2023 Dalem
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Tasting notes
The 2023 Dalem is bright and punchy, but also understated. Crushed flowers, blood orange, mint, cinnamon and vibrant red-toned fruit grace this mid-weight Fronsac. All the elements are very nicely balanced.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Neal Martin, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2023 Dalem has a pleasant bouquet with blackberry, tobacco and wild hedgerow scents that gain clarity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, silky smooth with just the right amount of acidity. Quite pure and elegant on the finish, though it doesn't quite match the promise it showed from barrel. Nevertheless, I would still afford this Fronsac a couple of years in bottle, and I prudently leave a plus sign leaning against my score.
An energetic nose of fresh, racy red berries, currants and some paprika and chalk. Pure and expressive, with medium body and firm, crunchy tannins. Linear and coiled, with a long, pristine and defined finish. More agile and vibrant than deep and rich. It grows on you with its mineral energy. Merlot and cabernet franc. Drink now or hold.
Always solid, the 2023 Château Dalem boasts a healthy purple hue as well as outstanding aromatics of red and blue fruits, tobacco, and a hint of graphite. It's medium-bodied, plump, rounded, and undeniably pleasure-bent. I think it will drink well right out of the gate yet see no reason it shouldn't evolve gracefully for at least a decade.