Château Laroque 2023

The 2023 vintage in Saint-Émilion

Vintage benchmark: 92/100 (appellation benchmark, not a score for this wine)

Vintage character: Mildew cost a good share of the harvest; what was brought in is early, fresh and promising.

Overall reading of the year’s season across Saint-Émilion. 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

"Aromas of redcurrant, crushed stones, chalk and dried flowers. A medium-bodied wine with very fine, well-integrated, silky tannins. Flavours of red currant, cherry and orange peel with a salty note in the background. A refined and beautiful wine that combines finesse and complexity. 99% merlot and 1% cabernet franc. Already very enjoyable. Drink now or keep." - James Suckling

The vintage

Merlots from 15 to 29 September, Cabernets Franc on 2 October. Yield of 46 hl/ha; 48% of the grapes and juices selected for the grand vin.

Blend of the 2023 vintage

Figures from the 2023 sheet

• 14.15 % vol.Alcohol
• 46 hl/haYield

Winemaking

Whole-berry vatting by gravity. Plot-by-plot vinification in small concrete vats.

Ageing

Traditional ageing on fine lees, partly in barrels (50% new) and partly in oak foudres, for 16 to 18 months.

Terroir

On the edge of the rocky plateau, overlooking the hillsides that undulate in the great Saint-Laurent combe, LA-ROQUE sets the tone. The vines are rooted throughout the three types of limestone emblematic of the appellation: plateaux of blond clay (to the west) and red clay (Agenais molasse, to the east) over asteriated limestone, terraces to the east and slopes to the west on fine creamy-white clay (Fronsadais molasse). This variety of soils and relief gives the vineyard its unique character.