Château Haut-Carles 2023

Located at the top of the Fronsac appellation on the other side of Château de la Rivière, with excellent clay and chalk soils, this blend emits lovely cherry, liquorice and damson aromas with a palate that is smooth and layered in depth. The 50% new oak should loosen some of the tight tannins encountered but overall, an excellent Fronsac, and more focused than the sister estate Château de Carles.

Quite floral in the nose before you find all the black cherries and chocolate. On the palate, the wine is round, polished, sweet, and fresh, with ripe, chocolate, and plums in the finish. Drink from 2026-2025.

Based on 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc and aged 16 months in 40% new oak barrels with the balance in one-year-old barrels and amphora, the 2023 Château De Carles Haut-Carles is a smaller production cuvée from Château de Carles. Its deeper ruby/plum hue is followed by a rich, concentrated, chocolaty style in its red and black fruits, smoke, tobacco leaf, and spicy nuances. It's a rich, plump, rounded 2023 on the palate, with plenty of mid-palate flesh, ripe yet certainly present tannins, and a great finish. Drink this big, ripe, opulent Fronsac over the coming decade. There are roughly 2,000 cases produced. Drink 2026-2035.

Inky colour, a smoky swirl of grilled damson and vanilla bean. Plenty of Fronsac character, juicy limestone finish, enjoyably different character from the main Château de Carles estate wine, this one a more gourmet take on the vintage; both work and are ones to look out for. 40% new oak, with the rest in one-year-old barrels.

Score: 89-91. The fruit, with aromas of crushed raspberry, plum, and wild blackberry, is ripe and intense, lifted by peppery notes and rose petals. The palate is opulent like a silk brocade, with a tangy, mouthwatering structure that suggests a long life ahead.

The structure of this wine is very present, giving a dry character to set against the blackcurrant fruit. It is, though, a wine with a future, full-bodied and with a fine liquorice aroma.

Logo on the cork: DIAM30 A lovely deep red. Moderately intense nose with pure, precise fruit. Delicate on the attack, flavorful through the mid-palate, the wine glides across the palate, pleasant and silky. It goes down effortlessly. Medium-length finish. For the record, everything will change for this growth from 2025 onward.