Le Dome 2023 (750ML)

95-97+ WI / 95-96 JS / 95 JA / 94-97 VM / 93-95 JD / 94 DE

A blend of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot, Le Dome 2023 has a pH of 3.81. This vintage has the fruit from Les Asteries vineyard incorporated into it. It has a deep garnet-purple color and needs a lot of swirling and shaking to wake up scents of stewed plums, redcurrant preserves, and kirsch, leading to hints of dusty soil, iron ore, pencil shavings, and lilacs. The medium-bodied palate delivers super-fine-grained tannins, beautifully integrated freshness, and a very long, fantastically minerally finish. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent

This shows beautiful black and blue fruit in the middle, framed by firm, fine and velvety tannins. Plums, fresh berries and a hint of hazelnut. Medium- to full-bodied, lush and reserved with a juicy finish that builds impressively. 80% cabernet franc and 20% merlot. - James Suckling

The most nuanced and characterful of the Maltus wines in this vintage, as in most vintages, has freshness and concentration that gives welcome contrast and relief to wines that are unashamedly glamorous and highly charged. It still majors on fleshy blueberry and black cherry fruits, with inky depths and a ton of liquorice root and cocoa bean, but the Cabernet Franc adds raspberry leaf and mint. Maintains house style. Harvest September 20 to October 2. Former Les Asteries vines in here, 80% new oak, 3.81ph. Thomas Duclos consultant.-Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

The 2023 Le Dôme, Jonathan Maltus's Cabernet Franc-based Saint-Émilion, is superb. In 2023, Le Dôme has a ton of everything, namely fruit and supporting structure. A blast of plum, blackberry, chocolate, leather, licorice, cloves and dried herbs explodes onto the palate. This potent, brooding Saint-Émilion has so much to offer for fans of large-scaled wines. Cabernet Franc is dialed up to eleven here.-Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

The 2023 Le Dôme is the usual 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot raised in 80% new oak, with the balance in once-used barrels. It brings a more Cabernet-dominated nose of red, blue, and black fruits supported by leafy tobacco, spring flowers, iron, and subtle chocolate. It's rich, medium to full-bodied, has beautiful overall balance, and incredible length on the finish. It's another gorgeous wine in the lineup from Malthus that has tons of character. - Jeb Dunnuck