Best Fronsac & Canon Fronsac, Satellites and Côtes 2019 wines tasted en primeur
A collection of go-to appellations in 2019 for successful wines at great-value prices says Jane Anson...
Search all Fronsac & Canon Fronsac, Satellites and Côtes 2019 wine ratings
Some real successes in these appellations, often competing with St Emilion but at far better prices.
Scroll down to see the top-rated Fronsac & Canon Fronsac, Satellites and Côtes 2019 wines
The rise of Mallbec shows no signs of abating, and I lost count of the number of wines that had the addition of that spicy, dark skinned grape in the blend, something that has been true for a number of years in the Côtes but is now increasingly notable in Lalande-de-Pomerol, the St Emilion satellites and Fronsac.
Look out for La Grand Clotte as a good example in Lussac-St-Emilion.
Scores
It is hard to separate the top scorers and value picks in these appellation, and so often they are both, but I would point to La Vieille Cure in Fronsac as one of the value picks of the vintage, up at the magic 94 point mark.
There are also a lot of brilliant 93 point wines and particularly among these smaller appellations, that is a clear signal for great wine at great prices (klaxon to Domaine de l’Aurage in Castillon).
Top Scoring (all of which are good value)
In Lalande: Chatonnet estates, especially La Sergue, Haut-Chaigneau, Les Hauts Conseillants, Grand Ormeau and de Chambrun.
In Fronsac: Moulin-Haut Laroque, Les Trois Croix, La Vieille Cure, La Dauphine, Canon-Pécresse, Tessendey, (Les Perrieres de Lafleur is just outside Fronsac in AOC Bordeaux but is a clear standout).
In the Cötes: Château Réaut, Joanin-Bécot, Domaine de L’Aurage, Château le Rey, Clos Fontaine, Puygueraud.
In the Satellites: Tour Bayard L’Angelot, La Grande Clotte.
See the top-rated Fronsac & Canon Fronsac, Satellites and Côtes 2019 wines
The following wines have all been scored 92 points and above
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Les Champs Libres, Bordeaux Blanc, Bordeaux, France, 2019
This has tons of flesh and depth through the mid palate, there is real substance here, translating into muscles rather than weight, and clear minerality...
2019
Les Champs LibresBordeaux Blanc
Château La Vieille Cure, Fronsac, Bordeaux, France, 2019
New owners since 2018, still one of the clear go-to wines in Fronsac. Great texture, tons of brambly berry fruits, with the gourmet, chocolate edge...
2019
Château La Vieille CureFronsac
Château Montlandrie, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France, 2019
Cinnamon and spice box tinged pulped raspberry fruits on the nose, this has the restrained exuberance of Montlandrie in spades, where the ripe fruits are...
2019
Château MontlandrieCastillon Côtes de Bordeaux
Clos Puy Arnaud, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France, 2019
Always a benchmark wine for me in terms of success of a vintage, and this is promising from the start, with silky, inky purple depths...
2019
Clos Puy ArnaudCastillon Côtes de Bordeaux
La Sergue, Lalande-de-Pomerol, Bordeaux, France, 2019
A consistently impressive bottling from Pascal Chatonnet in Lalande made by careful selection of his best plots, with a healthy dash of Malbec alongside Merlot...
2019
La SergueLalande-de-Pomerol
Château Les Cruzelles, Lalande-de-Pomerol, Bordeaux, France, 2019
For me this stands out above La Chenade, in the yin and yang of these two terroirs. Has more signature of the Pomerol side of...
2019
Château Les CruzellesLalande-de-Pomerol
Les Perrières de Lafleur, Bordeaux Supérieur, Bordeaux, France, 2019
Savoury, succulent, with rippling muscles. The limestone terroir here (just above Ch La Rivière in Fronsac, with just 20-30cm of soil before you hit limestone)...
2019
Les Perrières de LafleurBordeaux Supérieur
Château Les Trois Croix, Fronsac, Bordeaux, France, 2019
As ever this is one of the value buys of Bordeaux, just such an impressive wine that is dripping with damson fruit, silky and fresh...
2019
Château Les Trois CroixFronsac
Chateau Joanin Bécot, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France, 2019
Evident freshness from the first moment, plenty of body to the savoury red fruits. Everything is in balance and you get both juice, deepening gourmet...
2019
Chateau Joanin BécotCastillon Côtes de Bordeaux
Château du Gaby, Fronsac, Bordeaux, France, 2019
An impressive showing from Gaby, tons of blackberry and black cherry fruit but pretty restrained overall with clear limestone influence in the salinity on the...
2019
Château du GabyFronsac
Château Moulin-Haut-Laroque, Fronsac, Bordeaux, France, 2019
RIch, bold concentrated nose - a touch of perfume, too. Dense, ripe and juicy on initial impact then the tannins, fresh acidity and minerality come...
2019
Château Moulin-Haut-LaroqueFronsac
Château de La Dauphine, Fronsac, Bordeaux, France, 2019
Intense fruity expression, more on the black fruit spectrum with dark cherries and plums. Vibrant and highly refreshing. Rich and flavoursome with great depth. The...
2019
Château de La DauphineFronsac
Château Haut-Carles, Fronsac, Bordeaux, France, 2019
Good texture, plenty of rich depth to this wine, clear difference in style and approach to the Château de Carles bottling. There are plentiful tannins,...
2019
Château Haut-CarlesFronsac
Château Clarke, Listrac-Médoc, Bordeaux, France, 2019
A soil study when this property was bought by Baron Edmond de Rothschild in 1973 saw the 55-hectare, limestone and clay vineyard replanted with a...
2019
Château ClarkeListrac-Médoc
Château Poujeaux, Moulis-en-Médoc, Bordeaux, France, 2019
Brambled autumnal fruit on the nose, this is good stuff from a property that is consistently impressive. Not as fully powered or concentrated as its...
2019
Château PoujeauxMoulis-en-Médoc
Château Toumalin, Canon-Fronsac, Bordeaux, France, 2019
Another successful Fronsac in 2019, tons of sappy blackberry fruits. Limestone character abounds alongside chocolate and coffee, all with restraint and focus. Hard to argue...
2019
Château ToumalinCanon-Fronsac
Château de Chantegrive, Caroline, Graves, Bordeaux, France, 2019
Silky with clear weight and a clear grip through the palate. Very much enjoyed the main estate wine in this vintage also, but this bottling...
2019
Château de ChantegriveGraves
