2023 Badette
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Tasting notes
Deep purple-hued, the 2023 Château Badette reveals brilliant aromatics of black cherries and currant fruits intermixed with roasted herbs, truffles, chocolate, and hints of smoky tobacco. Based on 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot that spent 18 months in 66% new French oak with the balance in one-year-old barrels, it's rich and medium to full-bodied on the palate, with remarkable fruit and depth, sweet tannins, and a great finish. A sensational Saint-Emilion that should be snatched up by savvy readers, it ranks with the crème de la crème of the vintage. You'll be excused for drinking a bottle today, but it will benefit from 3-4 years of bottle age and cruise for two decades in a cold cellar. Drink 2029-2046.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Neal Martin, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2023 Badette is plump, juicy and inviting, all of which make it a fine choice for drinking now and over the next handful of years. Succulent black cherry, plum, new leather, chocolate and spice are dialed up. This mid-weight, extroverted Saint-Émilion has a lot to offer.
The 2023 Badette has a well-defined bouquet with blackberry, raspberry and cedar scents, the oak neatly enmeshed. The palate is medium-bodied with a touch of sour cherry on the entry, the tannins just a bit drier than expected, though it is nicely balanced with good vigor on the finish. Fine.
Cassis, chocolate, dark mushrooms and cedary blackberries. Quite rich, full-bodied and polished, with abundant, cohesive tannins giving a tight mouthfeel. This successfully pushes toward ultraripeness without tipping into jamminess, a good choice if you’re looking for a more hedonistic expression from Bordeaux. Drink or hold.
About the producer
A sleeping beauty, this Saint-Émilion estate has been shaken awake by Belgian investor Marc-Andrê Vandenbogaerde who has invested in both the vineyards and the winery, expanding its total holdings to 10.5 hectares with the purchase of a new vineyard close to Château Figeac.