The 2023 Lafleur-Gazin is a very pretty, aromatic Pomerol. Crushed flowers, autumn leaves, sweet dried cherry and tobacco are all very nicely lifted. Floral and minty overtones carry the mid-palate and finish. This gracious, mid-weight Pomerol is all charm.

The 2023 Bourgneuf is elegant and finessed, as it always is. Blood orange, pomegranate, sweet spice, mint and rose petal are all finely knit. Aeration brings out the wine's textural richness and resonance. This is beautifully done. Even so, the 2023 can lean into a richer style that I find less attractive than some of the more svelte wines of some prior vintages.

The 2023 Hosanna is polished, silky and exceptionally beautiful. Inky dark fruit, cloves, new leather, lavender and chocolate caress the palate. The 2023 is a decidedly restrained Hosanna—more finesse than power. That makes it something of a stylistic departure, and also a Pomerol I find hugely compelling.

The 2023 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is pure class. Vertical, deep and explosive, the 2023 is one of the stars of the vintage. Readers will find a vertical, soaring Pichon Comtesse. The 2023 is one of the most refined wines I can remember tasting here in many years. Lavender, dried herbs, menthol, licorice and mocha are some of the notes that build with some time in the glass. The 2023 is not an especially showy Pichon Comtesse, but rather a wine that needs time to blossom.

The 2023 Réserve de la Comtesse is superb. In some recent vintages, I have felt the Réserve was a bit too serious for a second wine. That is not at all the case with the 2023, a wine of sublime elegance and finesse. Floral top notes meld into a core of dark red/purplish fruit, pomegranate, blood orange and cinnamon. This is the Réserve with the highest amount of Cabernet Sauvignon ever.