2023 Chateau Bourdieu Cotes de Bordeaux Blaye 750 ml

The judges at Decanter’s 2024 World Wine Awards evaluated more than 7,500 red wines. Of the 440 Bordeaux among them, only 20 earned scores of 95 points or more—and few ring the value bell like the 2023 Château Bourdieu Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux. 

You’ll only need a swirl and a sip to see why this Bourdieu topped hundreds of Decanter World Wine Awards entrants. The bouquet is aromatic and inviting, featuring ripe blackberries, plums, and dark cherries. Medium-bodied on the palate, the fruit flavors are rich and ripe, with prominent notes of blackberry, plum, and touches of iron ore, tobacco, and leather carried on well-integrated and smooth tannins. 

Château Bourdieu dates back to the 15th century but its modern history goes back to proprietor Luc Schweitzer’s youth. On his way to boarding school, he’d pass by and gaze at the estate, and as time went on, he became increasingly determined that someday he’d own the gorgeous château. Over the years, Schweitzer—who came from a family of Algerian grapegrowers—gained an even deeper appreciation for the terroir in Bordeaux’s subregion of Blaye, and finally, in 1993, he purchased the estate.

Ever since he took over at Bourdieu, Schweitzer has focused on quality. At the end of his first harvest, he had a new cellar built and put in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks. The 2023, grown on 25-year-old vines, consists of 87% Merlot, rounded out with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. It was aged in stainless steel and racked and manipulated minimally, all with the goal of preserving the fruit, which shines through beautifully from the opening aromas to the very last sip.