2023 Chateau La Conseillante Pomerol 375ml (Pre-Arrival)

98-100 points, The Wine Advocate

"One of the great wines of the vintage, and one that can rival its 2022 counterpart, the 2023 La Conseillante wafts from the glass with a strikingly floral bouquet of violets, lilac, raspberries, exotic spices, candied orange, pipe tobacco and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, supple and fleshy, its textural attack segues into a layered and enveloping core of pure, vibrant fruit framed by sweet tannins and concluding with a long, precise finish. It's a blend of 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc, some 30% of which is maturing in amphorae. Harvest began on September 7, lasting until October 2, block by block."

"Under the direction of Marielle Cazaux, La Conseillante has only gone from strength to strength, and the 2023 stands out as one of the wines of the vintage in Bordeaux. The estate's parcels are harvested into 15-kilogram crates, spend the night in a cold room and are sorted the next day, before being vinified, parcel by parcel, with pump-overs by hand. Percentages of new oak have diminished, from 80% between 2011-2014 to only 70% from 2015 onward, but more importantly, the selection of barrels has changed, too, favoring lighter toasts—and cooler temperatures in the chai help too. Contemporary La Conseillante is an immensely sensual, seamless wine, exhibiting striking perfume and purity of fruit, and it's a strong candidate for the title of Pomerol's most elegant—and dare I say it, Burgundian—wine." - William Kelley, April 2024