Château Tertre Rôteboeuf 2023

As ever an outlier – with the highest pH among reds tasted in Bordeaux this vintage (3.9!), according to Henri Mitjavile, who drew a sample from a new oak barrel in the dark cellar – this 14.5% alcohol red is a winner! Savoury aromas include violet, aniseed, black cherry skin, and freshness in the form of eucalyptus. ‘We harvested late so a bit of a Mediterranean style’, he said. But the difference with 2022 is superior freshness, as the ripe and vivid dark and red fruit, delivered in velvety tannins, also comes with quite a bit of energy. Grapes in 2022 had lost 20% of their weight so you felt concentration that was very ripe, but in this vintage, a more even ripening over a longer period of time conveys more balance for this richer style of St-Emilion. Long finish. Drinking window: 2030-2050. (Panos Kakaviatos,decanter.com)