Im Jahr 2023 war das Wetter im Médoc günstig und förderte ein regelmäßiges und ununterbrochenes vegetatives Wachstum. Die frühlingshaften Wetterbedingungen und mäßige Niederschläge waren vorteilhaft und sorgten für ein gutes Produktionspotenzial bis zur Ernte. Trotz eines heißen und trockenen Sommers erreichten die Reifegrade dank eines besonders warmen Endes August interessante Werte. Der Regen im September verschaffte dem Cabernet Sauvignon gegen Ende der Ernte Erleichterung und gab ihm wieder Frische. Cuvee aus 86% Cabernet Sauvignon. 14% Merlot. 

Falstaff 
Dunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Feine Nuancen von Cassis, reife rote Herzkirschen, feine Kräuterwürze, noch etwas zurückhaltend. Saftig, rote Waldbeeren, kompakt, reife Tannine, gute Frische, rotbeerige Nuancen im Abgang, ein energischer Speisenbegleiter. 

James Suckling 
A very pure and beautiful HBL with blackcurrant and mineral notes, like crushed stones, as well as a vivid freshness. Purity and brightness in the center-palate, with essence of cassis and a crunchy minerality from part of the vineyard in limestone. 86% cabernet sauvignon and 14% merlot. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. 

Jeb Dunnuck 
The 2023 Château Haut-Bages Liberal is gorgeous, with classic Pauillac cassis, cedar, and graphite notes as well as a beautiful sense of minerality. More medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has a round, supple, yet focused mouthfeel, classy tannins, and a great finish. It's a stunning bottle of wine that will have some early accessibility yet also age gracefully. 

Colin Hay 
Haut-Bages Libéral (Pauillac; 86% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14% Merlot; an impressive final yield 53 hl/ha; pH 3.48; 13.5 alcohol; practicing agroforestry and certified both organic and biodynamic; tasted with Claire Lurton). At Haut-Bages Libéral it’s as if the terroir speaks! Limestone-accented, chalky, vertical and with a very dynamic sense of lift. There’s great aromatic purity and pixilation here too (even if one typically thinks of pixilation in visual terms)! And it is so very different to Durfort Vivens (tasted immediately before) in terms of its essential characteristics and fruit profile. Red berries – raspberry, loganberry, just a little hint of bramble and wild strawberry too (a note I tend to associate with Haut-Bages Libéral). Graphite but none of the cedar of Durfort. There’s a little touch of flint too. This seems to glisten with energy. Vivid and vibrant, the acidity so well incorporated. Full, cylindrical in the mouth, rich and fully charged – quite a mouthful in fact. Super-svelte tannins, nice grip and with great freshness on the long finish. Fabulous. 

Antonio Galloni 
The 2023 Haut-Bages Libéral is fabulous. Deep, layered and exquisitely beautiful, the 2023 bristles with tension. Dark, red cherry, plum, spice, leather, menthol and licorice grace a wine of depth, richness and sensuality. It’s a terrific effort from proprietor Claire Villars-Lurton.