Sarah Marsh MW’s recent tasting notes summarize the characteristics of wines from Beaujolais based on the 2023 Burgundy en primeur tastings.
Moulin-à-Vent
Marsh highlights Château des Jacques‘s Moulin-à-Vent Clos du Grand Carquelin, with coffee notes and robust tannins, showcasing tart red-plum fruit. The wine is described as hearty, with a future drinking window extending from 2026 to 2029, earning a score of 84.
Domaine Labruyère offers Moulin-à-Vent Les Carquelin, with ripe, sweet blueberry aromas and a fresh character. The finish is smooth, suggesting a good aging potential from late 2025 to 2030, rated 87-88.
Château Moulin-à-Vent‘s harvest commenced on September 5, noting that timely grape collection before rain was crucial. Owner Edouard Parinet emphasizes the elegance and ripeness of the 2023 vintage, comparing it to 2022 for ripeness and 2018 for roundness.
Moulin-à-Vent Champ de Cour is well-rounded and has a generous mid-palate, showcasing a good balance of fruit and tannin with a drinking window of 2026 to 2032, rated 86.
Moulin-à-Vent Les Clos (Monopole) features a silky texture with intense blueberry ripeness, indicating significant aging potential from 2026 to 2035, scoring 90.
Château Moulin-à-Vent‘s Moulin-à-Vent Les Vérillats displays an alluring velvety richness complemented by herbal notes, earning a temporary score of 87, with expectations of improved integration by late 2025 to 2030.
Domaine des Pierres Rose delivers well-balanced wines without new oak, focusing on capturing phenolic maturity in the grapes. Their Moulin-à-Vent Rochgrès, exhibiting super-ripe plum aromas and accessible flavors, gains a score of 83 for 2025-26.
Fleurie
Frédéric Lafarge’s Domaine Lafarge-Vial produced wines with good phenolic maturity, including Fleurie Clos Vernay, noted for its energy and minerality, rated 86.
Brouilly
Marc-Antonin Blain describes his 2023 Brouilly as pleasantly rich and juicy, reflecting similar weather patterns to Burgundy and achieving an approachable score of 83 for 2024-26.
Overall, the 2023 vintage has shown great promise across Beaujolais with depth, balance, and the ability to age, demonstrating a favorable outlook for wine enthusiasts.
For more information on the Burgundies of 2023, visit World of Fine Wine.