Chateau La Dauphine 2023

The Wine Cellar Insider: "This is a hidden gem. If you want an outstanding wine that sells for song, with aromatics, intensity, finesse, and charm, along with a boatload of ripe, red fruits, creamy-textures, and a fruit-filled finish, this is for you. La Dauphine is now one of the top wines from Fronsac. Drink from 2027-2040."

Vinum: "Klar, rein, tiefgründig, nobel, Veilchen, dunkle Beeren, steinige Untertöne, perfekt verpacktes Holz; saftiger Gaumen, delikate Frucht, viel Charme, präziser Gerbstoff, geschliffen, mit Dynamik und einem langen, rotfruchtigen Finish. Hervorragend. Kauftipp!"

Decanter: "I like the elegant freshness of the floral aromatics from this wine, made from grapes harvested between 13 September and 5 October and now ageing 12 months in 30% new oak. The estate has been improving in recent years, and the vines averaging about 30 years help to add increasing complexity. The palate has lovely balance between high-toned aspects typical to the vintage and ripe red and dark fruit, at 13.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.50, displaying agreeable warmth and tannic poise. Although a shorter finish and less follow through than one would expect from the attack and the fine mid palate, barrel ageing should improve matters: my score reflects the maximum end of my range."

Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2023 Château La Dauphine is terrific, with ripe red, blue, and black fruits as well as some obvious minerality and graphite notes. This rich, medium to full-bodied, round, wonderfully polished Fronsac will have 10-12 years of prime drinking, if not longer. This is a terrific estate in Fronsac that deserves to be on every reader's radar."

James Suckling: "Juicy and fresh red with medium body and firm tannins. Hints of vivid fruit and wet stones in the finish. Slightly chewy at the end."

Falstaff: „Dunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Reife Herzkirschen, zart nach Feigen, ein Hauch von Nugat. Mittlere Komplexität, zart blättrige Textur, präsente Tannine, mineralisch-salziger Abgang, etwas trockenes Finale."