2023 Potensac
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Tasting notes
With roughly 13,500 cases produced, the 2023 Château Potensac is a Cabernet Sauvignon-heavy blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and 17% Cabernet Franc that spent 12 months in 20% new French oak. This is the first vintage where they used an optical and water bath sorting method, and it shows in its overall purity and elegance. Cassis, black cherries, leafy tobacco, and some mineral nuances all shine here, and it's medium-bodied, with a pure, layered, focused mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and integrated acidity. It's a beautiful, classic, elegant Potensac that will keep for a solid 30-40 years and will probably exceed the 1982. Drink 2028-2063.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2023 Potensac is every bit as compelling as it was en primeur . Dark cherry, blackberry, gravel, incense, licorice, graphite and dried herbs are amplified in the glass. This Cabernet-driven Haut-Médoc has a ton to offer, starting with its notable freshness and savory drive.
The 2023 Potensac, which is not partially fermented in the stainless steel vats being used at Léoville Las-Cases, has quite a backward nose that needs time to open up: black fruit, briar, tobacco and light gravelly scents, needing a little more cohesion. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins. Fresh and quite saline, there is a sharpness on the finish with hints of brine on the aftertaste. This will require a bit of time to really cohere, just a little raw at the moment.
Ripe redcurrants, cassis, graphite, and smoked tobacco as well as some floral notes all emerge from the 2023 Château Potensac, a medium-bodied, lively, beautifully balanced, Potensac that has fine tannins and the fresh yet focused, balanced style of the vintage.