Haut-Médoc · vintage 2023
Why this vintage
- 94/100 from James Sucklingand 2 other scores above 90/100.
- The 2023 vintage in Haut-MédocJuly mildew followed by a hot September demanded strict selection: fleshy, aromatic wines, more approachable than 2022.
Critic scores
- James Suckling94
- Decanter94
- Jeb Dunnuck91
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 aromatic explosion followed by a long finish testifies to the care taken at each stage of its development. The singular elegance of Cantemerle is completed in 2023 by a velvety, a texture without any roughness. Ripe and rich without being solar, 2023 is a vintage for the weather.
Blend of the 2023 vintage
- 68 % Cabernet-sauvignon
- 20 % Merlot
- 7 % Petit verdot
- 5 % Cabernet franc
Shares for this vintage, as recorded on the 2023 technical sheet. The vineyard itself is planted with cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot — a vintage blend departs from the area under vine as the year dictates.
Figures from the 2023 sheet
- 40 yrsVine age
- 400,000 bottlesProduction
Winemaking
Wood, stainless steel and cement tanks
Ageing
12 months in French oak barrels, 35% of which are new
Terroir
The soil at Cantemerle is siliceous gravel. This gravel, the product of the ancient erosion of the Pyrenees by the Garonne, is one of the essential elements of a quality terroir. It makes for poor soils, and the vine must struggle if it is to produce concentrated grapes. These soils of sand and pebbles are also very free-draining and play an active part in ripening the grapes, since they reflect the sun's rays and retain at night the heat accumulated during the day. As they age, the vines send their roots deeper into the soil and express more fully the typicity of the terroir that carries them.
An offer on Château Cantemerle 2023
Availability, allocations and terms: the Compagnie Médocaine will reply promptly. The estate and vintage are already filled in in the message.
Texts and documents 2023
The texts below copy in one click for your product sheets, catalogues and social channels. The printable sheet condenses the whole page onto a single A4 page.
Visuals
This wine’s visuals are grouped in the media library. High-definition packshots, labels, back labels and lifestyle photos are reserved for clients and partners, on the Compagnie Médocaine’s VinCod media library.
Sheet checked on September 21, 2026. Technical data: the estate’s VinCod sheets. Critic scores: sources cited above, with their date. Vintage benchmarks and character: Compagnie Médocaine’s own editorial read. Soils and relief, where shown: the Compagnie Médocaine’s parcel survey and the Mapbox/IGN terrain model.