2023 Clos Solene l'Insolent
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Tasting notes
The 2023 L'Insolent wafts up with a classic bouquet of dusty black currants, dried herbs, gravel dust and pencil shavings. This is beautifully balanced, more Old World than new, with a cascade of mineral-laced red and black fruits that swirl throughout. It leaves a peppery freshness, tapering off long and youthfully tense, as fine-grained tannins expertly frame the experience. I expect this youngster to grow in the cellar. L'Insolent is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 10% Cabernet Franc.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Eric Guido, Vinous
More reviews and scores
A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2023 L'Insolent is beautiful this year, opening with a youthfully tight, graphite-driven bouquet where woody and herbal accents emerge against a red- and black-fruited backdrop. The palate is polished and dense yet remains impressively nimble, releasing into a laser-focused finish framed by chalky tannins supported by a ripe but contained core of fruit. This is a beautiful example of both the effortlessness of the 2023 vintage and the deft, precise style that readers can routinely expect from Clos Solène.
Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2023 L'Insolent is a much darker wine compared to the 2022. Cassis and currant fruits, spicy wood, graphite, and smoked tobacco all emerge from this Margaux-like effort that shows complexity and grace. It's medium to full-bodied, with a pure, balanced, graceful mouthfeel and ripe, building tannins. This beauty will have 20+ years of overall longevity. Drink 2025-2045. One of the top talents in Paso Robles, Guillaume Fabre worked at L’Aventure before launching Clos Solène in 2007. About seven years ago, he and his wife Solène bought a thirty-acre limestone site on Willow Creek Road at roughly 1,300 feet; it is farmed organically, and a new cave system under the property is nearly finished. Estate fruit now anchors the lineup, but it is supplemented by parcels from James Berry, G2, Hoyt, and Bien Nacido in Santa Maria Valley. The wines span the Roussanne-based Hommage Blanc, Grenache-led El Toro and Harmonie, Syrah-focused Hommage à Nos Pairs and Bien Nacido Cuvée Jean, the Cabernet-driven L’Insolent, the mixed variety Fleur de Solène, and the barrel selection Mon Millésime. Reds generally age 16-22 months in varying levels of new French oak. These are classic, impeccably made wines, rich yet structured, with seamless textures and beautiful overall balance, and Clos Solène is becoming a reference point for age-worthy wines from the region.