After tasting more than 800 Bordeaux 2019 wines in bottle, Georgie Hindle has given her verdict on how the wines are tasting now.
Here we present a quick and easy way to see tasting notes and scores for the top 106 wines all with 95 points or above.
| Producer | Appellation | Vintage | Score | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Château Bélair-Monange | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé) | 2019 | 99 | One of the standouts in 2019. Red fruit aromatics are so clear on the nose, strawberries and sweet red cherries with some bramble floral notes - delicate and liffed. Gorgeous expression on the palate, so finely framed with tannins that are smooth and supple, effortlessly coating the mouth and giving life to the bright cherry and raspberry fruit. This has grace - slender and smooth - the flavours just glide across the palate, filling out the mouth with lashings of limestone terroir markers - crystalline fruit purity, crushed stones, mint and minerality. Clearly concentrated, there's layers of flavour but there's also such persistence, the flavours go on and on. Wonderful lift and so charming. I absolutely love it. Drinking window: 2030-2050 Click to see full details | |
| Château Cheval Blanc | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé A) | 2019 | 99 | A sexy, direct and precise Cheval with a seriously expressive nose of dark chocolate, blackcurrants and perfumed red cherries. The palate starts off slow and delicate and builds in the mouth, gaining in character and intensity. The acidity is more marked after a few sips, mouthwatering and juicy, giving the palate real life and verve as the generous fruit flavours come into play, a lovely strawberry and raspberry vein with some mint notes all the way through giving such freshness and cooling sensations in the mouth, while soft tannins balanced by acidity give length and direction. Real weight and depth but also delicacy – concentration and restraint – lift, but such coolness. A sensational wine with pure energy. Cheval, 58% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drinking window: 2030-2050 Click to see full details | |
| Château Lafleur | Pomerol | 2019 | 99 | A beautiful, almost sweet florality on the nose here, this smells amazing. Such tension on the palate, direct and crystalline with streamlined tannins and a smooth overall body yet layered with intricate flavours giving an iron/iodine nuance against liquorice, coffee, salty wet stones, raspberry, red cherry and blueberry fruits. Powerful yet succulent, weightless yet dense. A proud wine with a long future ahead. I just love it! Drinking window: 2030 - 2046 Click to see full details | |
| Château Montrose | St-Estèphe (2ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 99 | A generous and abundant nose full of fruit and aromatic intensity followed by a gorgeous mouthfeel showcasing fruit density and concentration wrapped up in soft, velvety-smooth tannins. Just so much depth but also refinement here, it feels well made with just the right amount of fruit, toasty spice, tannins, freshness and acidity. The overall structure is gently framing all the elements - big and bold but quietly confident. The tannin impact is also enjoyable giving a feeling of approachability despite the long life ahead. Just superb - one of the best in 2019. A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. 12% press wine. 60% new oak. Drinking window: 2029-2046 Click to see full details | |
| Château Troplong Mondot | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé B) | 2019 | 99 | Such a seductive soft perfume to the nose, delicate yet generous aromatics of cherry and rose. The palate is juicy and fresh, charming yet energetic with such crystalline purity and balance. Tannins are smooth but softly textured giving nuance to the flavours where refreshing high toned ripe red and black cherry fruit play alongside mint, dark chocolate and graphite. Clearly powerfully but carefully controlled from start to finish giving such a satisfying overall mouthful and lasting impression. Incredible. Drinking window: 2028-2050 Click to see full details | |
| Vieux Château Certan | Pomerol | 2019 | 99 | A sophisticated wine, glamourous yet refined with nuances of perfumed flowers, liquorice, crushed stones, dark chocolate and blackcurrants - all subtly presented but so fitting together. Great energy and clarity from the start, the flavours just hit the tongue and expand but slowly and carefully, the wonderful perfume permeating and driving down layer upon layer of softly sweet, ripe fruit and salty mineral freshness. Multi-dimensional in the best way - one you want to sit with and enjoy the aromatic complexities. Divine. Drinking window: 2030 - 2050 Click to see full details | |
| Château Angélus | St-Émilion (Grand Cru Classé) | 2019 | 98 | Beautifully expressive nose, really so welcoming with hints of sweet red cherries, raspberries, milk chocolate and touches of perfume too - soft but really defined. On the palate there is such charming grip from the tannins and flavour that just takes hold straight away but not in an overly dominating way. It's smooth but precise, driven from start to finish. Softly chewy tannins coat the tongue with black fruit and some creaminess alongside excellent acidity that gives a mouthwateringly fresh and cooling aspect underneath the ripe red and black fruit flavours. This has real life and energy, bright with clear complexity and layers of fruit, oak and terroir that comes across as a spicy but also wet stone, mineral undertone. Seriously good. You almost want to drink this now and just capture all the elements going on but they'll continue to soften and integrate over time and also let the beautiful Cabernet Franc elements integrate and come more into play over time. A success in 2019. Drinking window: 2028-2050 Click to see full details | |
| Château Canon | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé B) | 2019 | 98 | Fragranced and nuanced on the nose, full of ripe blackcurrants with a milk chocolate dusting and heady floral aspects that immediately draw you in. Serious in the glass, this is broad-shouldered but carried so well with the fine tannins and round fruit. It's dark in profile, full of blackcurrants, black cherries and plums with touches of dark chocolate, tobacco, coffee grounds, liquorice and clove all wrapped up and neatly presented with clarity and linearity. You can feel the tension on this, so flavourful but so knitted right now, coursing from the start to finish in a straight line but with waves of flavour of softly sweet fruit, medicinal herbs, savoury tones and minty cool elements on the finish. The flavours just go on and on expanding and filling the mouth with an undercurrent of mineral salinity that gives freshness and lifts the palate but also keeps everything straight and in line. Beautifully handled with such poise. Really captivating. Drinking window: 2028-2050 Click to see full details | |
| Château Cos d'Estournel | St-Estèphe (2ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 98 | Vivid red-purple rim to the glass; blue fruits, plums and black cherries presented with pleasant floral aspects alongside a wonderful freshly brewed coffee aroma, soft and delicate but just noticeable. This is absolutely delicious, round and plump on the palate but not heavy, well defined with a fruit precision marrying blackcurrants and cherries with some cocoa and liquorice nuance. The velvety texture and overall clarity stands out, driven and precise with layers of pretty chewy, perfumed fruit underpinned by generous acidity. Sophisticated and enjoyable. Wonderful styling at Cos in 2019. Drinking window: 2028-2045 Click to see full details | |
| Château Figeac | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé B) | 2019 | 98 | A gorgeous deep purple colour to the rim. Expressive nose filled with blackcurrant pastilles, really quite concentrated and ripe with soft floral hints and some savoury aspects - the Cabernet Franc making itself known. Such texture on the palate, smooth tannins that coat the mouth have a ripe and juicy blackcurrant flavour, backed by a mineral, wet stone, graphite edge. Liner and direct on the palate, this is focussed and controlled, so precise with a real sense of forward motion. Elegant and seductive in a quietly confident way with a long finish. Totally captivating. Drinking window: 2028-2050 Click to see full details | |
| Château Haut-Brion | Pessac-Léognan (1er Cru Classé) | 2019 | 98 | Liquorice and graphite touches on the nose with black fruits, even some blueberries and pomegranate. Great intensity, power and muscle here – this is full of life with layers of complexity you can feel from the beginning. It's not as immedaitely plump or round as some but this has clear power and generosity. Gentle persistence with so many nuances of flavour, but you get the impression its hiding all it's best features just showing the barest hint of fruit, spice and savoury aspects. Definition, precision and wonderful freshness. You have to work a little harder to understand this, but it has such potential. 48.7% Merlot, 43.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.1% Cabernet Franc. Drinking window: 2028-2050 Click to see full details | |
| Château Lafite Rothschild | Pauillac (1er Cru Classé) | 2019 | 98 | An opulent and fruit-forward vintage for Lafite in 2019. Vivid purple colour in the glass with blackcurrant, cherry and milk chocolate notes. Gorgeous weight on the palate with such fine tannins and depth of flavour - not so much rich but driven, refined, elegant, almost refrained. Feels compact at first, settling to reveal layers of vibrant spiced fruit and and cooling menthol hints alongside clear graphite and wet stone that comes through clearly. Supremely balanced with an underlying mouth filling juiciness that offers finessed creamy fruit. Structured and well framed with a long life ahead. Drinking window: 2028 - 2050 Click to see full details | |
| Château Le Pin | Pomerol | 2019 | 98 | An evocative nose, floral and exotic with black cherry, lychee and passion fruit aromas, delicate and nuanced. Svelte on the palate with sculpted and refined tannins - it's confident, with sinew, muscle and plump fruit, but not showy. Characterful and bold but presented with a lightness of touch alongside a gorgeous fragrance and freshness that carries the wine to a long finish. Well built with depth and poise. Drinking window: 2030 - 2050 Click to see full details | |
| Château Léoville-Las Cases | St-Julien (2ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 98 | Wet stone, smoke and floral aspects to the aromatic profile - seriously inviting. Density and power here, but cooling and all in balance, full of blackcurrant and black cherries with obvious minerality. It gives such plushness in terms of roundness and grip of tannins, but also layers of perfumed fruit, ripe fruit and cooling slate and liquorice elements. A distinguished wine with a seamless tannic structure and excellent length. Lots of life here and also a real, almost sweet acidity that gives life and lift. Lots going on now but designed for long and steady ageing. Drinking window: 2029-2050 Click to see full details | |
| Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion | Pessac-Léognan | 2019 | 98 | One of my favourite wines in 2019, immediately captivating with a lasting impression. Gorgeous dark purple in the glass with blackcurrant notes, perfumed violets, dark chocolate and hints of truffle - the old-vine Bouchet (Cabernet Franc) giving aromatic intensity on the nose and palate. Succulent straight away with ripe cherry, blood orange and pink grapefruit flavours set against soft, mouthwatering acidity and a lovely saline grip to the tannins. It's rich but just giving delicate hints in each direction of fruit, acidity, freshness, structure, mouthfeel and body. Restrained and poised, with a drinkability that makes you want a glass now, but could happily be enjoyed decades from now. Managing director Guillaume Pouthier said he simply 'Wants to make wine that is drunk' and this is eminently drinkable. A blend of 48% Cabernet Franc, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot. 3.60 pH. 80% ageing in new barrel, 9% amphora, 11% foudre. Stéphane Derenoncourt consultant. Drinking window: 2026-2050 Click to see full details | |
| Château Margaux | Margaux (1er Cru Classé) | 2019 | 98 | Wonderful aromas on the nose, quite dark and concentrated contrasting the palate which is abundant, juicy and immediately mouthwatering, giving a rush of bright red cherry and strawberry flavour. But it's the texture here that is so captivating - soft, light, bright, then deep and layered, the velvet tannins coming into support but harmoniously and effortlessly, nothing feels too much. A direct wine from start to finish with great drive and persistency offering a wonderful balance of having an immediate drinking appeal but also the structure, power and density to age. Sculpted, elegant and nicely framed. 37% of total production. Drinking window: 2030-2051 Click to see full details | |
| Château Mouton Rothschild | Pauillac (1er Cru Classé) | 2019 | 98 | Gorgeous nose with a soft sweetness to the fruit aromas - a quality of the cooler year with freshness and vibrancy to the fruit profile. A great core of black fruits - blackcurrant, plums and cherries, balancing power but also succulence in the best way. Muscular but refined and finessed, feels so well constructed with harmonious tannins. The texture is smooth, deep and coursing but with such elegance to the overall frame. Deep and concentrated, but I love the touches of sour cherry and then smoky, liquorice aspects with a mineral freshness. It feels as if when it's ready it will expand and just give and give. I love it. Drinking window: 2028 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande | Pauillac (2ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 98 | Expressive and aromatic on the nose, this is giving such a lot of nuance. Gorgeous texture on the palate, smooth, seductive with perfumed fruit that is dense and layered. Just so complete offering a great combination of blackcurrant fruit against menthol/liquorice notes with balanced acidity. You get the juiciness which is vibrant but also a seriously dark, brooding edge with spice but lovely freshness and lift overall. It's serious no doubt but has that real air of refinement and finesse to the overall profile. Excellent quality. Drinking window: 2029 - 2047 Click to see full details | |
| Château Pontet-Canet | Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 98 | Such gorgeous aromatics of freshly picked violets, cherries and bramble fruits - pretty and quite delicate. The texture is smooth and succulent, mouth coating but full of soft tannins which have the most delicious black cherry, blackcurrant flesh and liquorice tinge to them - so satisfying. Extremely well balanced and well integrated, this has restrained power, it's not rich or particularly round but straight, direct and layered rather than wide. Really long finish with great freshness and touches of cool blueberries. This is just such a great wine, everything you want and you know there's power there promising a long life. Great winemaking on show. 35% aged in concrete, 50% new oak, 15% in barrels of one year, for 16-18 months. This year there's a new label, the drawing of the house has remained but the font is more elegant and modern. A blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Drinking window: 2027 - 2047 Click to see full details | |
| Château Trotanoy | Pomerol | 2019 | 98 | Ripe and expressive on the nose, with a serious perfumed edge that stands out. Quite floral in fact. Powerful and well built, this has muscles and walls of tannin but they're so smooth and velvety, supporting the fruit and giving an excellent frame to the palate. Certainly a masculine style, it's dark and brooding with lots of mint, liquorice and stone. Textured and taught. It's all muscle at the moment, almost chewy but so cool and refreshing. I love the intensity and the precision from start to finish. Incredible. Drinking window: 2025 - 2047 Click to see full details | |
| Petrus | Pomerol | 2019 | 98 | A seductive and sensual nose full of ripe and sweetly-perfumed cherry and blackcurrant notes - which are even more expressive and abundant after an hour in the glass. This is such a beguiling wine, changing in texture and fruit profile several times from a first sip of smooth and streamlined, chalky tannins to one filled with bright acidity and succulent juiciness then shifting another gear delivering a palate full of concentrated dark fruits edged with liquorice and black pepper. The tannins are abundant and clearly present, Olivier Berrout director of Petrus says he’s never produced a vintage with such high tannins, but they are wonderfully consistent and well integrated with a lovely powdery element to them. You really feel the structure develop in the mouth, building in complexity and layers with a beautiful perfume and wet stone minerality lingering on the long finish. You have to wait for the reticence and reservation of Petrus in its youth to subside before you see the power and energy here but it’s giving a tantalising glimpse of what its long life holds in store. Drinking window: 2030 - 2055 Click to see full details | |
| Château Beauséjour Duffau-Lagarrosse | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé B) | 2019 | 97 | Gorgeously aromatic and concentrated nose, rich with wild flowers and bramble fruits. Lovely cool blue fruits on the palate, blueberries, plums and black cherries with lashings of graphite, slate and liquorice giving a real spicy menthol mineral tone to the palate. Such complexity with poise and polish. Youthful for sure, but this will be excellent. The texture is so attractive and likeable. This has energy and vibrancy despite still being knitted down, it's just giving a hint of what's to come. Buy and hold on to. Drinking window: 2027-2044 Click to see full details | |
| Château Climens | Sauternes (1er Cru Classé) | 2019 | 97 | Quite a closed nose, some nice spring notes of white blossom and white stone fruit. Excellent clarity here, poised and quite finessed. A little reserved right now, but offering quite a pretty, direct, clean and pure palate. Great sweetness, I love the sugary burst you get and also the soft florality and appealing bitter orange peel nuances around the edges. Not showing its full potential yet but it's well constructed - you really do notice the texture here, the linear, precise clarity of the mouthfeel. It's smooth and all the layers are tightly packed into one smooth block at the moment but it has lovely lifted acidity that adds such charm. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2045 Click to see full details | |
| Château Clinet | Pomerol | 2019 | 97 | So seductive and heady on the nose, depth and layers of aroma, really quite captivating, luring you in. Excellent tension and clarity on the palate while also having a plump and fruity core and a softly voluptuous mouthfeel. There is an undercurrent of fresh minerality giving a sense of linearity and precision with juicy, ripe, fragranced fruit filling the palate giving body and weight so you get this push pull interplay of cool, wet stone grip and playful yet dark and seductive fruit. Tannins are ripe and supportive again giving structure but not too much weight. Such Pomerol glamour on show in the best way. It's a dark style, one where you feel the ripeness and the alcohol a touch on the finish but well packaged and presented. I really love it. Drinking window: 2026 - 2046 Click to see full details | |
| Château Doisy-Védrines | Sauternes (2ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 97 | Sweet caramel and honeyed toffee on the nose alongside peach and white pear, smells inviting. Great texture and depth here, I love the sugary hit you get straight away that then lingers on the tongue while a minerality comes through and almost cleans the palate. Fresh and refreshing. Abundant fruit profile with a smooth caramel texture and bright sweetness with some bitter orange notes at the end. Good impact - charming and classical. I love it. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2039. Click to see full details | |
| Château Gazin | Pomerol | 2019 | 97 | A rich, full and heady nose. On the palate there's ripe blackcurrant, red cherries, raspberries and strawberries but also some mint, black pepper and truffle. Excellent precision and density with a seductive dark chocolate edge. Feels well handled with a sense of classicism. A powerful, muscular and confident wine, but with suppleness - this has density but also grace with a cooling finish comprising liquorice, mint and soft salinity. A great wine. Drinking window: 2025 - 2047 Click to see full details | |
| Château Haut-Bailly | Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves) | 2019 | 97 | A floral bouquet on the nose, soft but deep with such clarity and such a beautiful vivid pink red colour in the glass too. The texture here is striking, smooth and mouth filling with intensity but so well presented, precise, fine and amazingly detailed. The word for 2019 is energy and this has it in abundance, it’s vibrant and alive in the mouth with such brightness. Mouthwatering acidity is set against a chalky texture so you get a full mouthfeel without any heaviness. Great structure and balance. You could almost drink this now to enjoy the immediate enjoyment but a recent tasting of the 2009 suggests this has a very long life ahead. A wine you can fall in love with! Drinking window: 2024-2047 Click to see full details | |
| Château Haut-Brion, Blanc | Pessac-Léognan | 2019 | 97 | Green apple, gooseberry and lots of elderflower notes on the nose - smells like elderflower cordial. Great definition and precision here, there's body for sure, it's not a light wine with richness and depth but so wonderfully precise and defined that the fruit flavour almost glides across the palate. Lovely freshness here too, with a mineral, almost salty tang to the fruit keeping the mouth cool. It's still a bit shy but has juicy lemon sides and an amazingly deep core of fruit with a cooling overtone lifting the whole palate. A wine you want to sit with and one destined for long ageing. Such intensity but also elegance. A blend of 64.4% Sauvignon Blanc and 35.6% Semillon. Drinking window: 2030-2050 Click to see full details | |
| Château L'Évangile | Pomerol | 2019 | 97 | A well-articulated wine with elegance and serious expression of place. The 16% Cabernet Franc (alongside 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, the first year in the blend) gives such an enticing nose, so perfumed - you really get a nose full of flowers here which I love. There's depth on the palate straight away - it's concentrated but comes across in layers as opposed to overt volume or voluptuousness. Tannins are sleek and well integrated and there’s spice-edged blackcurrant, red and black cherries, plums, liquorice, cedar and cinnamon nuances. There’s succulence to the acidity, which is fresh and cooling, and clear opulence throughout, but it’s still quite shy, just showing signs of life. A sophisticated wine with a long future. Drinking window: 2030 - 2050 Click to see full details | |
| Château La Conseillante | Pomerol | 2019 | 97 | Vivid red pink in the glass with an expressive nose filled with softly fragrant red cherries, raspberries and purple flowers. This has a lovely texture and appeal straight away - it’s juicy and lively all the way through from start to finish but with a rich, mineral, wet stone core balanced by silky tannins. Detailed and graceful with presence and a satisfying weight on the tongue edged with lashings of black liquorice and slate. Star quality and such Pomerol glamour here with such a long finish. Lots of life ahead. A gorgeous wine. Drinking window: 2030 - 2050 Click to see full details | |
| Château La Fleur-Pétrus | Pomerol | 2019 | 97 | Gorgeous aromatics with some savoury elements; truffle, tobacco, mocha and ripe black bramble fruits. Excellent precision and tension in the mouth, this is refined but layered with chocolate, coffee, liquorice, stone, some bitter orange notes alongside blackcurrant and black cherry. Incredible texture, mouth coating for sure but so sophisticated, it's layered yet so well defined, pulsing with energy on the palate in waves of fruit then cooling mint then spice then more fruit which lingers in the mouth. Elegant but also so complex, you can sit with this for a while savouring each element. Such a fantastic wine. Drinking window: 2025 - 2047 Click to see full details | |
| Château La Mission Haut-Brion | Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves) | 2019 | 97 | Wonderful sweet fruit and floral aromatics. Great freshness and life here, tannins are present, chalky and consuming but in a great way. The mouthfeel is excellent and really stands out - the deep cherry, plum and blackcurrant fruit pulsing underneath the tannins with a cooling menthol, mouthwatering freshness on top so you get power and lift! One of the more open wines at this point with so much charm. Approachable and showing off but still a lot more to give in time. A brilliant wine. 53% Merlot, 39.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.5% Cabernet Franc. Drinking window: 2027-2047 Click to see full details | |
| Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey | Sauternes (1er Cru Classé) | 2019 | 97 | Expressive nose of lime, tangerine and some exotic spices. Gorgeous mouthfeel here, so sumptuous, seductive and definitely sugary but with a nice clarity, precision and coolness to the palate. It's rich and full but well balanced, giving flavours of lemon, apricot and peach alongside caramel, toffee and gorgeous wild floral honey. Good length. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2047. Click to see full details | |
| Château Lafleur, Les Pensées de Lafleur | Pomerol | 2019 | 97 | A dark and heady nose, bramble fruits and spice, coffee and blackcurrant nuances. Gorgeous texture that stands out immediately, this is succulent but not overtly mouthwatering. Serious and broad shouldered, there's a meatiness to the texture with grippy tannins but still with a velvet like quality that have such presence in the mouth. This feels so expressive but also so controlled - spherical and fleshy but with a background of iron, wet stone and graphite. Finishes direct and poised, focussing the palate to a long mineral-edged lingering taste. Such complexity, I love this wine. Drinking window: 2027 - 2047 Click to see full details | |
| Château Léoville Poyferré | St-Julien (2ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 97 | So aromatic with real complexity of notes on the nose, perfume and black fruits. Quite tannic on the palate, broad-shouldered with a core of liquorice-edged black fruit, dark chocolate and slate giving it quite a serious, gourmet and savoury feel right now. Lovely poise though, with mouthwatering freshness. Feels well made with energy and elegance. A standout wine with plenty on offer. Drinking window: 2027-2045 Click to see full details | |
| Château Lynch-Bages | Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 97 | Intense, deep and dark aromatics - such wonderful Cabernet notes on the nose. This is incredibly impactful from the very first taste, it grips the mouth and courses with power but in a well balanced, harmonious way. Mouthwatering fruit juice is backed by tannins that, although fill the mouth entirely, come across as quite ripe and soft with a backbone of menthol cooling freshness that goes from start to finish. A Pauillac with such an enticing dark profile, concentrated and direct but also so much to give. Still not near it's potential yet. Drinking window: 2026 - 2047 Click to see full details | |
| Château Margaux, Pavillon Blanc | Bordeaux Blanc | 2019 | 97 | Expressive and generous on the nose with white stone fruit, apricot and peach nuances and a hint of white flowers. Lovely impact on the tongue, quite an opulent opening, round and full but with an energetic core and the acidity coming through strongly on the finish. Stoney with apple nuances, clean, lively and precise. Such lemon juiciness at the finish, the flavour goes on and on. Extremely crystalline and flavourful but not overthetop with an appealing grapefruit element on the finish. You could drink this now but it will age very gracefully. grapefruit element on the finish too. Managing director Philippe Bascaules says both 2018 and 2019 were good surprises for whites, with picking for the 2019 vintage starting at the beginning of September to retain acidity. 'The pH is low (3.10) and we've found the style we want, ripe flavours but also tension on the palate', he said. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Château Palmer | Margaux (3ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 97 | A serious and darkly fruited wine with notes of milk chocolate, violets and black cherries supported by fine-grained and velvety tannins that really coat the mouth, carefully constructed with acidity underneath that gives brightness and lift. The emphasis here is really the concentration and density of flavours with layers of black chocolate, black cherries, cocoa powder and cooling minerality but each with purity and definition. Excellently framed and well packaged with energy and verve. So many elements going on: a great Palmer. Drinking window: 2029-2050 Click to see full details | |
| Château Smith Haut Lafitte | Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves) | 2019 | 97 | A soft, fragrant nose of rose petals and violets alongside raspberries, cherries, blackcurrants, cola cubes and blackcurrant leaf nuance. Tannins fill the mouth, abundant but oh so soft and finely woven into the overall body of the wine which has delicious cooling mint elements nestled between pristinely ripe blue and black fruit and liquorice spice. The flavours expand slowly along the palate gaining in depth, width and energy. This isn't an immediate showstopper but rather it takes its time, revealing itself layer by layer, so charming and seductive, asking you to linger and take a closer inspection. I absolutely love it. Drinking window: 2029-2050 Click to see full details | |
| Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Blanc | Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves) | 2019 | 97 | Appealing Semillon nuances on the nose (from the 5% in the blend), honeyed waxy lemons, peach, apricot and vanilla cream. Such a sumptuous texture, you get a wonderful bitterness straight away - orange, lemon and grapefruit rind which gives the edges of the frame and balances the freshness and bright acidity. I adore the rich yet juicy texture and a hint of sweetness on the tongue that just grabs the interest and holds it all the way through to a long finish. Structured and powerful yet still so youthful and finding its character. So much potential here. Drinking window: 2029-2050 Click to see full details | |
| Château Valandraud | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé B) | 2019 | 97 | Highly charged and high toned on the nose, smells abundant and seriously expressive. Lovely intensity here, tannins are mouth coating and super persistent but this has excellent depth with such concentrated fruit flavours that are balanced so well with acidity and the soft wood spicing around the edges. A bold wine for sure, with tons of flavour and personality, and excellent freshness throughout with minerality and wet stone nuances. One to age, but delivering excellent clarity and confidence. A top buy. Drinking window: 2025-2047 Click to see full details | |
| Château Vray Croix de Gay | Pomerol | 2019 | 97 | Expressive nose of blackcurrants, parma violets and spices all with such a sweet nuance. Great quality to the tannins here, they're ripe and mouth coating but fine and well defined. This is high toned with pure strawberry and red cherry fruit balanced by a mineral chalky-textured core. I love the combination of fruit, density, chewiness and acidity. This is sculpted with lots of promise. A delicate style but with clear focus and intensity all with a slight voluptuousness in the expansiveness of the fruit. Joyful. Drinking window: 2026 - 2047 Click to see full details | |
| Clos Fourtet | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé) | 2019 | 97 | Deliciously seductive nose, heady! Crystalline texture and purity here with a pulsing drive from start to finish. The fruit is super glossy and shiny, it feels precise and purposeful with blackcurrant and black cherries at the fore. Tannins are well integrated, just perceptible giving a nice weight and frame to the palate. Succulent and sophisticated. Drinking window: 2025-2045 Click to see full details | |
| Château Brane-Cantenac | Margaux (2ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 96 | Creamy black fruit and dark chocolate alongside hints of coffee on the nose. Lovely sumptuous texture here, chewy with bite and grip. This has high acidity on the palate with tannins that are plush but focussed. This is glossy and quite glamorous, yet still refined with flavours shining brightly out the glass. Good persistence and a menthol, charcoal-edged finish that lingers satisfyingly. Drinking window: 2027-2035 Click to see full details | |
| Château Cheval Blanc, Le Petit Cheval Blanc | Bordeaux Blanc | 2019 | 96 | Gorgeous perfume on the nose, delicate but expressive blackcurrants and black cherries - this has a real dark side to it but is lifted by such pretty scented aromatics. Great acidity from the start, bright and vibrant with a cool and fresh mid palate. You have this mouthwatering acidity and lovely bright fruits but just such softness and charm too. It feels like a 'cooler' younger brother to the grand vin, a similar style but effortless and super charming without trying too hard at this point. Round and succulent. There are no specific plots for Petit Cheval so some that were chosen for 2019 went into the grand vin in 2018. At only 5.5% of production it's the rarest of the estate's wines. A blend of 56% Merlot and 44% Cabernet Franc. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2045. Click to see full details | |
| Château Coutet | Sauternes (1er Cru Classé) | 2019 | 96 | Gorgeous nose full of exotic spices, candied fruit, orange, apricot and honeyed brioche. Lovely unctuous texture here, it's fat but smooth - like thick smooth fruity caramel, quite defined and straight but with a roundness and generosity with pineapple, mango, violet even giving an appealing florality, and these lovely almost bitter orange edges. It's still a bit young but with great vibrancy right now, acidity which gives energy and life all the way through. Lifted and bright. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2045. Click to see full details | |
| Château Croizet Bages | Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 96 | Strong aromas of black fruits on the nose, this is deeply concentrated but with great drive and plushness. Some cooling blue fruit touches, blueberries, pomegranate and blackcurrant but also strong menthol aspects - the Pauillac Cabernet aspects coming through. Powerful and structured but also well defined with a precise fruit profile. I like the dark, liquorice, coffee intensity here with a juicy lift at the end. Lots going on. Drinking window: 2025 - 2045 Click to see full details | |
| Château d'Issan | Margaux (3ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 96 | Stylish nose, feels polished and poised. A svelte style with satiny tannins and such depth of flavour - intense but nuanced with perfumed edges and red and black cherry flavours. You feel the sculpting of the fruit, there are layers of flavour and with good support round the edges and softly chewy tannins. Such a long finish too, really goes on and on. I love it, you get the power without doubt but it's very neatly packaged right now with a smoothness and clarity that's impressive. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2045. Click to see full details | |
| Château de Sales | Pomerol | 2019 | 96 | A serious, brooding nose, darkly seductive with touches of sweet oak and black berries. Alive and fruit forward on the palate but also quite linear and direct. The instant generosity of fruit flavours is really appealing, the mouth is filled with bright summer berry touches and the tannins are ample and supple coating the tongue yet this still has an aerial quality. Feels suave and charming - well worked with lots of precise details with such a minty fresh finish. Excellent ageing potential. Drinking window: 2025 - 2045 Click to see full details | |
| Château Ducru-Beaucaillou | St-Julien (2ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 96 | Rich, ripe, heady nose filled with milk chocolate, blackcurrant and black cherry with floral touches. This is a beguiling wine, starting off smooth and velvety with a bright cherry freshness that is fun and playful before settling and deepening into a black fruit profile, seductively drawing you in and presenting layer upon layer of acidity, flavour and tannins that, despite being abundant and mouth filling are juicy, soft and fine. Precision winemaking on show here, and across the entire range of wines this year. This is complex and defined with an aerial finish that's filled with crushed stone and freshly picked mint. A glass of wine you just want to sit with and think about. One to buy and hold on to. Drinking window: 2025-2045 Click to see full details | |
| Château Durfort-Vivens | Margaux (2ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 96 | Expressive nose of perfumed red cherries and black plums. Great texture here, so much clarity and freshness - like freshly pressed cherry juice with excellent acidity giving lift to the quite heady strawberry and redcurrant nuances. Tannins are chalky and grippy but also soft and fine. The mouthfeel is round and generous, there is richness and complexity here combining minerality, florality and depth of seductive fruit flavour with a delicious menthol touch at the end. The flavours linger long in the mouth. A wine I immediately wanted another glass of. Extremely good quality. Drinking Window: 2026- 2044. Click to see full details | |
| Château Giscours | Margaux (3ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 96 | Expressive nose of perfumed red cherries and black plums. Great texture here, so much clarity and freshness - like freshly pressed cherry juice with excellent acidity giving lift to the quite heady strawberry and redcurrant nuances. Tannins are chalky and grippy but also soft and fine. The mouthfeel is round and generous, there is richness and complexity here combining minerality, florality and depth of seductive fruit flavour with a delicious menthol touch at the end. The flavours linger long in the mouth. A wine I immediately wanted another glass of. Extremely good quality. Drinking Window: 2026-2044. Click to see full details | |
| Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste | Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 96 | Generous nose, I love the smell here, richly fruited. The palate is on the linear, darker side with liquorice and coffee tones, lean and muscular - without any extra fat. A little austere at this point but good freshness and some bright cherry flavours on the finish. Overall a dark, heady, deep style with plenty of power, just waiting to open and expand. Give it some time. Drinking window: 2026 - 2038 Click to see full details | |
| Château Gruaud-Larose | St-Julien (2ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 96 | A gorgeous dark purple colour in the glass with a bright pink rim. It is a little reticent on the nose, just giving a hint of fragranced fruit with dark chocolate, caramel and sweet coffee touches - so inviting. Ultra sleek and suave on the palate but at the same time racy and vibrant. A combination of rich black fruits and quite savoury aspects on the palate, tar, tobacco and wood smoke with black currants and cherries but here the emphasis really is on those herbal, medicinal aspects that give this such a serious tone but also such interest and intrigue. Lifted and bright on the palate but soft tannins letting the aromatics do all the talking. Seductive. Will be incredibly moreish in a few years. Drinking window: 2027-2045 Click to see full details | |
| Château Guiraud | Sauternes (1er Cru Classé) | 2019 | 96 | Fully expressive on the nose, burnt lemon, candied peel and dried fruits - apricots, oranges and spices - lots going on. Lovely combination here of bright, quite acidic lemony freshness with this honey, caramel buttery softness and also so many notes of dried fruit, raisins, apricots, pineapple and also pot pourri. Great potential here, lots of complexity and I really love the interplay between bright lemon acid and sweet toffee richness. Confident and showy in the best way. Drinking Window: 2026 - 2045. Click to see full details | |
| Château Hosanna | Pomerol | 2019 | 96 | Beautiful aromatics on the nose, richly scented, bright blackcurrant fruits and floral touches - so expressive. Round and voluptuous in the mouth, flavours and texture coat the tongue and cheeks but in the most satisfying way. Gorgeous texture - velvety and expansive with chalky wet stone elements giving a cleanliness to the tongue. Ripe and extremely chewy but it has incredible aromatics on the palate, the soft florality and delicate saltines that is so appealing with a touch of wood spice on the finish. Opulent and vivacious. Drinking window: 2025 - 2040 Click to see full details | |
| Château La Croix de Gay | Pomerol | 2019 | 96 | Milk chocolate, blackcurrants, clove, black pepper, ash, truffle and perfume on the nose - such a lot going on and gives an indication of what's to come on the palate which is serious, savoury and a little sombre at this point. This is quite a dark, knitted-down style, tannic but svelte and charming at the same time. I like the quality of the tannins and there is some bright strawberry juice which gives it a delicate and fresh aspect despite the power. Lots to like and will be even better in time. Drinking window: 2026- 2044 Click to see full details | |
| Château La Dominique | St-Émilion (Grand Cru Classé) | 2019 | 96 | Aromatic and abundant on the nose, smells appealing and heady with floral touches alongside ripe red cherry and blackcurrant reflections. Amazing clarity to the fruit profile on the palate with such minerality driving the wine from start to finish. It has spicy tones, liquorice and toast that give texture and depth with acidity keeping things refreshing. Lovely grace. Tannins are fine and provide plenty of grip in the mouth supporting the fruit with excellent freshness and a wet stone character that puts you in St-Emilion. So charming, confident and characterful - lots to enjoy here. First full vintage with new technical director Yann and consultant Julien Viaud. Tasted twice. The 50th vintage at La Dominique since it was purchased in 1969. Drinking window: 2025-2045 Click to see full details | |
| Château Lagrange | St-Julien (3ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 96 | Lovely deep red pink rim to the glass. Such freshness and floral lift on the nose, smells lively and welcoming with a cool blue fruit touch to the aromas alongside faint hints of liquorice. Amazing texture and mouthfeel - filling with a good density of chalky and textured tannins underpinning creamy red fruits with a juicy acidity that is so succulent and mouthwatering. Just giving everything - abundant, generous lively fruit, creamy velvet-textured tannins, bright acidity and gorgeous Cabernet aspects. Round and complete, excellent winemaking on show. Drinking window: 2023-2037 Click to see full details | |
| Château Léoville Barton | St-Julien (2ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 96 | A dark nose here, savoury with animal tones, bramble fruits and leather nuances. The palate is excellent, grippy with tannins that just take hold and coat the mouth but underneath you feel there is such well defined fruit - a core of ripe blackcurrants and liquorice tinges. There is an elegance to this despite the mouthful of creamy tannins that are doing all the talking at the moment. This will be excellent in time. Sumptuous and utterly enchanting. Drinking window: 2024-2045 Click to see full details | |
| Château Léoville-Las Cases, Le Petit Lion du Marquis de Las Cases | St-Julien | 2019 | 96 | Gorgeous perfumed cherry fruit on the nose, such clarity and drive the aromas jumping out the glass. The palate has a real elegance, juicy but calm, smooth and sophisticated, wrapped up in silky tannins that gently support the fruit. Charming with approachability. You really get the vibrant fruit but it's so sculpted, no edges with touches of iodine, wet stone and iron in the wine and a soft saline kick at the end, so layered yet pure. Effortless charm here. Drinking window: 2024-2035 Click to see full details | |
| Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, C de Carmes | Pessac-Léognan | 2019 | 96 | Beautiful fragrance to the nose, perfumed and delicate yet so expressive, nothing out of balance with cherries and violets bursting out of the glass. Gorgeous smooth mouthfeel with some milk chocolate dusting on the fruit, tannins are delicate and softly mouth filling with a lovely salinity to the palate - creamy and unctuous but at the same time there's lots of acidity. This has a verticality to it, layered but with an aerial quality too, the flavours just glide across the palate with lift on the finish - so satisfying and drinkable. Just a glorious, shining, bright, velvety, succulent glass of wine. Pure elegance. A blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, 3.55pH. Drinking window: 2022-2046 Click to see full details | |
| Château Pavie | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé A) | 2019 | 96 | Such an expressive nose, especially after five minutes, dark black bramble fruits with raisins and plums on the nose alongside touches of tobacco and coffee too. Quite refined on the palate, less upfront plump fruit and chewiness, more knitted and focussed with a juicy core yet still powerful, underlying and driving. It's serious, muscular and strong, really a vein of direct fruit coated in wet stone minerality. I love the tension and acidity with the heady density of fruit and soft perfume around the edges. So much going on here. It's a bold, confident style, but overall feels well made and purposeful. Drinking window: 2026-2046 Click to see full details | |
| Château Pavie Macquin | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé) | 2019 | 96 | Gorgeous ripe aromatic blackcurrants on the nose. Seriously expressive with sweet touches of milk chocolate - an element of Black Forest gateau to this. Direct and linear on the palate, focussed and precise but with excellent clarity and minerality. You get the blood iron, wet stone slate in both flavour and texture on the tongue against the high toned cherry and redcurrant fruit. Lots of energy here, it's almost holding back from being fully expressive. Great potential and lovely finish with chocolate, minty freshness and liquorice spice. Drinking window: 2025-2043 Click to see full details | |
| Château Pichon Baron | Pauillac (2ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 96 | Ripe and full on the nose. This is dense with drive and concentration where the focus is on the full mouthfeel and dark savoury tones. Some bright acidity on the first impact but the tannins are at the fore right now, on the ripe side with chew - completely coating the mouth, firm and full. Liquorice, bitter dark chocolate, pencil lead and tobacco flavours edge the fruit and linger giving this a serious profile that will need longer to expand and soften. Great potential and underlying power just needs to open a bit. Long flavour though, still in the mouth after a good few minutes. Drinking window: 2024 - 2046 Click to see full details | |
| Château Rauzan-Ségla | Margaux (2ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 96 | Mineral edged nose full of violet floral notes and blackcurrants, such delicacy. Gorgeous mouthfeel, the texture standing out straight away - filling, rich and round, dense and juicy - really delivering a punch of ripe, cherry fruit, covering the cheeks in chewy but crushed velvet like tannins. Creamy notes come through and then the spice, liquorice menthol flavours arrive and dominate giving a cool, fresh, rippling minerality towards the finish. Power and precision. Really a wine of two halves, the first juicy and alive the second half deep, dark and seductive. Excellent character, still restrained not showing everything but offering a glimmer of glamour that will shine through more over time. 100% biodynamic from 2020, should be certified by 2024. Drinking Window: 2025-2046. Click to see full details | |
| Château Rieussec | Sauternes (1er Cru Classé) | 2019 | 96 | Lovely noble rot aromas but quite modern in profile with freshness and energy. On the palate there is expressive and open flavours of honeyed lemon, orange rind and pineapple well wrapped in a viscous, rich, sumptuous and seductive layer of sweetness. Great acid backbone, not mouthwatering as such but just enough that it lifts the overall feeling so much then the structure comes in supporting the frame making you think this is a serious and super charming wine. Great texture also the flavours glide across the palate. Excellent intensity but also freshness. A great aperitif style to enjoy before a meal - serve cold and let the wine reveal more complexity and nuance as it warms and opens. A new, fun bottle was introduced for this vintage. Dark glass was used 'obliging you to pour it as you can't see the colour' says Saskia de Rothschild with a reusable cork stopper so it can be kept in the fridge and consumed in several sittings. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2045. Click to see full details | |
| Château Suduiraut | Sauternes (1er Cru Classé) | 2019 | 96 | A little closed on the nose, some florality with wild honey and orange. Good density here, this is certainly on the rich side with the alcohol just poking through. Good structure with a wonderful lift at the end. There is some brightness and acidity on the finish, this has excellent potential and beautiful touches of florality that I really like. Rich, seductive and unctuous. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2045. Click to see full details | |
| Château Trotte Vieille | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé B) | 2019 | 96 | Intense and concentrated on the nose, so full of aromas, rich and complex. Succulent and sophisticated, this is just so delicious. Crunchy strawberry and red cherry fruit with bright and round edges change into deep and heady blackcurrant and plum with a cool and liquorice spiced aspect as the wine makes an impact and travels from start to finish. The texture is smooth and fine, with a sense of life and joy, while the flavours are layered and complex. This has a really captivating spice to it, not at all harsh but present and indicative of the alcohol, that gives the wine frame and body. Serious with a very long life ahead but I love the way it changes in the glass giving you small hints of glamour, power and personality. Drinking window: 2027-2045 Click to see full details | |
| Domaine de Chevalier | Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves) | 2019 | 96 | Herbal notes on the notes, some herbaceous and inviting fruitiness. I just love the pure expression here, the focus is definitely on delicious crunchy fruit, it's forward and expressive, shining quite brightly with the undercurrent of acidity, minty freshness and some chalky minerality. This feels like precise winemaking, good sculpting and confidence here, it's not trying to show off and instead exudes charm and elegance. Structured and layered with great freshness and charm. It has a gorgeous juicy quality which keeps things lively and refreshing while you know there's depth and power underneath. Will be excellent to age. An absolute crowd pleaser. Drinking window: 2027-2044 Click to see full details | |
| Château Batailley | Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 95 | Heady and seductive on the nose with touches of graphite, blackcurrant and cherry fruit. This is lovely, you get a sense of understated power, smooth and layered on the palate with wood spice, liquorice, menthol and gravel/wet stone notes and a core of ripe black fruit. Tannins are supportive - supple and softly gripping giving this a structured frame and drive the flavour from start to finish. Still very much taught and knitted together, just beginning to show what it's made of. One to buy and age. Great typicity. Tasted twice. Drinking window: 2027 - 2044 Click to see full details | |
| Château Beauregard | Pomerol | 2019 | 95 | Sweet dark fruits on the nose, like black cherry jam with lovely touches of Cabernet Franc apparent in the herbal, perfumed nuances. Super soft and succulent, this is rich and concentrated but delivered in a velvet glove - sculpted. Clearly powerful with a dark core of black fruits but with such an appealingly smooth texture and lift all the way through. Freshness is key here and this has a cooling mint, liquorice and mineral aspect from start to finish. Svelte and supple, this has structure and sophistication. A classy, well made wine. Easy to recommend. Tasted three times. Drinking window: 2027 - 2044 Click to see full details | |
| Château Bellevue | St-Émilion (Grand Cru Classé) | 2019 | 95 | Lovely intensity on the nose, rich and dark with blackcurrants and some wonderfully attractive floral aromas. Excellent follow through on the palate, this is direct and precise with a good drive of black fruit flavours into a long finish. Fresh acidity underpins the fruit and there is an appealing undercurrent of minerality that is so refreshing. Liquorice spice marks the finish with a touch of dryness from the acidity. A lovely impactful wine with a flavour that goes on and on. Sophisticated, sculpted and well defined. Drinking window: 2027-2044 Click to see full details | |
| Château Beychevelle | St-Julien (4ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 95 | Dark nose, quite serious and seductive. This draws you in from the first smell with lovely florality and delicacy. On the palate it's deep and the power is on show no doubt, there's concentration but also such aromatics and purity of fruit with tannins that are gentle and svelte. Lifted the whole way through, good acidity and a subtle creaminess at the end. A well framed, pretty and powerful style. Great winemaking with precision. Drinking window: 2027-2045 Click to see full details | |
| Château Bourgneuf | Pomerol | 2019 | 95 | Excellent clarity and linearity here, this is direct and precise with a focus all the way through. A core of cool, fresh and mint-licked red fruit is joined by coffee bean and liquorice touches, going from start to finish gliding across the palate supported by firm but well-integrated tannins. Tense, hefty and complex, but also completely captivating. Drinking window: 2027 - 2045 Click to see full details | |
| Château Boyd-Cantenac | Margaux (3ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 95 | Dark and concentrated nose, smells ripe and heady. This has an excellent structure, right from the off you can feel and taste the density of fruit but it's so well handled and well proportioned - everything in balance. It's a rich style, full on the palate with a cooling menthol aspect to it but it has nice spicy edges and bright acidity propelling it forward. The texture stands out, smooth but present tannins giving a mouthfeel that is so appealing. One I really wanted another glass of, but it will be even better with a few more years aging. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2044. Click to see full details | |
| Château Branaire-Ducru | St-Julien (4ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 95 | Nuanced and complex on the nose, this smells rich and full of life. Juicy from the start with a brightness to the fruit. Harmonious with round, slightly chewy generous tannins. Has real aromatic interest, a lovely freshness and then a cooling effect on the finish. Well packaged and shiny. Glamour but also depth, precision and definite approachability. Drinking window: 2027-2040 Click to see full details | |
| Château Clerc Milon | Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 95 | Great Cabernet nose, generous and quite expressive filled with blackcurrants and black plums. Rich and densely concentrated but with a cooling freshness from the limestone. Profound on the palate, this makes a real impact and impression with layers of flavour that are nicely framed and direct. Soft yet muscular with a fresh, menthol, liquorice and softly sweet ending that really leaves a delightful lasting note. Just a brilliantly concentrated glass of wine with power and sophistication. Persistent ending, will age very well. I love the texture and overall feel of this. A blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Drinking window: 2027 - 2044 Click to see full details | |
| Château Couhins-Lurton | Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves) | 2019 | 95 | Gorgeous nose full of blackcurrant and dark fruits - fresh and expressive. The palate full of lively, high-definition fruit -a complete fruit explosion that feels dynamic with energy and life. I love the fruit forwardness and immediate appeal but there is also some support from fine tannins and the softest touch of sweetness and chew to the fruit that gives a great mouthfeel - textured and structured. Feels like excellent winemaking on show. Confident and shining. A top buy. Drinking window: 2027-2046 Click to see full details | |
| Château Couhins-Lurton, Blanc | Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves) | 2019 | 95 | White flowers on the nose alongside bright citrus fruits, lemon, grape and melon. Nice drive here, this has good energy and precision. I like the directness as well as the layering of white flowers, honey and peach, pear and apricot fruit before a cooling mint aspect on the finish which is particularly appealing. Good freshness and easy-drinking appeal. Drinking window: 2027-2045 Click to see full details | |
| Château de Rayne Vigneau | Sauternes (1er Cru Classé) | 2019 | 95 | Nice fresh, lemon zestiness on the nose - smells bright and quite inviting. Lemon juice, apricot and peach, ripe pear and pineapple on the palate - a good mix of fruits and balanced sugar level, not too cloying but quite potent. I like the glamour and confidence here, driven with some spicy bitter notes coming in towards the finish ending with a lemon zest lift at the end. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2045. Click to see full details | |
| Château Feytit-Clinet | Pomerol | 2019 | 95 | Evocative and expressive nose full of dark chocolate and clear truffle aromas with red cherry nuances. This has a nice svelteness, supple tannins but there is also a serious aspect to this - a straightness and linearity right now . Definitely on the dark spectrum with clear liquorice, coffee, black cherries, figs, prunes and raisins as well as black pepper and some bitter dark chocolate too. Heady and powerful, oaky and tannic but lifted by excellent acidity. Drinking window: 2027 - 2045 Click to see full details | |
| Château Fleur Cardinale | St-Émilion (Grand Cru Classé) | 2019 | 95 | Really smoky, coffee bean aromas on the nose with ripe blackcurrants. Great texture and flavour here, it's full of herbs and liquorice-tinged black fruits (cherries mainly) but really well integrated so that no one aspect sticks out. Tannins are super fine and smooth and the acidity is well balanced carrying the density of the fruit as well as the freshness. It's a big shouldered wine there's no question, power but also poise. Harmonious, charming and elegant. A very complete wine that is balanced with generous fruit, tannins, acidity and mineral freshness. Feels well handled and just excellently executed. Has a real purity to it with sculpting and refinement. Great stuff and still so juicy and appealing at the end. A top buy. Drinking window: 2027-2045 Click to see full details | |
| Château Jean Faure | St-Émilion (Grand Cru Classé) | 2019 | 95 | Wonderfully floral cherry notes on the nose here - ripe, vibrant and appealing. Such great juicy impact, strawberries, cherries and redcurrants, really just hits the palate with brightness, energy and verve. An approachable style but with lots of layers, great acidity and a cooling menthol undertone. Really enjoyable with underlying power and precision. Excellent. Drinking window: 2027-2044 Click to see full details | |
| Château La Gaffelière | St-Émilion (1er Grand Cru Classé) | 2019 | 95 | A rich and round nose, bursting with ripe fruit aromas. Plump and voluptuous on the palate all while having excellent acidity that really lifts it up, so you have depth but also this real aerial aspect. Tannins are smooth and really well framed and this is super fresh. Delicate yet deep, round yet layered with chalky minerality. Elegant and engaging. Drinking window: 2027-2045 Click to see full details | |
| Château La Grave | Pomerol | 2019 | 95 | Dark blackcurrant and milk chocolate on the nose. Quite a firn, supple style with generous and concentrated fruit - dark blackcurrants, plums and black cherries laced with sweet black liquorice. Brooding and powerful but with excellent tension and precision. I love the dark side of this and the lingering flavour, so deep and long. Drinking window: 2027 - 2044 Click to see full details | |
| Château La Tour Blanche | Sauternes (1er Cru Classé) | 2019 | 95 | White pear, peach and green apple on the nose alongside some candied lemon notes. This is clean and pure with excellent acidity. Quite expressive and pronounced flavours of sherbet lemon, bright and zesty, with some caramel notes and burnt orange bitter edges. I like the overall feel, it's well balanced and fresh with real clarity. One that is more approachable right now. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2045. Click to see full details | |
| Château La Violette | Pomerol | 2019 | 95 | Scented and aromatic with ample appeal on the nose. Vibrant and plush on the palate, this is slick with charm and character. Deep and rich no doubt but with carefully placed tannins that carry the fruit and acidity through to the lifted, super fresh finish. A seductive style that gets the right balance between power and poise. One for the cellar. Drinking window: 2026- 2040 Click to see full details | |
| Château Lafite Rothschild, Carruades de Lafite | Pauillac | 2019 | 95 | Ripe nose, so fresh and alive with beautiful cherry perfumed aromas too. This has a lovely, almost sweet, aspect to the fruit on the palate with high acidity making you salivate. High toned blackcurrants and red cherries are supported by soft tannins and gentle licks of liquorice and coffee. A wine you just want to drink now as it's so appealing with freshness and lift but it has the sides of spice that give it structure and make you realise it's still powerful and will age so well. The finish is cool and lifted. Poise and persistence - a tantalising Carruades. Drinking window: 2027 - 2044 Click to see full details | |
| Château Latour à Pomerol | Pomerol | 2019 | 95 | Wonderfully evocative nose, rich and vibrant, floral and perfumed alongside red fruits with a tiny touch of wood spice. Rich but dark and cooling, a brooding and bewitching style with liquorice-laced fruit and firm tannins. Serious, mouth filling, concentrated and rich but well delivered. There is a clarity to the fruit but this is all muscle and sinew at the moment. Lovely but tight and tense, so focussed with a hint of crushed stone and mint on the finish. A characterful style. Drinking window: 2025 - 2044 Click to see full details | |
| Château Le Prieuré | St-Émilion (Grand Cru Classé) | 2019 | 95 | Nice herbal aspects to the nose, touching on savoury - some truffle aromas alongside blackcurrants and bramble fruits. Great density straight away, plush, rich and ripe but in a great way - this has purity and precision and I love the texture. It softens and expands after a few seconds when the spice comes in, perhaps from the oak, or a touch of alcohol still making its presence known but it's not totally disruptive. A really very promising initial taste from this which has a long life ahead. Easy to recommend. Drinking window: 2025-2043 Click to see full details | |
| Château Les Grandes Murailles | St-Émilion (Grand Cru Classé) | 2019 | 95 | Ripe blackcurrants on the nose. Sweetly juicy on the palate, this is succulent but also generous with quite intense flavours of blackcurrant and black cherry. It's smooth with lovely layers and waves of dark chocolate, blood iron, sweet liquorice and cedar. Elegant, expressive. Lovely. Give it time. A top buy! Drinking window: 2025-2040 Click to see full details | |
| Château Malartic-Lagravière, Blanc | Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves) | 2019 | 95 | Apple, elderflower, white peach and apricot. Smooth and bright, this has finesse and class with real linearity and direction. I like the texture and mouthfeel - big enough to be quite a structured and round wine but with lightness and freshness too. This has real focus, perhaps not so layered and expressive at this point, but such an excellent drive of lemon and lime fruit and some bitter grapefruit edges too, that give spice and definition. Confident and poised. Great winemaking. Drinking window: 2027-2040 Click to see full details | |
| Château Palmer, Alter Ego | Margaux | 2019 | 95 | Gorgeous rich dark purple in the glass. Quite jammy and concentrated on the nose, heady and perfumed with a lovely delicate florality to it too. Great freshness on the palate, juicy but a dark blackcurrant and cherry fruit juice. Beautifully balanced with integrated tannins and oak. Well defined fruit, generous and quite abundant against softly grippy, velvety tannins that just give support to the overall frame. It's serious but with a lightness of touch and playfulness - energetic and lively but still with depth. A great Alter Ego and confident winemaking on show. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2043. Click to see full details | |
| Château Pape Clément | Pessac-Léognan | 2019 | 95 | Density in all aspects here, quite a rich, broad and bold style but with precision, clarity and definition. It's big shouldered with plenty of heft and ripe fruit but well presented with great acidity that keeps the freshness from start to finish and this has a nice cooling minty aspect towards the finish. Tannins are firm, and still very present, needing to soften a little over time but this definitely has the weight, structure and fruit purity to have a long life ahead. Drinking window: 2027-2042 Click to see full details | |
| Château Petit-Village | Pomerol | 2019 | 95 | Sweet exotic spices on the nose, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, sweet orange rind - it smells wonderful. Chalky tannins are at the fore right now alongside juicy blackcurrant fruit and soft salinity. Great freshness, the acidity is high, touching on mouth watering while the tannins come in to support and cool mint takes effect. There's a real minerality to this also which gives a clean feeling to the finish. Each element feels well handled and presented, there's lots going on. Fine, precise and focussed with just a touch of austerity that will soften in time. Drinking window: 2027 - 2044 Click to see full details | |
| Château Quintus | St-Émilion (Grand Cru) | 2019 | 95 | Quite a rich nose. Heady and full with some soft floral aromatics. This is gorgeous, full of life, great freshness and energy but with a deep core of flavour - layered and complex, this gives the mouthwatering juicy acidity you want but also the lovely plush tannins and sensitivity of fruit - power and charm. Tannins are so well integrated supporting the fruit and giving structure with a cooling, liquorice mintiness on the finish. Great impact and presence. Could drink this now and savour the lifted fruit and cooling ending. 55.4% Merlot and 44.6% Cabernet Franc. Drinking window: 2027-2044 Click to see full details | |
| Château Rouget | Pomerol | 2019 | 95 | Ripe and dried red berry fruit on the nose, raisins, freshly picked raspberries and blueberries. Some wonderful potpourri perfume too. Great grip and hold from the start - this is tannic and they coat the mouth but with such a bright and juicy aspect too. Real energy here, a lighter if you can say that (as still 14.5%) style, with focus on delicate red fruits, perfume and dark chocolate. RIch to start with, muscular with a bold immediate taste then the delicacy comes in. A wonderful aerial style that is all in balance but still needs some time. It will reward cellaring. Great potential here and quality winemaking on show. Tasted twice. Drinking window: 2025 - 2045 Click to see full details | |
| Château Saint-Pierre | St-Julien (4ème Cru Classé) | 2019 | 95 | Such an expressive nose, high toned, floral, a bit wild with some medicinal aspects, coffee, leather and cola notes. The texture is just gorgeous, there's a chewiness that you find in a lot of the St-Julien's but it's soft, generous, round and mouth filling in a great way. Then a deep core of fruits come in with black liquorice, underpinned by excellent cooling acidity and menthol freshness. I like this a lot. Great florality and perfume surrounding the fruit on the palate too. This has a seductive appeal with rich fruit and rich splicing. Drinking window: 2025-2043 Click to see full details | |
| Château Saint-Pierre | Pomerol | 2019 | 95 | Expressive on the nose, so aromatic. The palate is so delicious - dense and structured, powerful and muscular but so well packaged. Uber glamour here. Real depth of flavour with lingering spice from the liquorice and sweet cedar, some bitter dark chocolate, floral touches and even soft savoury truffle aspects too. I love it, chewy almost balancing intensity with freshness and just such clarity that you know it's been well worked. Buy and hold on to. Drinking window: 2025 - 2044 Click to see full details | |
| Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte | Pessac-Léognan | 2019 | 95 | This smells so rich with lemon rind, apricot skin and peach flesh nuances - so enticing. The palate is juicy and unctuous, succulent with a rich creaminess alongside bright acidity. Clearly powerful but not at all showy, the flavours just coarse along from start to finish with such a delicious bitterness that adds texture, structure and bite to the finish. Such complexity here, lots going on and so much to enjoy. Drinking window: 2025-2045 Click to see full details | |
| Château Sociando-Mallet | Haut-Médoc | 2019 | 95 | Some savoury elements on the nose, olive and black tapenade. Excellent concentration on the palate, less fruit forward at this point than the Demoiselle second wine, but excellent tension and power – really taut, all in line, straight, driven. A lot going on aromatically – cinnamon, cigar box, cedar, smoke and dark chocolate – really super-complex, with tannins that are smooth but present and a minty finish. Layered and precise, you can feel the sculpting of the fruits and the well-handled oak and extraction. Excellent. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2045. Click to see full details | |
| Château Villemaurine | St-Émilion (Grand Cru Classé) | 2019 | 95 | Ripe and sweet fruit aromas - smells rich and full of fruit. Great texture here and general drive of sweet dense fruit from start to finish. I love the precision and the boldness of this, it's powerful no doubt, rich and ripe but presented in quite a linear, well defined way right now. Confident and quite showy, great fruit profile - cherries and blackcurrants with velvety tannins that provide soft grip and good support. Bold but charming in a look at me kind of way. A very enjoyable glass of wine - hold on to. Drinking window: 2025-2045 Click to see full details | |
| Clos du Clocher | Pomerol | 2019 | 95 | Ripe dark fruits and dried flowers abound on the nose, aromatic and expressive. Succulent and juicy on the palate but with a really rich, concentrated core of fruit giving intense blackcurrant, blueberry and black cherry flavours alongside coffee bean, dark chocolate and black pepper. Lovely combination of fruit and spice all balanced and given lift by bright acidity and a minty fresh finish. A structured and sophisticated wine with lots to like and lots to give. Totally moreish - one you want to drink now but should probably hold on to. Tasted twice. Drinking window: 2025 - 2043 Click to see full details | |
| Clos du Marquis | St-Julien | 2019 | 95 | Fragrant and full with deep, rich, dark and silky tannins underpinned by great freshness. It has a smooth texture, the flavours of sweet but fresh and vibrant cherry fruit and a touch of menthol just gliding across the palate, supported by tight-knit tannins. High-toned with well-defined edges and a consistency from start to finish. You could drink this now for its rich but seductive charming fruit-forwardness. Drinking window: 2025-2045 Click to see full details | |
| Les Perrières de Lafleur | Bordeaux Supérieur | 2019 | 95 | The second vintage of Les Perrières (59% Cabernet Franc, 41% Merlot), made by the same team and vine genetics as Lafleur but on limestone terroir in Fronsac. Bramble black fruits on the nose with tiny hints of dark chocolate, slate and scented violets. Super-juicy on the palate, playful and light in terms of clarity with veins of chalk and minerality. Smooth, pure and well framed with abundant freshness that stays long on the finish. Finely detailed with salinity. Delicious. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2045. Click to see full details |