Château d'Arsac 2023

Floral notes over dark fruit; a balanced palate, generous fruit, ripe tannins, medium length, vinified with a deft touch.

Classy cassis aromatics presage a palate with a rather rounded structure. Ripe fruit for sure, with cool tobacco. Some tannic austerity will be resolved with barrel ageing (55% new oak). A great success – and a bargain.

The 2023 d'Arsac has a well-defined bouquet with blackberry and raspberry fruit, cedar and sous-bois scents coming through with time. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, gentle grip, quite linear in style with a fresh, quite structured finish.

Flowers and dark red fruits define the perfume. On the palate, the wine is fresh, forward, and packed with vibrant red berries, currants and freshness, with a nice sweetness, along with a touch of spice to the red fruits on the palate, and in the finish. Drink from 2027-2040

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate edge brightening. Delicate aromas of blackberry, black cherry, fine herbal savouriness, somewhat restrained bouquet. Medium-bodied, firm and complex, fine tannins, mineral and well persistent, shows certain ageing potential for maturity.

Unfussy and enjoyable, with silky textured tannins, fresh balanced acidities, blueberry and cassis fruits with edges of peony and iris fragrance that speak of the appellation, even while a lemongrass edge suggests full ripeness was skirted. Not the longest ageing Margaux but full of pleasure and easy to drink, no need to wait too long. Ageing 80% in French oak barrels, 55% new, with the rest in stainless steel. Philippe Raoux's last vintage. A Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel at the last ranking, likely to be renewed with the new one later this year.

Score: 88–90. Flowers and ripe red fruits make up a delicate, sapid nose. The palate is round and harmonious, with juicy fruit leading to a delectably saline finish.

The nose is subtly perfumed, with a delicate woody character (toasted oak, licorice, caramel in the background, a touch of vanilla). The fruit on the nose is ripe and tangy (blackcurrant, blueberry, morello cherry, red cherry and crushed raspberry), complemented by a hint of roasted cherry, coffee and toasted hazelnut. The palate is savory and fruity. It shows notes of morello cherry, roasted red cherry, blackcurrant, blueberry, toasted oak, as well as licorice, dried mint and violet on the finish. The tannins are firm, drying, even astringent and slightly bitter. The finish offers medium length. Lively, mouthwatering acidity and a gourmand touch of chocolate on the finish.