Winemaker Notes
Blend: 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A forward, delicious beauty, the 2023 Château Cote De Baleau is based on 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc and was aged in 25% new French oak. Ripe cherry and framboise fruits define the aromatics, and it's medium-bodied on the palate, with a polished, layered, elegant mouthfeel, fine tannins, and a great finish.
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James Suckling
Aromas of bark, subtle dark berries and chalk. Medium-bodied, with precise, chalky tannins framing delicate dark fruit and a tight finish. Structured yet showing restrained underlying power. 95% merlot and 5% cabernet franc. Needs a bit more time to soften.
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Decanter
Cropped at 50hl/ha, this Merlot-dominated blend at 14% alcohol has subtle floral aromas. Coming from 17 hectares of vines on sandy clay and limestone soils on southern slopes, the wine is rounded with rather soft, powdery tannins. A bit strict towards the finish line (not tart, but tangy) however, noticeably lacking that 'extra leap of ripeness' you get from a vintage like 2018, 2019 or 2020, but well crafted. An orange rind freshness on the medium finish reassures. Tasted twice with similar results. Ageing in 25% new oak.
Barrel Sample: 92 -
Vinous
The 2023 Côte de Baleau was picked September 14 to October 3 and matured in 25% new oak. It is very perfumed on the nose that oddly brings me toward a warm vintage Burgundy! Very pure and floral, it gains composure as it opens in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins. Fresh and vibrant, this feels nicely focused with a citrus-fresh, graphite-tinged finish. Promising. –Neal Martin
Barrel Sample: 90-92 -
Wine Spectator
leshy, focused; cherry paste, rasp- berry pâte de fruit, red licorice, apple wood.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From the team behind Clos Fourtet, the 2023 Côte de Baleau offers up aromas of sweet cherries, berries and kirsch followed by a medium to full-bodied, polished and suave palate. It's a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc.
Barrel Sample: 90-91
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.