2023 Villemaurine
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Tasting notes
A blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc aged 14-16 months in 70% new oak with the balance in one-wine foudres and a portion in amphora, the 2023 Château Villemaurine offers cassis, blueberries, sappy flowers, liquid violets, and a hint of blood orange on the nose, along with a brilliant sense of chalky minerality. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it's concentrated, focused, and ultra-classic in style, with integrated acidity and background oak, flawless winemaking, and a great finish. This is a stunning Saint-Emilion that deserves 4-5 years of bottle age and will drink beautifully over the following two decades or more. Drink 2030-2050.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Lawther MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 2023 Villemaurine is gorgeous. Blue/purple fruit, lavender, mocha, crème de cassis, graphite and gravel stain the palate. Vibrant limestone undertones give the wine its shape, drive and overall persistence. The relatively elevated presence of Cabernet Franc comes through with time in the glass. This vibrant, salivating Saint-Émilion is a total knockout. Tasted three times.
The 2023 Villemaurine, in a preposterously heavy bottle, has an impressive bouquet with well-defined blackberry and raspberry fruit, violet and a light cassis note percolating through with time. The palate is medium-bodied with sapid black fruit, quite compact at the moment and the finish just feels a bit "hemmed in" and needs more flow. Cellar this for four to five years.
Pretty dark berry, cherry and violet aromas with a touch of graphite. Medium- to full-bodied, crunchy and savory, with black cherry, violet and chalk undertones in the finish. Drinkable now, but better in two or three years.
About the producer
This eight-hectare estate has changed hands several times in recent years and is now owned by the Lefévère family (who also own Sansonnet, Moulin du Cadet and Soutard-Cadet).