Vinous - Antonio Galloni (93)

The 2019 Paveil de Luze is bursting at the seams with super-ripe dark red fruit, kirsch, blood orange, rose petal and spice. There's good freshness to play off some of the more exotic flavors. This is an especially racy Margaux with tons of character. The 2019 is impressive, just as it was from barrel.

James Suckling (98-99)

This is superb with great length and quality tannins. It’s full-bodied with intense, polished tannins and great length. Tar and black fruit. Goes on for minutes. On and on. We will see which is better: 2019 or 2018.

James Suckling (98-99)

Really classy red, offering blueberries, minerals, salt, limestone and light fresh herbs. It’s full-bodied, but so refined. Fine layers of fruit and tannins. It’s like millefeuille. The 2018 is more exuberant, but I love the elegance and structure here. Subtle and complex. 78% merlot, 20% cabernet franc and 2% cabernet sauvignon.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (97)

High Sauvignon Blanc aromatics, with gunsmoke and flint reduction on the first nose, opening to juicy white peach, white pear, nuanced pumice stone minerality. Pavillon Blanc is one of the most structured white wines of Bordeaux, and reveals its complexities slowly, but already the texture tells you just what an exceptional vintage it is. Subtle yet unmissable.

James Suckling (96)

Fresh tobacco, currant and earth, opening up to forest flowers. It’s rich in tannins, but very soft and beautiful. Layered, with lots of fine fruit and a velvety texture. Blackberry and chocolate in the finish too. 27% of the crop and a blend of 76% cabernet sauvignon and 19% merlot, the rest petit verdot and cabernet franc. Delicious already, but give it at least six years of bottle age. Better after 2027.

Jeb Dunnuck (94+)

A gorgeous wine, the 2019 Château Pédesclaux shines for its pure, elegant, yet concentrated style, and it's certainly one of the finest vintages from this address. Cassis, black cherries, lead pencil, and violet notes all emerge on the nose, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a seamless, elegant mouthfeel, ripe, polished tannins, and a great finish. The purity and finesse are truly something here, and while it already offers pleasure, it deserves 4-5 years of bottle age and will evolve for 20+ years.

Vinous - Neal Martin (94)

The 2019 Les Pensées has a very pure, floral bouquet of blackberry, crushed rock, pressed iris flowers and just a touch of graphite. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, very structured for a Les Pensées, and strict toward the finish, which has impressive substance. Don’t be afraid to give this 3–5 years in bottle.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (91)

The 2019 Petit Bocq is a stylish, exuberant Saint-Estèphe to drink now and over the next decade. Plush dark fruit, spice, leather, scorched earth, menthol and chocolate are pushed forward. There is so much to like, starting with the wine's engaging personality.

Decanter (94)

Blackberry notes on the nose, with some herbal perfume touches too that are so appealing. Smooth and softly textured, with chalky nuances and grippy black cherry, strawberry and blackcurrant leaf aspects giving structure and body. Succulent and juicy with mouthwatering freshness. Great vibrancy and drive with life. Super approachable with the same vein of refinement and charm that Figeac does so well.

James Suckling (96-97)

The complexity and depth is fantastic in this beautifully crafted, refined red. Such poise, finesse and length. Yet dense and very compacted. Love the texture precision. Goes on and on. Best ever?

Wine Enthusiast (100)

As always, it is the Cabernet Sauvignon that sings. It brings an impressive structure to the wine, rich tannins and powerful black fruits. The wine is set for aging. It shows all the power and the open quality of the vintage. Drink from 2027.

The Wine Cellar Insider (100)

Absolutely compelling from the initial swirl, sniff and sip. It takes no time to recognize this as being an incredible, future legendary Bordeaux! The perfume is mesmerizing with its display of flowers, spices, tobacco leaf, cassis, plum and blackberries. But it is the texture, with its layers of silky, perfectly, ripe, sweet fruits that steals the show. Rich, full-bodied and concentrated, the decadent finish, with all its multiple layers sticks with you for at least sixty seconds!

Emanating from the renowned vineyards of Bordeaux, France, the Plaisance 2019 offers a uniquely captivating wine experience. Conceived by the reputable Plaisance vintners, this exquisite blend mirrors the tradition and mastery inherent in each drop. The Plaisance 2019 bears the hallmarks of an exceptional Bordeaux wine, factoring in its topography, climate, and meticulous winemaking process.

The soil's rich composition, a harmonious fusion of gravel, sand and clay, bestows upon the Plaisance 2019 its distinct flavour profiles. The wine undergoes a thorough vinification process, ensuring character and depth. Aging in French oak barrels lends an additional layer of complexity, introducing a delicate balance of spice and toastiness.

A sip unveils dark fruit flavours, dancing on the palate with hints of blackberry and plum. Subtle tinges of vanilla and tobacco set against robust tannins culminate in a compelling, structured finish. The Plaisance 2019 authenticates its origins, guaranteeing a memorable encounter with the spirit of Bordeaux.

James Suckling (99)

The aromas to this are really amazing, with a potpourri of spices and dried flowers, as well as redcurrants, sweet plums and even some peaches. Full-bodied with layers of ripe fruit and ultra-fine tannins that spread across the palate in an encompassing yet always elegant and pure way. It’s succulent and unadulterated. Like crushed, perfectly ripened grapes. The length is rather endless. The tannins build. Fabulous young red. 35% in amphora and the rest in 50% new oak and 15% one-year oak. 65% cabernet sauvignon and 30% merlot, the rest cabernet franc and petit verdot. From biodynamically grown grapes. Try after 2028, but an absolute joy to taste now.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (95)

The 2019 Prieuré-Lichine is impeccable. Creamy, layered and resonant in the glass, the 2019 hits all the right notes. Sweet red cherry/plum, lavender, rose petal, spice, mint and blood orange all build effortlessly. Over the last handful of years Prieuré-Lichine has been the single most under the radar wine in Margaux. The 2019 is another fine edition. Class, polish and sensuality make Prieuré-Lichine absolutely irresistible.

Jeb Dunnuck (94)

I continue to love this wine, and I think it's undervalued in the market. Coming from a walled vineyard near Libourne and managed by the incredible team at Cheval Blanc, the 2019 Château Quinault L'Enclos reveals a deep purple/ruby hue to go with a gorgeous seamless, medium to full-bodied, perfectly balanced profile that epitomizes the style of the vintage. The tannins are flawlessly integrated, it has a great mid-palate, and it offers up a wonderful bouquet of darker cherries, currants, leafy herbs, and chocolate. It can be drunk today with incredible pleasure given its balance and purity, but it’s going to cruise in cold cellars for at least two decades.

James Suckling (96-97)

One of the firmest, most structured Quintus with lots of beautiful fruit and powerful tannins. It’s a very classically structured red with blackberry and blueberry character. Lavender and spice underneath. Extremely intense. 55% merlot and 45% cabernet.

Vinous - Neal Martin (97)

The 2019 Rauzan-Ségla is a wine that I did not taste en primeur. Picked from September 12 to October 9 and matured in 60% new oak, it has a gorgeous, seductive bouquet of pure blackberry, bilberry, crushed iris petals and just a hint of licorice. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins and good cohesion and depth. The oak is seamlessly integrated on the finish, which lingers like a temptress. Two samples tasted, the second demonstrating a little more salinity on the aftertaste. This will be irresistible.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (94)

The 2019 Réserve de la Comtesse is elegant, silky and nuanced, with terrific presence and tons of pure class. Crushed red berry fruit, mint, blood orange, rose petal and spice all build with a bit of aeration. I am so impressed with the wine's breadth and textural intensity. The 2019 Réserve is without a doubt one of the best recent editions here.

Vinous - Neal Martin (89-91)

The 2019 du Retout is inky purple in colour. The bouquet is clean and pure with blackberry tinged with graphite and black truffle, all nicely delineated and growing in intensity. The palate is medium-bodied with quite sharp tannins, compact and maybe leaner than some of its peers, though with satisfying persistence on the pencil lead infused finish. Fine.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (93)

The 2019 Roc de Cambes has come together beautifully since I tasted it en primeur. The balance of dark red cherry/plum fruit and blood orange is so intriguing. The 2019 bristles with energy, much of it surely attributable to the 20% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend.

Vinous - Neal Martin (94)

The 2019 Rocheyron has a gorgeous bouquet of red berry fruit and rose petals, hints of freshly tilled loam coming through with time. The palate is medium-bodied, perfectly balanced, poised and harmonious, with seamlessly integrated oak, the Cabernet Franc lending freshness and a hint of bell pepper on the finish. Superb.

James Suckling (94-95)

A dense, layered Bordeaux blanc with dried-pear, apple and pineapple character. Hints of yogurt and lemon curd. It’s full-bodied with a flavorful finish. Creamy texture. Extremely well done. Very ripe. 63% semillon here.

Decanter (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.

Wine Advocate (94-96+)

Very deep purple-black colored, the 2019 Saint-Pierre comes shooting out of the glass with vibrant scents of crushed black and red currants, black raspberries and boysenberries with touches of lavender, tilled soil, pencil shavings and camphor plus a waft of red roses. The medium-bodied palate is charged with energy, featuring densely packed, muscular black and red fruits with a solid frame of ripe, grainy tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. Make no mistake, this estate is on a roll!

Decanter (94)

Black chocolate, baked earth, liquorice root and silky smooth tannins greet you on the first attack of this wine. I've never found this the easiest to love of the Durantou range but it is strikingly successful in 2019. Silky and yet slatey in texture, this both eases you through the palate and pulls you up short, slowing things down. Sparks of fresh minerality accompany the pulsing blueberry and raspberry fruits, and the juicy finish makes this one to look out for.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (92)

The 2019 Ségla is absolutely gorgeous. Bright and effusive in the glass, with gorgeous aromatic presence, the 2019 impresses with its freshness, vivacity and energy. Crushed red berry fruit and sweet floral accents lend finesse throughout. The 2019 is lithe, elegant and classy from start to finish.

James Suckling (94-95)

A dense, beautifully integrated red with blackberry, blueberry and chocolate character. It’s full-bodied with ripe tannins and a fresh, focused finish. Shows lots of blue fruit and flowers at the end. Siran does it again, after a gorgeous 2018.