Château Marjosse 2023

Stony aromatics, cool expression, citrus, green apple; fresh palate, delicate fruit, well-wrapped acidity, spicy finish. Great fun.

With soft expressions of plum, blackberry and cassis, this wine constitutes a bargain for the quality, showing off ripe fruit and light-bodied pleasure. While it lacks the dynamism and depth of a superior vintage, Pierre Lurton seems to have struck the right balance, extracting tannins only so much as to ensure a polite and easy-drinking red for shorter-term enjoyment.

Fruity, forward, soft, round, and already delicious, the wine offers great bang for the buck, as it’s an easy pleasure to drink and sells for a song. Drink from 2026–2034. 89–91 pts.

Pierre Lurton's home estate, and he has done a wonderful job in 2023 of delivering a fruit-forward, easy-drinking wine with personality, spice, and a saline kick that adds extra interest to the brambly red fruits. Good stuff. A value pick. 25 hl/ha yield this year after being hit by mildew, but they clearly did a great job of sorting, which wasn’t always easy in the Entre-deux-Mers region.

Score: 87-89. Fresh and bucolic, the nose opens with enticing notes of summer fruits. Round and rich, the palate shows persistent freshness through to a creamy finish, even though the oak is still very present.