A touchstone Margaux to start the 2023 primeurs
Uncorked only just got back in the door from a week in Bordeaux tasting the 2023 vintage (at 1am, in my case) and already we have our first release. Angludet has always been a fine ambassador for the elegant, aromatic style we associate with Margaux, and the 2023 here is lovely: fresh and energetic, full of cassis, plum and spice, with fine tannins and a lifted finish. As ever, it is one of the great values in left bank Bordeaux.
2023 marks the 34th vintage handled by owner, resident and winemaker Ben Sichel. His early years were all about restructuring the vineyards. Then he oversaw a transition to organic viticulture. He likes to joke that the decision to go a step further and introduce biodynamics was as much about his own health as that of his vineyard - though he might have had second thoughts if he had realised how much extra work would be involved. To his nephew Max, it's 'uncle Ben'. 'We're all in total admiration of what he has done. He knows every vine on the property. He never seems to want to drink anything else.'
Recent years have seen another innovation here. After exhaustive trials in 2018, Ben now splits the aging of the wine between barrels and clay amphorae. The barrels supply a wood imprint, while the amphorae allow the wine to develop, while keeping the focus on the purity of the fruit. The combination of the two brings extra complexity; it's a real success in 2023. After the lifted, exuberant 2022s, 2023 sees a vintage of Bordeaux wines that are fresh, energetic, pared-back and classical. They will age very nicely. We expect a fast campaign. A full vintage report will follow next week. /NT
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Offered subject to remaining unsold; for shipment Spring 2026
