2023 La Marzelle
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Tasting notes
A Merlot-dominant blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon aged 16 months in new French oak barrels and the Cabernet Franc raised in terracotta amphora, the 2023 Château La Marzelle sports a deep, inky purple hue as well as a nose of ripe black fruits, violets, classy oak, and graphite. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has a pure, layered mouthfeel, nicely integrated background oak, and a great finish. There's clearly a modern style here, yet it's beautifully balanced and impeccably made. Give it a few years and enjoy over the following two decades. Drink 2028-2046.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Neal Martin, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2023 La Marzelle is a rich, exuberant wine. Inky red fruit, blood orange, mint, mocha and pomegranate race across the palate. This heady, sumptuous Saint-Émilion has a ton to offer. The style remains one that favors textural richness and intensity, but there's a welcome touch of freshness these days that provides a terrific counter to what La Marzelle does so well.
The 2023 La Marzelle has a lovely bouquet with lifted blackcurrant, raspberry and kirsch scents, the new oak deftly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with a very silky texture, impressive depth, with a weighty finish that outclasses many of its peers. Beautifully crafted.
The 2023 Château La Marzelle is mostly Merlot yet includes 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, all of which will spend 16 months in a mix of new barrels and amphora. Ripe aromatics of plums, cassis, candied violets, and flowery incense, as well as ample spicy oak, all emerge on the nose, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a round, lush, opulent mouthfeel, ripe yet building tannins, and a good finish. It's rock solid, and this beauty has plenty of like. I think it will drink well in its youth, yet there's enough structure to allow it to evolve gracefully as well. Tasted multiple times with consistent results.