Clos du Marquis, St Julien, 2023
Clos du Marquis isn't really a second wine, it hails from specific vineyards on the west of the D2. The 2023 opens with a serious, savoury nose of gravelly cassis, earth and liquorice. The palate has a keen edge with much more juice behind it than Potensac. Salty, with a precise core of wild cherry, mulberry and goji berry, framed by well-judged tannins.
critic reviews
The 2023 Clos du Marquis, raised in 50% new oak for 16 months, takes a few moments to really open in the glass, but it reveals satisfying fruit concentration, with blackberry, cedar and light cigar box scents unfurling in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, with quite a feisty opening, bright and sharp, with a keen line of acidity that counters that ripe red fruit. Gentle grip but quite persistent on the finish, this is a very fine, perhaps more approachable Clos du Marquis.
Squid ink, cassis, bilberry, roses, love the intensity and gorgeous salinity of this wine. Captures the sense of energy and florality in the best Cabernets of 2023, although retains the austerity that you expect from this site in its early years. First vintage in the new cellars, moving from 40 vats to 80 vats, with 30 microvinification vats. Harvest September 6 to October 5, 50% new oak for ageing, 44hl/h yields.
The 2023 Clos du Marquis is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a little swirling to coax out classic notes of cassis, fresh plums, and cedar chest followed by hints of graphite and Provence herbs. The medium-bodied palate is energetic and refreshing, with grainy tannins to support and a lively finish. The blend is 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and 9% Cabernet Franc. The alcohol is 13.5%.
The 2023 Clos du Marquis is a rather serious, structured wine, evocative of cherries, dark berries and kirsch, framed by a touch of creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied and fleshy but structured, it's a taut, concentrated wine that will reward some patience.