2023 Château Capbern, St Estèphe, Bordeaux

69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc. 45 hl/ha. Cask sample.

Big, powerful wine with a firm tannic frame. Fruit ripe but with a hedgerow nuance. Smooth attack but slightly chewy finish.

Drink 2030 - 2038

A blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2023 Capbern has a deep garnet-purple color. It is a little grumpy to start, offering notes of black pepper and sassafras before opening out to notions of plum preserves and stewed strawberries, with a waft of tree bark. The medium-bodied palate is refreshing and light on its feet, with lightly chewy tannins and a peppery finish.

Drink 2027 - 2037

The 2023 Capbern was picked from September 6 to 20 at 45hL/ha, matured in 60% new oak. Alcohol is stated at 14.6%. It has a ripe, plush bouquet with brambly red fruit, raspberry confit and just a hint of orange rind coming through with aeration. The palate is well-balanced and cohesive, with slightly powdery tannins, gentle grip and a touch of warmth on the spice box-tinged finish. The acidity pH is 3.7) keeps this on an even keel, but I would be inclined to drink it after two or three years.

Drink 2027 - 2040

The 2023 Capbern is a plush, sensual wine. Juicy dark plum, spice, mocha, gravel and incense are all amplified in this racy, wonderfully inviting Saint-Estèphe. Soft, supple tannins wrap it all together in style. Readers looking for an affordable wine to drink over the next 10-12 years will adore this. Superb.

Drink 2025 - 2038

A serious, brooding wine, the 2023 Capbern offers up aromas of cassis and dark berries mingled with licorice and spices. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, with good depth and concentration, it's built around lively acids and powdery tannins. It's a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon an unusually high proportion for Capbern) and 29% Merlot with the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

Coming from the team of Calon Ségur, the 2023 Château Capbern is a terrific Saint-Estèphe, and it goes a long way toward showing the strength of the Médoc in the vintage. Cassis, plums, smoked tobacco, and graphite all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a round, layered mouthfeel and beautiful tannins. I love the overall purity of fruit, and it's a ripe, sexy, yet flawlessly balanced beauty that should drink nicely right out of the gate yet also age gracefully.

Highly perfumed and fragrant nose, full of purple flowers and dark fruits. Bright and super fresh, almost too much, but then settles quickly into salty stone edged tannins that give a metallic tang to the palate. A little lean and straight, not much density but there’s concentration and a sense of quiet power from start to finish. Not so charming but precise and focussed. Nice juiciness too, very St-Estèphe, with a real clean grip to the finish. Will be nice to see after ageing. 12% press wine. 3.7pH. 45hl/ha yield. Ageing 18 months, 60% new French oak. Highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend at 69% with 1% Cabernet Franc completing the blend.

Drink 2029 - 2040

There is clarity and freshness to this, with crunchy dark fruit, cedar and blackberry. It’s medium-bodied, racy and fine. Lead pencil at the end. More precise than 2022. 69% cabernet sauvignon, 29% merlot, 1% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot.