2023 Château Le Crock, St Estèphe, Bordeaux

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc. 52.8 hl/ha. Cask sample.

Ripe and sweet-fruited but fresh as well. Fine touch of tannin. Good if not spectacular St-Estèphe. Should be accessible relatively early.

Drink 2027 - 2035

Aromas of cassis, dark berries, plums and petals introduce the 2023 Le Crock, a medium to full-bodied, pure and flavorful wine with a sweet core of fruit framed by youthfully chewy tannins. It's a characterful wine that will reward a bit of patience.

The 2023 Le Crock is a very pretty and expressive Saint-Estèphe. Dried herbs, licorice, tobacco, cedar and scorched earth lend tons of aromatic nuance to play off the wine's mid-weight personality. Understated and classy, the 2023 is quite expressive in this tasting. There's also a compelling new sense of freshness and nuance here. Bright saline notes linger on the precise finish.

Drink 2028 - 2043

The 2023 Le Crock, which is in its third year of conversion to organic farming, was cropped at 52.78hL/ha between September 8 and 29. Quite fragrant on the nose with iris flower and subtle estuarine scents infusing the red fruit, the palate is ripe and sweet on the entry. The Merlot is particularly expressive at the moment, despite representing only 33% of the blend. A crisp line of acidity braces the silky-smooth palate, leading to a pleasant piquancy on the finish that keeps this on its toes. It will need two or three years in bottle. Very fine.

Drink 2028 - 2042

The 2023 Château Le Crock checks in as 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, harvested from the 8th to the 29th of September. Offering a classic 2023 profile of ripe fruit paired with a good sense of freshness, it has ample red and blue fruits as well as notes of leafy tobacco, graphite, and loamy earth, with even a touch of flowers. Medium to full-bodied, with a round, supple mouthfeel, building tannins, and outstanding length, it's clearly an outstanding wine.

A structured and focused red with good volume and concentration to its fruit. Medium-bodied with firm but well-integrated tannins that form the backbone of the wine. It’s layered and complex with impressive length.

Sappy and cheerful, bright ruby red fruit, well balanced with chewy tannins that give plenty of expectation. Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel in theory, although the new classification, that will confirm for 2023, is coming in January 2024. 25% new oak, final year of organic conversion, and 52hl/h yields, so a particularly good crop. Harvest September 8 to 29.

Drink 2025 - 2032