate depth, ripe tannins, nicely integrated oak, and a great finish. I love it even today, yet it will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and have 30 years of longevity. Drink 2029-2055.

This offers beautiful blackcurrants and blackberries with hints of chocolate and walnuts. Medium- to full-bodied with vivid acidity that adds tension and freshness to the mid-palate. It’s full of life and vibrancy, very fine and polished, and with nicely integrated tannins. Long finish. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot and 9% cabernet franc. What will be better between 2022 and 2023?

The 2023 Clos du Marquis is a standout. Dark, deep and explosive, the 2023 possesses serious mid-palate density and exceptional balance. Black cherry, plum, new leather, licorice, incense, lavender and hard candy soar from the glass, building into a sweeping crescendo that explodes on the back end. This is one of the finest vintages of Clos du Marquis I can remember tasting. There's striking depth, density and personality. Clos du Marquis is a real sleeper in 2023.

Squid ink, cassis, bilberry, roses, love the intensity and gorgeous salinity of this wine. Captures the sense of energy and florality in the best Cabernets of 2023, although retains the austerity that you expect from this site in its early years. First vintage in the new cellars, moving from 40 vats to 80 vats, with 30 microvinification vats. Harvest September 6 to October 5, 50% new oak for ageing, 44hl/h yields.

The 2023 Clos du Marquis is an attractive classic, offering up notes of cassis and licorice mingled with hints of mint, rose petal and pencil lead. Medium- to full-bodied, velvety and layered, it's pure and lively, with sweet tannins and succulent acids to frame its fleshy, layered core of fruit.

The 2023 Clos du Marquis, raised in 50% new oak for 16 months, takes a few moments to really open in the glass, but it reveals satisfying fruit concentration, with blackberry, cedar and light cigar box scents unfurling in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, with quite a feisty opening, bright and sharp, with a keen line of acidity that counters that ripe red fruit. Gentle grip but quite persistent on the finish, this is a very fine, perhaps more approachable Clos du Marquis.

The 2023 Clos du Marquis is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a little swirling to coax out classic notes of cassis, fresh plums, and cedar chest followed by hints of graphite and Provence herbs. The medium-bodied palate is energetic and refreshing, with grainy tannins to support and a lively finish. The blend is 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and 9% Cabernet Franc. The alcohol is 13.5%.