Château Capbern, St Estèphe, 2023
As always, Calon Segur's sister property has produced one of the best value wines of the vintage. This is really cool and classy with its beautifully fragrant bouquet of bright dark fruits, red berries, bergamot and flowers. There's lots of vivid Cabernet fruit, high toned and quite serious, finishing with an impressive tannic framework, refreshing salinity and a hint of dark chocolate and salty caramel. This is a serious little wine that should be really satisfying within five years of bottling. Produced with a much higher proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon than usual (69% ), 29% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.
critic reviews
Full of character, the graphite side of St Estèphe is more evident now in bottle than it was En Primeur, still get the spice of a hot vintage, and the warmth from the high alcohols, but this is juicy with highly-spiced dark fruit and full of character. 45hl/h yield, 60% new oak for ageing, harvested September 6 until 30 September.
The 2023 Capbern has a light bouquet with tertiary black fruit laced with cedar and pencil box scents, perhaps a little Pauillac in style. The palate is medium-bodied, with gentle grip on the entry. A little softer than the preceding Le Prieuré, more approachable as a result, building toward the finish, whose tannins linger. Commendable in terms of cohesion, and with a dash of black pepper, this is a fine Capbern that should age well in bottle.
A blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2023 Capbern has a deep garnet-purple color. It is a little grumpy to start, offering notes of black pepper and sassafras before opening out to notions of plum preserves and stewed strawberries, with a waft of tree bark. The medium-bodied palate is refreshing and light on its feet, with lightly chewy tannins and a peppery finish.
A serious, brooding wine, the 2023 Capbern offers up aromas of cassis and dark berries mingled with licorice and spices. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, with good depth and concentration, it's built around lively acids and powdery tannins. It's a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon (an unusually high proportion for Capbern) and 29% Merlot with the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.