Château Coufran 2023

The 2023 Coufran has a pleasant bouquet, well-defined with blackberry and red plum scents, a touch of black pepper tucked underneath. The palate is medium-bodied with light tannins but clean black fruit with light cedar and tobacco scents furnishing the finish. Drink over the next decade.

Medium-bodied, black cherry-filled, chocolatey, round, plummy wine that is going to be quite easy to enjoy on release. Drink from 2026-2038.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, brightening at the rim. Delicate herbal savoriness, some tar, dark-berried fruit, ripe plums. Medium-bodied, ripe cherries, velvety and round, a hint of cloves, already approachable.

Lush bouquet with blueberry jelly, violets and a refined cassis spice. On the juicy palate, a soft texture, tightly knit tannic framework, supportive freshness and a straightforward body. The focused finish shows a basket of blue berries, graphite and a finely powdery astringency. Good value from the Médoc.

Deep colour, softly spoken aromatics of smoked earth. Will be ready to drink sooner than Verdignan in the same range, with less grip and an earthy finish. Unfussy, a charming Médoc, 25% new oak for ageing. Eric Boissenot consultant.

The nose is spicy and offers a touch of concentration, intensity, and a fine grain. It reveals notes of violet and grey pepper, and more subtly nutmeg, with touches of small wild berries and hints of graphite and clove. The palate is fruity and offers juiciness, smoothness, freshness, good definition, tension, and precision. It shows notes of juicy/pulpy blackberry, juicy/pulpy raspberry and, more subtly, dense/concentrated small red berries, with touches of graphite, a racy minerality, as well as fine hints of tobacco and smoke, and a subtle hint of vanilla in the background. Good length, the tannins are elongated and tasty.

For a wine billed as the ‘Pomerol of the Médoc’, it was rather tough going for the Merlots and the tannins and ripeness are not as fine as in superior vintages. The good news is that the wine has energy and verve, and the team seriously selected only the best Merlots for 85% of the blend, but I have had more successful vintages of this wine. Let’s see how it develops after the barrel ageing (25% new oak).