James Suckling (98)

Redcurrants, sweet tobacco and flowers with some sandalwood. Very perfumed and floral. So pure. Full-bodied, yet so refined and layered, with a soft, compact palate and a crushed-velvet mouth-feel. Poised fruit at the end, together with fresh, rare wood and a light chocolate undertone to the aftertaste. This is open, yet there’s so much in reserve. 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc. Leave it in the cellar for at least eight years. Try after 2029.

James Suckling (91-92)

A dense, layered red with chocolate, hazelnut and redcurrants. It’s medium-to full-bodied. Chewy tannins at the end.

Emanating from the esteemed cellars of Château Lescalle, we present the bewitching pleasure of Aurage 2019. This exalted representation of Bordeaux Supérieur manifests the viticultural mastery of Propriétaire-Récoltant Max de Pourtalès, delivering a wine that boasts elegance and balance in equal measure. With its blend predominantly of Merlot and an accent of Cabernet Franc, Aurage 2019 imparts a complex profile of dark berries, plum, and subtle spice.

Precisely harvested at peak ripeness then matured in French oak barrels for eighteen months, the Aurage 2019 delivers a voluptuously silky texture, superb depth of flavour and refined maturity befitting its lineage. This wine's terroir is distinctively displayed through its graphite minerality and well-delineated structure indicative of the splendid gravelly clay soils and meticulous vine cultivation.

Aurage 2019 is a testimonial to the prowess of its producer and the rich heritage of the Bordeaux region, fulfilling the promise of a captivating and indulgent journey in every sip for discerning oenophiles.

The Wine Independent (99)

The 2019 Ausone is a blend of 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it bursts with uber-fragrant notes of liquid violets, licorice, exotic spices, and roses with a core of black cherries, plum preserves, black soil, and sassafras. Full-bodied, it is super concentrated with a razor backbone of refreshing acidity and very pixilated tannins, finishing with incredible depth and minerality. This wine dances!

Vinous - Neal Martin (95)

The 2019 Barde-Haut is beautifully defined on the nose, very pure with precise blackberry, briary, violets and iris flower, harmonious. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled tannins, cohesive and mineral-driven; the terroir is very expressive towards the finish that lingers in the mouth. Wonderful, assured and with great potential. Tasted at the Barde-Haut vertical at the château.

James Suckling (96)

Shows beautiful, ripe cabernet aromas with currants, plums, meat and smoke. Flowers, too. Full body, deep and ripe fruit and exquisite, ripe tannins. Flavorful finish. Tight right now, but shows excellent potential. Best ever. Try after 2024.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (96)

The 2019 Beau-Séjour-Bécot is a powerful, explosive wine. Dark fruit, chocolate, cured meats and earthy notes lend quite a bit of depth. Compared with its neighbors, Beau-Séjour-Bécot is dark, broad and broodingly tannic, sometimes more power than finesse. There is plenty of character, though. That much is evident. Beau-Séjour-Bécot speaks with authority as it commands attention.

Vinous - Neal Martin (91-93)

The 2019 Beaumont impresses on the nose with intense blackberry and briary aromas, sous-bois and tobacco, all whilst maintaining its delineation. The palate is supple and silky on the entry. There is well judged acidity, plenty of cedar and seaweed, tinged black fruit and a spicy finish. Now, this is a bloody great Beaumont.

Decanter (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.

Jeb Dunnuck (95-97)

An estate that deserves more recognition in the market today, the 2019 Château Bellefont-Belcier comes from a fabulous terroir not far from Larcis Ducasse and Château Pavie. Gorgeous cassis and black raspberry fruits give way to a full-bodied, incredibly elegant 2019 with loads of floral notes, the classic minerality of this terroir, ripe tannins, and blockbuster of a finish. The elegance and purity of this wine paired with its richness and depth are something.

Jeb Dunnuck (94-96)

I've always enjoyed this wine (I recently finished a case of the 2003, which needs to be drunk up), and the 2019 Château Bellevue showed beautifully. Dense purple-hued with lots of cassis, gravelly earth, violets, and spicy oak, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a soft, opulent mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's a beautiful wine in the making and well worth a case purchase.

Decanter (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.

Bordeaux Rive Droite Caisse Prestige No 2 2019 contains:

1x75cl Pétrus 2019
1x75cl Château Trotanoy 2019
1x75cl Château La Fleur Pétrus 2019
1x75cl Château Grave 2019
1x75cl Château Lagrange 2019
1x75cl Château Belair-Monange 2019
1x75cl Château Certan de May 2019
1x75cl Château Gazin 2019
1x75cl Château Bourgneuf 2019
1x75cl Château L'Evangile 2019
1x75cl Château Le Chemin 2019

James Suckling (95-96)

Dark-berry and blue-fruit character to the firm, chewy tannins that are polished and solid. Medium to full body. Wood and walnut undertones now. Impressive.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (98)

The 2019 Calon Ségur is a wine of soaring vertical intensity and pure power. That's the good news. The not so good news is that it won't be ready to drink any time soon. Exotic spice, pencil shavings, crème de cassis, mocha and licorice are some of the nuances that develop in the glass, but those descriptions can't even begin to capture the sheer beauty of what is in the glass. I loved the 2019 from barrel and I love it just as much from bottle.

The Wine Independent (100)

Composed of 74% Merlot and 26% Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Canon is deep garnet-purple in color. It offers up fragrant notes of mocha, violets, and licorice over a core of plum preserves and wild blueberries, plus a waft of Indian spices. The full-bodied palate is full-on gorgeous, delivering bright, energetic black and blue fruit layers with a lively backbone and super-fine, perfectly ripe tannins, finishing long, long, long.

Vinous - Neal Martin (95)

José Sanfins has overseen a 2019 Cantenac Brown that will give immense pleasure in coming years. The bouquet has tightened up since I tasted the barrel sample (also at the château, in summer 2021): blackberry, raspberry and cedar are now accompanied by just a touch of peppermint. The palate is medium-bodied, taut and fresh, with sappy red fruit, fine acidity and a vibrant, harmonious finish. This Margaux brims with confidence and should give 30 to 40 years of drinking pleasure. The insiders' Margaux of choice.

James Suckling (93-94)

This is a gorgeous young sample with wonderful blue fruit and spices, as well as a nice overlay of pretty wood. Medium to full body and firm, silky tannins. Hints of minerals. Better than 2018.

Vinous - Neal Martin (88)

The 2019 Caronne Ste Gemme has a more giving, less timid bouquet than in barrel, offering delightful blackberry, briary and cedar aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, a slightly powdery texture and dark chocolate and white pepper toward the oaky finish. Give it 3–4 years.

Decanter (94)

Ripe nose with some black truffle, dark chocolate and blackcurrant. On the palate this is juicy and succulent, a lighter fresher wine than the two before, cooling mint, minerality, bright strawberry and raspberry leaf. lifted still with concentration and pomerol power but also glossy with some confidence shining through. Nicely integrated tannins and long length.

Vinous - Neal Martin (93)

The 2019 Chasse-Spleen is very perfumed on the nose, offering vivid brambly red fruit, leather, undergrowth and cedar aromas that gain intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied and cohesive, with a sappy opening and fine acidity. Lightly spiced, showing plenty of substance on the finish. While not the most consistent estate, Chasse-Spleen has it in its grasp to make great wines, and the 2019 is one of them.

The Wine Independent (100)

The 2019 Cheval Blanc is a blend of 58% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. 41 out of 53 blocks have had a part to play this year, representing 10 different soil types. The Grand Vin in 2019 represents 82% of production. Deep purple-black in color, it needs a lot of swirling to shake loose fragrant scents of Indian spice, potpourri, star anise, and cardamom, over a core of preserved plums, boysenberries, and charcoal with touches of wood smoke and cracked black pepper. Full-bodied, rich and immediately impactful in the mouth, the layered nuances slowly expand, beautifully framed by ripe, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with cascading savory and earth flavors and lots of lingering mineral notes.

Vinous - Neal Martin (90)

The 2019 Cissac has a nose of bright red berries nicely interwoven with hints of graphite and cedar, all very focused. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh and vibrant, with fine-grained tannins and gentle grip on the graphite-tinged finish. This is a very fine Cissac to enjoy over the next decade.

Vinous - Neal Martin (98)

The 2019 Clinet has maintained the stunning delineation that I discerned from the barrel sample. Pure black cherries, hints of cassis and wilted violet scents unfold in the glass with effortless ease, and the oak (75% new, 25% used for 18 months) is neatly integrated. The poised palate is medium-bodied, taut and fresh, with fine-grained tannins and disarming mineralité, particularly toward the finish, which delivers tremendous length and saliva-inducing salinity on the aftertaste. There is a pleasing strictness to this Clinet that is apposite to the flamboyant and decadent wines of the Nineties. This Clinet is one of Ronan Laborde's great achievements.

Vinous - Neal Martin (98)

The 2019 Clinet has maintained the stunning delineation that I discerned from the barrel sample. Pure black cherries, hints of cassis and wilted violet scents unfold in the glass with effortless ease, and the oak (75% new, 25% used for 18 months) is neatly integrated. The poised palate is medium-bodied, taut and fresh, with fine-grained tannins and disarming mineralité, particularly toward the finish, which delivers tremendous length and saliva-inducing salinity on the aftertaste. There is a pleasing strictness to this Clinet that is apposite to the flamboyant and decadent wines of the Nineties. This Clinet is one of Ronan Laborde's great achievements.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (98)

20ha of prime St Emilion limestone, punching at the very top of its game. This is muscular, less exuberant than the exceptional 2018 but this is still easily one of the wines of the vintage, salinity and austerity but creamy in texture, with pure, well chiselled blueberry, blackberry and raspberry fruits with peony flowers on the finish. Biodynamic farming, but not certified. 38hl/h yield. 50% new oak, 2% amphoras.

Vinous - Neal Martin (89)

The 2019 Connetable de Talbot has a perfumed, well-defined bouquet with a skip in its step, featuring red berry fruit, cinnamon and touches of brown spice. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins. This is a well-balanced Connetable with a bit more body than previous vintages, slightly savory in style and maybe missing a little length. But as a Deuxième Vin, it works well. 13.8% alcohol

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (87-90)

The 2019 Coutet is a high toned and very aromatic mid-weight wine with notes of pineapple, passion fruit and exotic white flowers. The 2019 is very pretty but a bit eccentric, especially in its aromatics, which are somewhat diffuse.

Vinous - Neal Martin (94-96)

The 2019 La Croix Ducru Beaucaillou is endowed with a gorgeous, quite sumptuous bouquet loaded with black plum, tobacco, smoke and Earl Grey aromas that burst from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with very pliant tannin, harmonious and velvety in texture, gradually building towards a detailed and mineral-driven finish. Maybe less opulent than the 2018 by comparison, yet a Deuxième Vin full of breeding.

Vinous - Neal Martin (92)

The 2019 d'Aiguilhe has a really lovely bouquet of ample black cherry, mulberry and light floral scents, very pure and delineated. The palate is medium-bodied with cedar-infused red fruit. While not as exuberant as the aromatics, this is nicely detailed and quite poised on the finish. No, I still cannot pronounce its name, but this Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux is well worth seeking out.