« Les Primeurs Bordelais 2023″ tasted in April 2024, inspiring, poetic and musical great wines; a few superb surprises scattered from older vintages tasted at lunches; musical pairings for example on some.

Here’s my selection for this fantastical 2-week journey of the region’s 2 winegrowing shores.

Scroll from left to right through the photos above at your leisure as you read.

Here’s a little cinematic music to accompany the reading of 2023, highlighting all the complexity of the wines:

Sholto « Vampire » 2023

For the association des Crus du Cercle Rive Droite during the tasting on April 11th at the Palais de la Bourse in Bordeaux, I chose the Châteaux, still maturing, whose well-honed juice delighted me both on the nose and on the palate: Maillet en Pomerol (rich, full and fluid), Fonroque St Emilion Grand Cru Classé et Mazeyres Pomerol always in tune with the bio-dynamics of fruit and flower echoing each other, La Rose Perrière Lussac St Emilion, Soutard-Cadet  St Emilion Grand Cru, Le Coteau Margaux et sa micro cuvée Hoplitis, Reignac et Balthvs, Penin Les Cailloux en Bordeaux Sup, all these very accessible and well-governed areas with a refined swing, Clos Puy-Arnaud Côtes de Castillon and its mirific white Silt cuvée to add to the happiness of the biodynamic estate. Then there are the must-haves Dalem, Fontenil, Sieurac, Clos Dubreuil Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé, Laroze Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé are still progressing and spiritually reflecting in the right measure. A vintage for Merlot that reminds me of 2018, with good acidity and a fruity fluidity at the wink of an eye, nose and especially tongue, but with more depth in every respect.

The winemakers also presented older vintages to be tasted in parallel, in order to consider the evolution of the wines once in the cellar and their ageing quality, a delight like a sunrise for some.

In round 2, on Tuesday 16th, with my sidekick Guy Charneau, we’re off to the Château Ausone 1er Grand Cru Classé to see just how serious the Vauthier family’s vintages are for tasting. Simard en St Emilion Grand Cru, with its fresh, juicy ardor, gets us started. The 6 progressive variations that follow – Haut Simard, de Fonbel, Moulin St Georges, La Clotte, Chapelle d’Ausone, Ausone – reveal with fascination the stature of the ancestral estate and its satellites, where the poetic floral and fruity movement develops in symphony in the wines tasted. The olfactory whirlwind of great wine oscillates between raspberry and chalk, peppery spice and violet, sensuality and desire.

Following, at Pomerol, a squadron of 6 red and white vintages with La Fleur, presented by Ralitsa T. in the cellars, demonstrates the extent to which the limestone terroir of the vineyards resonates with the gustatory tension of the wines tasted, ending with the grand vin at the summit.

A stop in the divinity of the Château Pétrus Pomerol propels us into orbit, with its uniquely full-bodied, straightforward, fresh wine endowed with a conquering fruit/flower character, scoring top marks on the 2023.

Then to the Château Nénin, an attractive presentation booklet reflects the 4 wines tasted, including 3 from the Médoc in a sample just taken from the triptych Potensac, Clos du Marquis and Las Cases marrying the 4th, Nénin, le Pomerol, my favorite with its caressing, creamy texture.

We end the day at Château Trottevieille Saint-Emilion, 1er Grand Cru Classé en 1955 to sign a 2023 gustatory flawlessness, a chiselled regalade that rocks like a Remington revolver.

In the Médoc, in Pauillac at the laboratory Oenoconseil with Antoine and Émilien, a stopover is in order for some great tasting experiences, such as the flamboyant @haut_marbuzet with a total change of style, modern, fluid and airy, I couldn’t believe it at first sip… The Spanish from Domaine Masos near Alicante are as successful as ever with the vintages on offer that day. Then, in a grouped photo to be seen above in the left-right scroll, the Primeurs 2023 wines that we appreciated for their digestible, fruity touch, accompanied by a fresh seasonal veil.

Grandiose in both red and white for this estate, a first-rate reference in its appellation, and one of the top 10 wines in the world for all the great wine vintages. The acquisition of neighboring Château Cos Labory will make @cosdestournel Grand Cru Classé du Médoc with an exotic twist Hospitality ️, an exciting adventure and bring out the best in this terroir, which has long been neglected due to a lack of investment of all kinds. We can’t wait for the new 2024 vintage @coslabory to join his brother’s shooting star. A unique moment with Claire Lurton at @chateau_ferriere , whose biodynamic viticulture brilliantly governs the terroir, revealing all the liveliness in the wines @chateau_durfort_vivens , et @chateauhautbagesliberal , , all BIO – Demeter; then the more confidential @acaibo (2018 tasting that day) in @californiefrancaise in the region of @sonoma_valley.

Visit the cellars at @chateau_ferriere to understand the modern approach to mixed aging of wines in concrete vats, amphora or jar and oak barrel. A success, a passion, a poetic tasting experience, a dream in beauty accomplished by the owner and her team, including the very friendly black swan!

The composition of Billy Valentine & The Universal Truth « We the people who are darker than blue » 2023 is my suggestion for this wine, so full of life.

We’re on the verge of the summits with the great wine of @chateaupalmer Margaux as in every vintage, the terroir reveals itself with precision in the wine, always complete with nuances of depth and complexity of the nectar’s lively, moving aromas, like a piece of high-flying Sun Ra jazz. A great wine for ageing and always progressing.

This is the Sunresque composition, combining passion and modernism, always at the cutting edge of contemporary art, with the image of the Grand Vin tasted:

Roman Norfleet and Be Present Art Group « Joy song » 2023

@chateau_dassault @agccse Association des Grands Crus Classés de StEm in a successful Sunday press meeting, the 2023s for those I liked are shown in the photos above by group.

The fresh, airy fruit, the straightforward tannic structure and the floral fragrance for some, vivacious and full-bodied @bordeauxenprimeurs.

« This is the way for sunny Sunday wine tasting in Château Dassault lounge before the garden lunch ! »

A fluttering ballet of genuine flavors, with an aristocratic aromatic reverse for this chosen selection, brought enthusiasm to the morning’s work:

@chateaudepressac @chateau_fonroque @lafleurmorange @latourfigeac @chateaularoze @chateau_le_chatelet @chateaumoulinducadet @chateaurolvalentin @chateauyonfigeac @clos_saint_julien_ @clossaintmartinstemilion @couventdesjacobins @croixdelabrie @chateaubellefontbelcier  @chateau.cadet.bon @closdesarpe @closdubreuil

A track of The Circling Sun « Kohan » 2023 to match all the wines mentioned in the pairing:

Then, on Sunday afternoon on the Rive Gauche, the 3 foreign missiles in red, rather shunned on the delivery table, continue to delight @ulysse.cazabonne, we’re propelled in one gulp to Camp Gros Martinenga Riserva Barbaresco Italy 2018 & Ceretto Barolo Brunate Italy 2019, Yalumba The Octavius Barossa OZ 2018.

Then also in deliverables, with a well-informed palate, I was able to savor the fine reds of Margaux Larruau 2020, Saint Emilion Rochelle 2014, Rocheyron 2019, and Domaine de l’île Porquerolles 2023 a ready-to-drink rosé, bursting with fresh fruit and well-balanced acidity.

@chateaupavieofficiel Saint Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé “A”, @pichon_comtesse 2nd Grand Cru Classé – Pauillac

@chateaurauzansegla Grand Cru Classé 1855, @chateaufaugeres Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé,

@chateaupedesclaux Grand Cru Classé en 1855, Pauillac, @chateaumangot Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé  – 2023

confirms their princely gustatory quality to complete the line-up of estates I hadn’t yet tasted from the other groups.

And now we’re off to the official Primeurs week!

Musique!

Yussef Dayes ft. Rocco Palladino « Tioga Pass » 2023 to match all the works on offer at the tasting room @ugcbwines H14 Union des Grands Crus Bordeaux tasting Presse, l’année du @sauternes_barsac @chateaudefargues_sauternes @chateauguiraud @chateausigalasrabaud @chateauraynevigneau @chateaucoutet it’s 2023, freshness, fruit, finesse, tension, all combined in « satellitized » excellence, followed by beautiful, well-regimented reds with some symphonic marvels in the photos in the scroll.

@chateaucanon@chateaupaviemacquin@chateaumalarticlagravière red and white @chateaubrannecantenac @chateauhautbatailley @chateauclercmilon @chateaudarmailhac @chateaugazin @chateaubranaireducru @margaux @sauternesbarsac @saintemilion @chateaudauzac @chateauprieurelichine @chateauvalandraud @pomerol

@chateauhautbailly sublime mineral tension, delicate fruit overall, a great racy wine like a racehorse for 2023.

Erlend Øye & La Comitiva « For the time being » 2023 in tune with the Wine4Melomanes concept:

@domainedechevalier Pessac-Léognan to the dazzling, mineral white, with a delightful alliance of white fruit and nectarine, to the taut, firm red, waiting for the end of vinification ageing. Then, in the tasting line-up, I picked out 2 affordable Cabernet Merlot rosés (to be reserved very soon, as they’re right on target), pure, digestible and dry (with no « obnoxious acidic sweetness »), with red fruit at the right note! There’s a small production of these, so hurry up with them! @ugcbwines

Barge evening @bordeauxcrush in Bordeaux on the quayside with the young guard of organic winegrowers, some good discoveries with Clos Louis in StGenès de Castillon & Château L’Escarderie, apart from the best-known Château Lauduc Cuvée D-Vin , Château Coutet in StEm and Château Chéreau with L’Egérie in Lussac StEm on the line-up.

Vintage lunch break at the buffet @chateausoutard after visits @villedepomerol for a few bachique pearls 2023 Rive Droite, @laconseillante Pomerol airy, refined fruit with a flutter @chateaulevangile Pomerol interstellar power and amplitude @saintemilionunesco @closfourtet_official 1er Grand Cru Classé, frisky straightness and orbital vivacity of nectar.

@rollandcollection an afternoon in @chateau_ladominique for tasting a few phantasmagorical red and white nuggets, of which here are my favorite wines in terms of aromatic and gustatory texture, this time out of more than 200 wines in the running: Italy’s pure, fluid red Ornellaia Bolgheri Toscane 2021, Croatia’s white Galic Grasevina 2023, a sublime, fresh apple-peach-melon blend, and Chile’s complex, chiseled reds Apalta « Le Petit Clos » and « Clos du Lican » 2020 from Domaine Bournet-Lapostolle, Argentinian Rolland Collec Mendoza « Linda Flor » Malbec 2016, « Val de Flores » Malbec 2019 with a seductive taste tango of fruity fervor, Armenian Karas dry white appetizing lemon peach pineapple 2022 Ararat, Pomerol Montviel from the Parent vineyards and Porte Chic, then Lurra in Lalande from the Famille Trocard, a Fronsac that has always looked good for several vintages of the Château Richelieu, with the added bonus of the new Cuvée Royale, raising this already Wine4Melomanes partner even higher.

@chateau_pontetcanet Grand Cru Classé en 1855 Pauillac 2023 a refined wine that is lively and cocoa-scented, with a complex floral fruit and mineral harmony biodynamie of long standing, a splendidly-finished chai where you’d want to dance the Charleston, a delight as on every visit.

@vieuxchateaucertan Pomerol more than perfect 2023, a streamlined dynasty, fresh and pure, twirling with appetence, we sail into the cosmos.

@chateau_paviemacquin 1er Grand Cru Classé StEm and its range of fresh reds and whites, with a special mention for the discovery of the @cotes_de_castillon Château Alcée and musically on this occasion with a composition by Malcolm Strachan – Nossa Dança 2023 chosen by Wine4Melomanes to illustrate the poetic flame of sensual red wine:

@biodyvin at @chateau_fonroque  a meeting of biodynamic affiliates, with a series of superb tastings here in the photos above, Nobile’s sumptuous Sangiovese Avignonesi from Italy, Causse’s Malbec Cahors from Fabien Jouves  to be damned, the Champagnes Fleury nature always as divine in 0 dosage or very little, beaujolais Château des Bachelards and its new cuvée blanc brut d’amphore Petite Fleur, accentuating the devotion of spring with brilliance, and a special mention for the white of @savennieres from @domaineduclosel in music also, to underline the vitality and beauty of the crus’ beverage in 2021, and above all, a pleasant meeting with the owner-winemaker.

Pharaoh Sanders & Floating Points « Movement 4 (feat. London Symphony Orchestra) » 2021

@chateau_figeac 1er Grand Cru Classé “A” Saint-Emilion, the 2023 is all depth, purity, high definition of flowery fruit combined with precise, fresh olfaction and tasting. Too bad you have to spit it out, as you always do!

The track from Bruno Berle « Tirolirole » 2023 inspired me to publish it in tune, a spiral of musical simplicity.

@chateautroplongmondot Premier Grand Cru Classé • Saint-Emilion, memorable tasting for this extreme 2023 red in this must-see château, with its flamboyant wine tourism exhibition on terroirs, which we’ve loved visiting every year since the restructuring.

An original musical pairing to punctuate the reading, with a composition by:

Diego Gaeta feat. Jimetta Rose « Fearless » 2023 underlining the sensual aromatic complexity of this primeur wine.

@chateauChevalBlanc Saint-Émilion 1er Grand Cru classé, vibrant complexity around blackberry, iris and lilac, feminine aromatic sensation, mouth still closed, fluid, to be tasted again soon. (weather and sensitive sample may influence tasting)

@chateaucalonsegur Troisième Grand Cru Classé en 1855 Saint Estèphe, admirable 2023 across the range, with this year’s Capvern in top form, almost funky!

Here’s the Norwegian track to accompany the 2023 Rive Gauche red wine tasted at Château Calon Ségur.

Espen Horne « Den Franske gitaren (feat. Martin Halla) » 2023 to match the olfactory and gustatory whirlwind.

Always a fantastic moment with the family Mitjavile père & fils at @chateauTertreRoteboeuf on the heights of the Saint-Emilion terroir, this time with the 2023 Roc de Cambes in Bourg accompanied by the 2009 and 2003 as a bonus, alongside the legendary annual tasting during the @bordeauxenprimeurs. A SOUL estate that makes its mark on the history of the region’s finest wine, always faithful to the tradition of exception without artifice, a vision that perfectly complements the great high-tech wines, which are just as fascinatingly poetic.

The panel brings together and energizes the wine tourism appellation.

Chateau Latour LVMH in @pauillac and the legendary wonders of red wine, fresh, streamlined, graphite and harmonious, sensual such as Forts de Latour 2018 with its musky olfaction, signing a sensual masculinity, or Latour 2019 floral violet rose combined more feminine. 2023 faithful to its power of organic terroir, solid of fruity freshness and designed in the image of the best bachic goldsmith.

And we end Friday in style with @chateaulafiterothschild @DomainesLafite just as successful as the previous Château Latour tasted an hour before. Atomizing power, lively terroir in the bottle and a complete range of successes to crown the seriousness of this majestic estate.

@chateaulamissionhautbrion @chateauhautbrion_ Cru classé de Graves for an early-morning start on wheels of steel, with 4 chiselled reds and 3 whites.

Clarence HtBrion red, with its subtly feminine iris spring bouquet and gallant blackberry on the palate, delighted me with its 3-varietal blend.

The splendid complexity of the 2 big brothers in red leaves no doubt as to its purity on tasting, and we’ll have to wait for the final 18 months of ageing to fully appreciate its contours. The slender whites oscillate brilliantly between the fruity freshness of citrus, white peach, mango, pineapple, lime and bitter almond, and the floral freshness of jasmine and lilac.

A truly delicious orchestration for the entire range on offer, always in a delightful Mission-style monastery atmosphere, where you’d want to dance Jailhouse rock to Elvis tunes. A must!

@chateaumargaux Premier Grand Cru Classé de Margaux in the great elegance of both white and red wines, one with an open nose of fresh fruit (ripe citrus, pear, peach, pineapple, bitter almond), graceful mouthfeel and perfectly controlled acidity; the other 2 at the cutting edge of dandyism, with floral freshness for Pavillon and richer complexity for the Grand Vin, amplitude with a taut, graphite and fluid gustatory embrace.

Here, in harmony, is the composition of Ancient Infinity Orchestra – Equanimity 2023  to echo the grand primeur of Château Margaux 2023.

I haven’t done all the properties, my favorites are missing Château Montrose for example, that will be for a future exclusive post with a few others.

« To close, 2023 is a killer vintage in our region specially for Sauternes, white and Pomerol wines, but mostly here mentioned join the forces in the same vein tasting, dig all u can quickly before high prices »

My GOSPEL track 2023 of the moment: Let us go

https://mikeledonnegrooverquartet.bandcamp.com/album/wonderful

To accompany your picnics with music, I present you with a new high-performance BlueTooth music diffusion tool in a magnum wooden box signed by Soundivine, already adopted by several leading wine and spirits brands such as Champagnes Fleury et Vignier, Domaine Paul Mas in the Languedoc, Provence Miraval & Fleur de Miraval, Leoube, Rhône with Stéphane Ogier and Marc Sorel, La Verrerie, Burgundy with Albert Bichot, etc. A plethora of around 25 properties.

And why not have your estate’s logo engraved on customer gift boxes?

What’s more, it’s easy to create a customized playlist (any type of music) in a discreet bottle QR-Code, for each vintage and for various cuvées, with Spotify Wine4Melomanes partenaire de Soundivine.

Here’s an example of a Bordeaux rosé:

https://wine4melomanes.wine/portfolio/rose-sainte-barbe-qr-code/

And for those who are even more curious, I offer in vivo oeno animations, sound design (deluxe vinyl version – 10000 collectors in stock classified by year, label, country, genre) for all kinds of events, some examples of which are listed here:

https://wine4melomanes.wine/vins-musicaux/