2023 Richebourg

The 2023 Richebourg Grand Cru is clearly a level up from the Echézeaux, very harmonious with pure wild strawberry and raspberry fruit laced with sous-bois and iodine. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, a little muscular in style and quite peppery, though I seek more finesse and precision on the finish. Fine, but I have encountered better vintages in the past.

This was the one wine which I was invited to try in both its wood and its ceramic aging vessels. From wood: an even ruby colour. the nose is attractively balanced but not yet giving off a huge amount. The palate though has a beauty to the fruit, more on the darker side of cherry and raspberry, with a sensual glossiness before adequate structure appears at the finish. From Ceramic: is the colour a touch more concentrated? If so, only by a fraction. The nose is currently certainly more reductive, though that will be temporary. More gas in the wine as well, then a weight of dark but vibrant fruit builds up at the back. Then a firmer finish. But complementary.

This wine is consistently (and unsurprisingly) the finest in the cellar; 2023 is no exception. The wine has a deceptively light colour, but profuse aromas blossom from the glass, including sweet cherry and blackberry fruit, savoury, almost gamey notes, a bit of earth and some distinctive flinty mineral notes. There is a bit of reduction, but this will fade with time (and bottling). The texture is tannic and long and the freshness keeps the wine positively vibrating on the palate. The wine was fermented as 20% whole clusters, and there are two components, ceramic amphorae and cask.