En Primeur Bordeaux 2023

The 2023 Aile d’Argent is a rich, heady, wine that very much captures the radiant style of the year in its generous textural feel. Tangerine peel, spice, menthol, lime, dried flowers and light tropical accents abound, The 2023 is a serious dry white. There’s a bit more Sémillon in the blend and a greater emphasis on texture and structure than usual, while the oak imprint and exotic character of some previous editions have been toned down.

Score: 92 - 94 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2025-2030

Great depth and freshness, fleshy nectarine and spiced pear, fennel and oyster shell, grilled oak and genersoity. Balances salinity and flesh, expertly judged. Harvest August 29 to September 6, 45% new oak for ageing. Co-fermented Muscadelle with Sauvignon Gris.

Score: 96 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2025-2038

The 2023 Blanc de Lynch-Bages, just bottled a week before this tasting, is terrific. Bright citrus peel, dried flowers, almond, lime and crushed rocks lend quite a bit of nuance. A dollop of Muscadelle adds tropical flair without overpowering the balance. This is very nicely proportioned.

Score: 92 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2024-2029

The 2023 Blanc de Lynch-Bages has a fresh, orchard-fruit-scented bouquet, maybe a bit constrained since it was only bottled two weeks prior to my visit. The palate is well balanced with more complexity than the aromatics at the moment—pear and white peach, with almond shavings toward the finish. Fine.

Score: 87 - 89 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2024-2028

The 2023 Carbonnieux Blanc is bright, chiseled and full of Sauvignon Blanc character. I find it a bit austere in feel, though. It lacks just that little bit of mid-palate texture that could take it to the next level.

Score: 87 - 88 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2025-2030

A blend of 65% Sauvignon Blanc and 35% Sémillon, the 2023 Carbonnieux Blanc exhibits elegant aromas of pear, white peach, spring flowers and herbs, followed by a medium-bodied, satiny and long texture enhanced by bright acids and a lively mid-palate. It concludes with a long, delicate, mouthwateringly mordant finish, making it a classic white wine from this estate. - Tasted by Yohan Castaing

Score: 90 - 92 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com

The 2023 La Clarté de Haut-Brion is the second white wine from La Mission and Haut-Brion. It offers terrific cut and focus. Citrus peel, white flowers, mint, crushed rocks, white pepper and a touch of reduction lend notable energy to this airy, sculpted dry white. Time in the glass reveals its lovely mid-palate texture, rounding things out. The 2023 is a fine Clarté.

Score: 90 - 92 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2025-2033

Effortless, well balanced, white peach, juicy pear, delicious, sculpted and extremely easy to love. 3.2ph, 40% new oak. A test with shade cloths to provide cover for the berries on a small part of the white vineyard is underway, as the team under Jean-Philippe Delmas reacts to the changing conditions.

Score: 93 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2025-2035

The 2023 Cos d'Estournel Blanc is quite powerful and not especially aromatic today. At this stage, it is mostly the wine's body that makes an impression. The 2023 has good depth, but it is clearly not expressive today. It will be interesting to see what time brings.

Score: 91 - 93 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2025-2033

Green gold, well balanced, slate and pummice stone, rises through the palate from the first sip, lemongrass and lime, showing structure, depth, purity and sculpted citrus and sage. Excellent concentrated flavours, steely and mouthwatering, gets the balance exactly right between steel and flesh. 7% new oak (with barrels used only for the Sémillon). Harvest September 5 to 15. 10ha of white for the Estournel wines, 18 years on from its first vintage in 2005.

Score: 95 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2025-2038

The 2023 Château Cos D'Estournel Blanc includes slightly more Semillon and checks in as 70% Sauvignon and 30% Semillon, raised in just 7% new French oak, with the rest in once-used barrels. A selection made mostly in the cellar, it has a vivid gold hue as well as a stunning nose of ripe lemon, honeyed flowers, mint, crushed stone, and subtle hints of toast. Gorgeously textured, medium to full-bodied, and balanced, with the bright, almost racy acidity of the vintage, it's pure class.

Score: 95 - 97 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com