Château Belgrave 2023

Critic scores

• James Suckling94
• Vinous94
• Wine Enthusiast94
• Decanter93
• Wine Advocate92
• Jeb Dunnuck90

The 2023 vintage in Haut-Médoc

Vintage benchmark: 91/100 (appellation benchmark, not a score for this wine)

Vintage character: July mildew followed by a hot September demanded strict selection: fleshy, aromatic wines, more approachable than 2022.

Overall reading of the year’s season across Haut-Médoc. An estate can depart from it sharply, in frost or hail years, where two neighbours did not make the same vintage. What this particular wine actually gave is on its technical sheet and in the scores above.

Tasting

The color is deep, almost black. On the nose, aromas of black fruits mingle with nuances of licorice, enhanced by the freshness of a menthol note. The palate is dense, straight and very balanced, marked by fine tannins with a full and velvety touch. The finish is long, tasty and juicy. This wine with great ageing potential embodies all the elegance of the Château Belgrave terroir.

Blend of the 2023 vintage

Cabernet-sauvignon(60%), Merlot(40%)

Shares for this vintage, as recorded on the 2023 technical sheet. The vineyard itself is planted with cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot.

Winemaking

Cold pre-fermentation maceration. Vatting for approximately 30 days. Malolactic fermentation partially in barrels. Pump-overs.

Ageing

12 months in oak barrels, 29% of which are new, on fine lees. 6 lots in amphorae.

Terroir

Area in production: 52 ha. Soil type: 2 elevated gravel rises of deep gravel over clay subsoils; gravelly-sandy soils, and clay outcrops. Planting density: 75% of the vineyard at 10,000 vines/ha on the plateaux and upper parts of the rises, and 6,700 vines/ha on the flanks of the rises.