2023 Château Capbern | MG

The 2023 Capbern is a plush, sensual wine. Juicy dark plum, spice, mocha, gravel and incense are all amplified in this racy, wonderfully inviting Saint-Estèphe. Soft, supple tannins wrap it all together in style. Readers looking for an affordable wine to drink over the next 10-12 years will adore this. Superb.

- Antonio Galloni (04/2024)

There is clarity and freshness to this, with crunchy dark fruit, cedar and blackberry. It’s medium-bodied, racy and fine. Lead pencil at the end. More precise than 2022. 69% cabernet sauvignon, 29% merlot, 1% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. (04/2024)

Coming from the team of Calon Ségur, the 2023 Château Capbern is a terrific Saint-Estèphe, and it goes a long way toward showing the strength of the Médoc in the vintage. Cassis, plums, smoked tobacco, and graphite all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a round, layered mouthfeel and beautiful tannins. I love the overall purity of fruit, and it's a ripe, sexy, yet flawlessly balanced beauty that should drink nicely right out of the gate yet also age gracefully. (05/2024)

A blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2023 Capbern has a deep garnet-purple color. It is a little grumpy to start, offering notes of black pepper and sassafras before opening out to notions of plum preserves and stewed strawberries, with a waft of tree bark. The medium-bodied palate is refreshing and light on its feet, with lightly chewy tannins and a peppery finish. (05/2024)

A serious, brooding wine, the 2023 Capbern offers up aromas of cassis and dark berries mingled with licorice and spices. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, with good depth and concentration, it's built around lively acids and powdery tannins. It's a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon (an unusually high proportion for Capbern) and 29% Merlot with the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

- William Kelley (04/2024)