92-94pts Jeb Dunnuck
The 2023 Chateau D'Aiguilhe has a pure limestone nose of ripe red fruits, cassis, crushed stone, and graphite, with a beautiful floral quality in the background. It's medium-bodied, has beautiful minerality, and classy oak in the background.
92-93pts James Suckling
A salty and fruity wine in a subtle yet energetic way. Medium body. Fine tannins.
92pts Decanter
With almost chalky wet stone and ripe dark fruit aromas, this wine provides much pleasure, as it comes from limestone and clay soils on hillsides along the plateau of the appellation. With a 3.4pH to balance the alcohol, the tannins are a bit tight but the overall sense is of a cohesive, balanced and rounded palate that will gain from ageing in 20% new oak, with promising potential for a higher score.
90-92pts Vinous
The 2023 Château d'Aiguilhe was picked between September 6th and 27th, a comparatively long harvest. It yielded 30hL/ha and underwent a 32 day cuvaison, followed by aging in 20% new oak. There is a sense of airiness on the nose deriving from the limestone/clay soil - just a little diffuse. Maybe barrel-aging will bind the aromatics together. The palate is medium-bodied with fine structure. It's quite foursquare, demonstrating more complexity than the preceding Clos Marsalette, with fine delineation and mineralité on the finish. Excellent.
- Neal Martin
90-92pts Vinous
The 2023 d'Aiguihle is packed with blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, menthol and licorice. Bright saline notes lend freshness and verve. The vibrancy of the flavors is really quite striking.
- Antonio Galloni
90-92pts The Wine Independent
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2023 d'Aiguilhe features bright and breezy scents of redcurrant jelly, black raspberries, and wet slate leading to hints of charcoal and lavender oil. The medium-bodied palate has a firm backbone of fine-grained tannins and great tension supporting the vibrant red and black berry flavors, finishing on a chalky note. The blend is 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc.
89-91pts Wine Advocate
The 2023 d'Aiguilhe, a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, reveals aromas of dark wild berries, cassis and mulberries intertwined with a gently oaky touch. More structuring than Clos Marsalette, the Pessac-Léognan owned by the Von Neipperg family, it’s medium-bodied, concentrated and rich with structuring tannins and an oaky, firm finish.
Winemaker's Notes
Combining power and freshness, the wines of Château d'Aiguilhe succeed in expressing the terroir's strong personality, and show very well after five years in bottle.
Blend: 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
History
Acquired by Stephan von Neipperg at the end of 1998, Château d’Aiguilhe is one of the most beautiful estates in the Castillon - Côtes de Bordeaux. The existing building, a sort of fortified farm, dates from the 13th century. Everything leads us to believe that the Aiguilhe seigneury covered a very large tract of land in the Middle Age, encompassing several important fiefs. Located on the border between French-controlled and English-controlled areas during the Hundred Years’ War, the Château played a major military role.
Today, the estates covers 111 hectares, of which 50 are devoted to winegrowing.
The vines (80% Merlot - 20% Cabernet Franc) grow uniquely on the upper part of the slope, where they find excellent natural drainage and south-facing sun exposure. The thin layer of relatively meagre clay-limestone and clay-silt soil covers a limestone substratum that provides wonderful water regulation. These natural advantages, combined with old vines, are conducive to producing powerful and mineral wines.
The estate is expertly managed by Jean-Patrick Meyrignac. It benefits from the tried and tested winegrowing methods used by Stephan von Neipperg at his Saint-Emilion estates: letting the terroir express itself fully, low yields and a very flexible approach to winemaking.
