CHATEAU FAUGERES Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Emilion 2023 Bottle

Description

IN BRIEF
Château Faugères 2023 opens with poised intensity: ripe plum, black cherry and damson, lifted by violet and rose petal, with a crushed-stone, graphite mineral seam. Gentle aeration adds crushed bay, dried herbs and a faint truffle note. Medium–full-bodied, it offers a satiny entry, bright natural acidity and finely grained tannins that shape without heaviness. Glossy dark-berry and blackcurrant fruit is threaded with black olive and a hint of liquorice; the mid-palate unfurls dark chocolate, toasted cedar and warm baking spice from measured oak. A chalky mineral streak and saline thread drive a long, focused finish. Drink with decanting or cellar 15–20 years. Critics: James Suckling 95 (“round and velvety”); Vinous 92–94 (“dense, voluptuous”). Recommended.

ABOUT THIS WINE
Château Faugères Grand Cru Classé, Saint-Émilion 2023 opens with poised intensity, a refined expression of limestone terroir and meticulous terroir-led viticulture. The bouquet shows ripe plum, black cherry and damson, lifted by fragrant violet and fresh rose petal, while a mineral seam of crushed stone and graphite gives immediate clarity. With gentle aeration, notes of crushed bay, dried herbs and a faint truffle aroma emerge, adding savory depth and complexity.

On the palate the 2023 is medium to full bodied, delivering a smooth, satiny entry, bright natural acidity and finely grained tannins that provide shape without heaviness. Primary fruit is concentrated and pure, glossy dark berry and blackcurrant threaded with a discreet touch of black olive and a hint of liquorice. The mid palate builds with layered nuance, showing dark chocolate, toasted cedar and warm baking spice from measured oak ageing, while a chalky mineral streak and saline thread drive momentum toward a long, focused finish. Oak is judicious and well integrated, offering gentle vanilla and clove spice that frame the fruit rather than mask it.

Texture is polished and tactile, the wine balancing silk and tensile grip as it opens in the glass, revealing savory strata of leather, sous bois and a faint ironstone note. Secondary elements of dried herb, tobacco leaf and forest floor add nuance and length without obscuring primary clarity. The finish is persistent, returning to dark fruit, bittersweet cocoa and a mineral echo that lingers invitingly.

The 2023 vintage at Château Faugères combined careful canopy management with selective, plot by plot harvesting to protect freshness in a warm year; small parcel vinification and restrained extraction were employed to preserve aromatic lift and fine tannin grain. Drink now with decanting to reveal layered character, or cellar for fifteen to twenty years to allow tertiary notes of truffle and cedar chest to integrate. Serve at 16 to 18°C with roast lamb, game, mushroom dishes or mature cheeses. Château Faugères 2023 is elegant, structured and built for rewarding ageing.

JAMES SUCKLING 95 points
Aromas of asphalt, elderberries, plums and touches of licorice and hazelnuts. The palate is round and velvety, medium- to full-bodied, elegant but substantial. Drink or hold.
Jacobo García Andrade, Senior Editor

VINOUS 92-94 points
Drinking window: 2030 - 2043
The 2023 Faugères is a dense, voluptuous Saint-Émilion. Plush contours wrap around a core of blackberry jam, cloves, lavender, licorice and chocolate. This opulent, full-throttle Saint-Émilion is not at all subtle, yet it also has balance, in its own way. Tasted two times. - Antonio Galloni. Tasting date: April 2024

-----

ABOUT CHATEAU FAUGERES
Château Faugères, a Grand Cru Classé in Saint Émilion, is a historic estate that exemplifies the appellation’s capacity for producing wines of depth, finesse and terroir clarity. Perched on limestone and clay soils characteristic of the limestone plateau, the vineyards benefit from excellent drainage and a mineral richness that favours Merlot while allowing Cabernet Franc to contribute aromatic lift and structure. The property’s parcels are tended with parcel by parcel care, with attention to vine age, rootstock and clonal selection, and yields are controlled to concentrate flavour, while sustainable viticultural practices support long term soil health and vine vigour.

In the cellar traditional savoir faire is combined with precise modern technique, grapes receiving meticulous sorting and gentle handling before fermentation in temperature controlled vats, where extraction is adapted to the character of each plot to balance tannin and aromatic intensity. Élevage takes place in fine French oak, a considered proportion of which is renewed each vintage, adding texture and subtle spice without masking varietal purity, and allowing the wines to preserve a transparent expression of site. Investments in cellar equipment and cellar management reflect a commitment to consistency and to bringing out the best from each parcel.

The Grand Vin of Château Faugères typically displays Saint Émilion’s hallmark perfume, ripe red and black fruit, floral lift and a clear mineral thread, framed by supple yet persistent tannins and a vibrant acidity that supports graceful ageing. On the palate the wines combine immediate charm with structural depth, rewarding patient cellaring as tertiary complexity unfolds and tannins soften to reveal layered texture and nuance. Second and limited cuvées provide earlier approachability while reflecting the estate’s stylistic emphasis on balance, precision and terroir expression.

Through thoughtful stewardship, careful parcel selection and a measured approach to winemaking, Château Faugères continues to articulate the limestone terroir of Saint Émilion, producing wines that marry aromatic finesse with structural integrity and enduring ageing potential.