Domaine de la Vougeraie : Bonnes-Mares Grand cru 2023

Tasted out of barrel, the Bonnes-Mares is reticent on the nose, with substantial black plum and mulberry fruit only opening up on the palate. The wine is tannic and rich in extract, but it is tightly wound and will take some time to open up. The grapes come from three parcels totaling 0.70 hectares that Boisset acquired from the old Pierre Ponnelle domaine. Give this wine five to seven years and drink it over the ensuing 25.

This wine is deep, powerful, perfumed, utterly tantalizing and seductive. The nose shows quiet, understated power, leading to a palate that is taut and vibrant with long acidity and a silky, rounded mouthfeel. Chalk, supple fruit and ferric earth linger with clarity and tension. A brilliant wine in near complete harmony. Made from vines planted in 1901 and 1998. The purity and finesse are impressive, bringing early drinking appeal. A true pleasure to taste such history. Drink or hold.