Château Prieuré-Lichine 2023

Delicate, fresh, juicy and harmonious, red-fruited in character, saline on the finish. More elegant and finer than before.

Round and juicy, clean and clear, with a lovely sense of bounce and persistence. Sleek and straight, with a firm mineral core. Great length, really excellent with so much menthol minerality and freshness. Appealing, all in balance and harmony with great tannin expression. Delicious, moreish, generous and so charming. Pretty and well built, still with structure and chalky tannins, but great persistence and a sense of restraint. Cool and classy.

The 2023 Prieuré-Lichine is seriously impressive. Rich and layered in the glass, the 2023 possesses notable textural richness and elegance. Dark-toned fruit, spice, new leather and licorice flesh out over time. This is an especially rich vintage for Prieuré-Lichine, but it's a style that works so well here. The 2023 impresses with its total sense of balance and harmony.

The floral bouquet is what you initially notice before getting to the cherries, cocoa, licorice and hint of spice in the nose. On the palate, the wine is soft, silky, and fresh. The finish, with its lift, and energy is the perfect setting for all of the licorice, chocolate, mint, and black cherries. The wine blends 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot. Drink from 2028-2050.

Dark ruby colour, purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. Fine cassis, dark forest berries, hints of blueberries and mandarin zest. Juicy, elegant and freshly structured, fine tannins, lively, fruity style, nougat on the finish, has energy and length, a promising food wine.

Intense blueberry-driven bouquet, blueberry juice, licorice, and a generous bouquet of violets. On the compact palate, soft texture, tightly knit tannic framework, vibrant nerve, and a straight, focused body. Concentrated finish with blue fruits, graphite, and a sandy astringency.

Great stuff, slow and steady build, graphite and slate, precise and just full of joy, 35% new oak for ageing. Love the depth and creamy character the fruit on the first nose - so fun to see how these classified wines really stack up when tasting against the rest. One point upscore. Derenoncourt Consultants, tasted twice.

The subtlety and complexity of the bouquet say a lot about the commitment to precision and depth that has been made a priority at Prieuré-Lichine! The sleek, focused attack heralds a delicate yet tightly knit wine. It offers a subtle tannic framework that brings energy and precision, even within its smooth, velvety texture. An inviting, elegant, flavorful wine that can already be enjoyed in its youth.

The nose is fruity and gourmand, offering good definition, accuracy, a lovely textured/creamy feel, depth, and a fine, delicate touch. It reveals notes of indulgent blackberry, crushed strawberry and, more subtly, violet, joined by hints of red berries, a delicate Mediterranean nuance, blueberry, graphite, star anise, and a subtle toasted/sweet spice note. The palate is fresh and fruity, with gourmandise, pulp, a certain suppleness, freshness, a bright sparkle, lovely freshness and precision, a zesty backbone, energy, good definition, and an almost crystalline, airy quality in both texture and delineation. It shows notes of juicy/pulpy blackberry, vibrant raspberry, pulpy/fresh blackcurrant, with touches of fresh/juicy red berries and fresh/juicy cherry, as well as fine hints of cornflower, a discreet hint of tea/infusion, and delicate notes of mocha, sweet blond tobacco, and toasted almond. Good length, with supple, sapid, flavorful, and gourmand tannins. A subtle hint of coffee on the finish.

94-96. Barrel Sample. This estate, in Cantenac in southern Margaux, has produced a powerful wine. With ripe tannins and concentration, the wine is full of potential and promise.

This is focused, with good underlying juiciness carrying a mix of gently mulled black cherry and black currant fruit, along with black tea, savory and iris details. Fine-grained, elegant and gently persistent on the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2036. 14,000 cases made.

Logo on the cork: AL It earned “my best score ever given to this growth En Primeur”, and it’s clearly confirmed. Deep, intense dark red color. Very aromatic nose with ripe fruit. A hint of seaweed. Fleshy on the attack, flavorful through the mid-palate, very well built; the wine maintains its richness throughout the tasting. Good, sappy persistence, far more than just aromatic. Well-coated tannins. This score makes it the highest-quality wine along with the 2022. Bravo!