Chateau Quinault l´Enclos 2023

JAMES SUCKLING: "There is pretty tightness and purity to this wine. A well-focused palate, very integrated tannins and a long finish. One of the best ever?"

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Licorice, black cherries, flowers, and plums pop in the nose. On the palate, the wine is lush, round, and forward, with sweetness, as well as lift to the fruits on the mid-palate, and in the finish. There is a nice sensation of lift that shows in the back of the finish, with all of its sweet, ripe, black cherries. The wine blends 67% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2027-2042."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Coming all from gravelly soils just outside Libourne, the 2023 Château Quinault L'Enclos is based on 67% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, brought up in a mix of demi-muids and foudre. It's a deep purple-hued beauty with lots of ripe black cherry, darker plum, smoke tobacco, and gravelly earth-like aromatics. These carry to a medium to full-bodied, rich, nicely concentrated, textured wine that has building tannins and a good sense of freshness."

DECANTER: "A floral and scented nose with some elements of liquorice and toast - darkly fragrant. Expressive and bright on the palate, great high acidity, really lifted and just the right side of tart. Tannins are relatively fine but tight giving this some strictness and a firm backbone that drives the wine from start to finish. Finessed tannins, ripe fruit gives the weight and lots of minty freshness on the finish. A touch austere but juicy and clean. Still a little compact but will be nice for sooner drinking. 3.65pH."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Reife Herzkirschen, zart nach Lakritze, feine Nuancen von Mandarinenzesten, floraler Touch. Straff, zart Kräuterwürze, dezente Fruchtsüße, reife Tannine, mineralischer Nachhall, mittlere Länge, salziger Rückgeschmack, ein vielseitiger Speisenbegleiter. (Wird seit Jahrgang 2022 nicht mehr »en primeur« angeboten.)"

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2023 Quinault L'Enclos needs a little patient swirling to bring out notes of redcurrant preserves, kirsch, and fresh blackberries leading to touches of lavender, pencil shavings, and bay leaves. The medium-bodied palate is light on its feet and refreshing, with lightly chewy tannins and an earthy finish. The blend is 67% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 16% Cabernet Franc. Quinault L'Enclos won't be offered en primeur, but released when it is ready. "A large majority of our aging is in foudres, for two years."

VINUM: "Ein wunderbarer Duft, Veilchen, Gewürze, Kräuter, Cassis und Brombeere; knackig in der Frucht, samtenes Tannin, hier trifft ein warmes Jahr auf einen kühlen, klassischen Charakter. Hat hervorragende Anlagen."

WEINWISSER: "Delikates rotbeeriges Bouquet, zarte Graphitnoten, Preiselbeersaft und heller Tabak. Am saftigen Gaumen mit weicher Textur, stützendem Tannin, balancierter Rasse und mittlerem Körper. Im aromatischen, gut strukturierten Finale Johannisbeernektar, feinsandige Adstringenz."