Château Laroque 2023 Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé

Neal Martin (Vinous)
(94-96)/100 punten
The 2023 Laroque has an outstanding bouquet that shades many of its peers. It conveys transparency and mineralité at a higher level and leaves you wanting more. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins that frame the pure black cherry and raspberry fruit. There is structure here, and the finish is notably longer than other wines of its class. This is very impressive, and I can imagine it aging with style.

Antonio Galloni (Vinous)
(94-96)/100 punten
The 2023 Laroque might be the best wine David Suire has made since taking over here a few years ago. What I admire most about Laroque is its classicism—there is plenty of that on display here. Bright acids and persistent beams of supporting tannin frame dark-toned fruit, lavender, rose petal, graphite and sweet spice in a Saint-Émilion that impresses with its vibrancy and delineation. Superb. Tasted two times.

The Wine Cellar Insider
(94-96)/100 punten
Deeply colored, the wine opens with a strong, marine influence before you get to the flowers, licorice, red berries, and spice. The palate displays a medium-bodied, energetic core of spicy, fresh, sweet, ripe, salty, red fruits. Elegant in nature, there is a vibrant, almost, racy character to the fruits. This is a refined, charmer that leaves you with sweetness, spice, and ample purity in the salt-edged, red fruits that remain with you, from start to finish. The wine was made with 99% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc, 14.15% ABV. Drink from 2028-2045.

Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent)
(93-95)/100 punten
The 2023 Laroque is deep garnet-purple in color. It is a touch closed to start off, with reluctant scents of cedar and tar eventually opening out to a core of ripe black and red plums, Bing cherries, and fragrant earth plus a waft of violets. The medium-bodied palate delivers great tension and beautifully ripe, rounded tannins to support the red and black berry flavors, finishing on a floral note. The blend is 99% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc.

James Suckling 
(93-94)/100 punten
This is full and substantial, with firm tannins and a crunchy finish. Lots of blue fruit, blackberry, crushed-stone and mineral character. Very structured. 99% merlot and 1% cabernet franc.

William Kelley, (Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate)
(92-94)/100 punten
Exhibiting aromas of dark, minty berries, bay leaf and creamy new oak, the 2023 Laroque is medium to full-bodied, with a sweet core of fruit, powdery tannins and a penetrating, mineral finish.

Jeb Dunnuck
(92-94)/100 punten
One for the classic Saint-Emilion limestone lovers out there, the 2023 Château Laroque is almost all Merlot (there's a splash of Cabernet Franc), and it has a pure, medium-bodied, incredibly elegant profile carrying vibrant raspberry and cassis-driven fruit, some violet and floral notes, remarkable freshness and vibrancy, fine tannins, and outstanding length. It's not massive, but it’s flawlessly balanced and just a beautiful wine in the vintage that readers will love to have in the cellars.

Decanter 
95/100 punten
Really perfumed nose, highly scented with purple flowers and dark ripe fruit - blackcurrant, damson plum and black cherry. Deep aromatics with lots of tobacco and clove spice on the nose. It’s heady, strongly scented and alive. Cool and crisp on the palate, smooth, so silky, really effortless in the tannin presentation. Juicy and clean, so bright, but not sour or tart, just the right side, so it’s lifted but not overly austere. Once the acidity calms down in comes the salty, mineral base giving lots of liquorice, wet stone and graphite tones, putting you squarely on limestone. Fruit is ripe and there is the softest chew to the expression but it keeps a relatively sleek frame. A bit minty. I would have thought there was more Cabernet in the blend than there is. It’s not so layered, but it’s certainly finessed and graceful on the palate with lots of precision and movement from start to finish. One that makes you want another sip straight away. 3.42pH. A great wine from winemaker David Suire. A yield of 46hl/ha. Ageing 50% new oak.

Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux)
95/100 punten
Medium intensity ruby, this is a little reserved at first, in the best way, in that it has the hidden depths that are just so promising during En Primeur, real sense of sapidity, squid ink, violet reflections, extremely vibrant, really like this, blueberry, sage, slate, lift on the finish, delicious. Beaumartin family, David Suire winemaker.