2023 Cuve 8a
2023 Cuve 8a
See below for Press Spotlight
Born from Thierry Garnaud's desire to create something different from his decades at Cheval Blanc — a pure, modern expression of our terroir, unoaked, and an everyday drinker without breaking the bank. '8a' is the identity in our chai of the cuve in which this wine is lovingly crafted.
Made from specific parcels of slightly younger vines, vinified and matured solely in concrete, and ready to enjoy sooner than its grand vin sibling. Not a second wine, but a different cuvée entirely.
2023 brought a hot, dry summer near Néac, tempered by a cooler August that let the vines recover — good concentration, ripe tannins, balanced freshness. We harvested early to preserve that freshness and minerality, avoiding over-ripeness and high alcohols. As always, no over-extraction: just a twice-daily remontage for 14 days.
A blend of 95% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Pressac, rich and fresh, juicy yet complex. Drink now and over the next 15 years.
92-94/100: This wine, aged in a concrete cuve, stands out for its freshness and the fruity, floral intensity of its bouquet! Seductive and slightly creamy on the attack, the wine is precise and smooth. It is beautifully backed up by its velvety tannins from the mid-palate, while incisive acidity acts behind the scenes. It lends freshness, salinity and a thirst-quenching character to the wine. A real delight! 2026-2034'. Yves Beck
92-93/100 – "There is focus to this, with lots of salty undertones to the red fruit. It has a medium body, fine tannins and a crunchy finish. Some smokiness at the end. Refined.” James Suckling
88-90/100 "The 2023 Château Canon Chaigneau Cuve 8A is cut from the same cloth, with attractive notes of black cherry, leather, tobacco, and a kiss of graphite in its medium-bodied, round, nicely balanced and textured profile. As with the classic cuvée here, it has outstanding potential.” Jeb Dunnuck
88-90/100 "The 2023 Cuve 8a from Canon Chaigneau has a light, rather "distant" bouquet that might lack presence due to the élevage exclusively in concrete tanks. While the bouquet might be missing a bit of oomph, I do appreciate that the palate is armed with dark plum and mulberry notes, with a light estuarine scent in the background. To use a term that I more often use with respect to Burgundy, this has commendable transparency. Hopefully, the bouquet can get its act together by the time of bottling." Neal Martin
88-90/100 "The crasse de fer minerality is rather more evident in this, the non-oak-aged version of the wine, which I like. I like too the gently natural spiciness of the terroir – nutmeg and mace, cracked white peppercorns. Fresh, crisp and bright on the attack, with a dark berry and stone fruit and a very moderated and gentle extraction allowing the fresh fruit to take centre-stage. The tannins are a little chewy on the finish and this is never going to be a big wine, but there’s a pleasing eloquence to the terroir expression and quite a nicely-defined central spine." Colin Hay
A long and lingering mineral aftertaste, accompany typical red and black fruits, and hints of dark chocolate, expresso & leather are evident in both of our wines. The wines will drink beautifully when young, but will age very gracefully for up to 20 years or possibly more.
100% Merlot, as ever 100% vinification & aging in concrete tank.
A Unique Terroir
The Néac plateau. One of the finest wines of the appellation, and one of the best value wines in France - medium bodied, not over extracted, complex, suave & extremely drinkable, typically with notes of truffle, black fruits, spice and cacao.
A Legendary Winemaker
Thierry Garnaud was maître de chai at Cheval Blanc from 1988 – 2018, responsible for such 100 Point Legends as the 1990, '98, 2000, '03, '05, '06, '08, '10, '15 & 2016.
