Product Line - 2019

Pomerol

The 2019 Vieux-Château-Certan has a fabulous bouquet with stunning delineation, a complex array of red and black fruit, sous-bois, truffle and Seville orange marmalade. The palate is medium-bodied and very precise, with fine-grain tannins, a superb bead of acidity and a peacock's tail on the finish lingering long in the mouth. I knew this was an awesome Pomerol...but maybe not this awesome! Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. 99 NEAL MARTIN

The 2019 Vieux Château Certan is even better from bottle than it was from barrel. It is very clearly one of the highlights on the Right Bank. Soaring aromatics are immediately captivating. There is an exoticism in the 2019 that I saw from barrel that is evident in the bottled wine, but today, I see more balance and harmony. Crème de cassis, licorice, lavender, spice and rose petal blend into a core of red/purplish berry fruit. All the elements are so well balanced. The Grand Vin is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, but the blend also includes one lot of young vine Cabernet Sauvignon that was added for its aromatic presence. That decision paid off in spades, as the 2019 is truly magical. Antonio Galloni 98+

Subtle and complex with blackberries, violets, lilacs, roses and hints of ink. So floral, yet subtle on the nose. Full-bodied with incredible polish and beauty, the silky tannins running the length of the wine and going on and on. It builds with sheer elegance and structure. A blend of 78% merlot, 15% cabernet franc and 7% cabernet sauvignon. Drink after 2028, but already a joy to taste. 99 JAMES SUCKLING

Everything contributed to the success of the vintage. A sufficiently cool and rainy winter. A fresh and sunny spring. Throughout the summer, a gradual water deficit before veraison and dry, sunny weather with cool nights enhanced the aromatic potential. Welcome light rain showers from September 22nd allowed the vines to rehydrate and complete the full grape ripeness. Harvest began September 23rd. Blend: 78 % Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon.

A ripe, tannic wine with fruit character and well-preserved acidity with superb balance. The Merlot contributed density, body, smoothness, volume and breed. The Cabernet Franc showed a lacy elegance and was complex, full and long on the palate. The Cabernet Sauvignon was lively and delicious, it brought an indispensable touch of freshness to the blend. 2019 can be compared with the 2009 with its  glossy colour, sweet and fresh with lots of floral notes of hawthorn and almond blossom. There is beautiful balance here. Lovely intensity, black fruit flavours, a touch of truffles, some oak and typical Pomerol generosity. A baby still but there is so much concentration and layers of flavour and great energy from the very old vines. Seems effortless but this balance is remarkable. Classic VCC. Don’t touch for at least another 10 years: 2035-2065 Splendid! FIONA MORRISON

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

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. (95) ANTONIO GALLONI

Wonderful aromas of dried orange, blackcurrant and crushed stone follow through to a full body with beautifully polished tannins that are composed and fine. Lots of subtle and complex character on the finish. Extremely well done here. (95) JAMES SUCKLING

This Margaux estate fashions a classic, dependable red, and I think the 2018 and 2019 are the finest vintages I've tasted from this address. The 2019 Château Prieure-Lichine is impressive, showing lots of spiced red and black fruits, sandalwood, and dried flower notes as well as medium to full-bodied richness on the palate. As with the 2018, it has a terrific floral and spicy character, ripe tannins, and beautiful balance. JEB DUNNUCK

The 2018 Prieuré-Lichine is gorgeous. Bright and racy in the glass, the 2018 impresses with its magnificent purity of fruit. In 2018, Prieuré-Lichine has terrific energy and cut. It is perhaps a bit less creamy than the 2016, but also impeccable in its balance. Part of that is driven by the higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend in 2018. Rose petal, lavender, mint and spice add nuance to a core of red/purplish fruit. Tasted two times. (95) ANTONIO GALLONI

The 2018 Château Prieuré-Lichine is an attractive, elegant Margaux offering classic, pretty red and black fruits, cedary spice, and dried flowers aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, elegant, and again, with an incredible floral character, it has a supple, rounded texture that's going to allow it to drink nicely in its youth, yet it should also evolve for 15+ years or more. I suspect this will surpass the '14, '15, and '16. JEB DUNNUCK

What really impresses here is the tannin framework, which displays refinement and power at the same time. It's full, yet very polished, racy and long. Loads of blackberries and walnuts with crushed grapes. 88% cabernet sauvignon and 12% merlot. (97) JAMES SUCKLING

The 2020 Durfort Vivens has turned out beautifully, unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark cherries and berries mingled with hints of licorice, baking chocolate and mint. Medium to full-bodied, deep and fleshy, it's layered and concentrated, with lively acids and broad structural shoulders, its generous endowment of powdery tannin asserting itself on the youthfully firm finish. More tightly wound than the extroverted, charming 2019, the 2020 will demand patience, but it's a very strong performance for this estate. (95+) WILLIAM KELLEY

This 125-acre vineyard is beautifully situated in the southern sector of the appellation of Margaux. Dense ruby/purple, with sweet cassis fruit, Du Tertre's 2012 has a perfumed, elegant, lush, velvety-textured mouthfeel and impressive purity and depth. Drink it over the next 15-20 years. WINE ADVOCATE

The 2012 du Tertre has a well-defined nose: fully-mature with hoisin, dark plum and a light, ferrous edge, not powerful but focused. The palate is well balanced with saturated tannins, fine acidity, quite cohesive and poised with white pepper and clove lining the finish. This is a stylish Margaux NEAL MARTIN, tasted 2022

Beautiful clarity of fruit with raspberries and currants on the nose. Roses and other flowers too. It's almost hard to describe, but there's a real purity. Full body, with fabulous balance and depth. It has everything in the right place. Best ever? (98) JAMES SUCKLING

A wine that could easily be mistaken for a First Growth, the 2010 Rauzan-Ségla is an incredibly powerful, full-bodied wine by this estate's standards, yet it nevertheless holds onto a terrific sense of elegance as well as perfect balance. A huge nose of blackcurrants, smoked earth, tobacco, lead pencil, and spice give way to a concentrated, blockbuster styled Margaux that has thrilling depth of fruit, masses of ripe tannins, and great length and finesse on the finish. This brilliant wine is just now seemingly on the edge of its drink window and offers immense pleasure, yet it has another 30-40 years of life ahead of it. Along with the 2015 and 2016, it's the greatest wine made at this estate in the past two decades. (98) JEB DUNNUCK

This outstanding effort is atypically forward, sexy, and opulent. Only 45% of the crop made it into this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. Yields were 47 hectoliters per hectare, which is slightly higher than some estates, but the harvest was very late, between October 2-21. Sweet cassis, black cherry, licorice, tobacco leaf, and spice box are all present in the complex aromatics. In the mouth, the wine offers generosity, roundness, sweetness, and velvety, ripe tannins. I was surprised by how forward, precocious, and delicious this wine has already become. It appears set for a relatively long life of 25+ years. WINE ADVOCATE

The 2008 Rauzan-Ségla is a solid vintage and is still relatively youthful, yet it's certainly drinking nicely. A blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot, it has a cooler, black-fruited, menthol, and tobacco-driven bouquet as well as medium to full body, still present tannins, considerable elegance, and outstanding length. Overall it's a pretty, well-balanced 2008 that's going to continue evolving for another 15-20 years. JEB DUNNUCK, tasted 2019

Good dark, bright red. Deep, brooding aromas of blueberry, mulberry, tobacco, mint and pepper. Deep and sweet, with ripe mulberry and raspberry fruit nicely supported by a firm mineral underpinning. At once smooth and sappy, offering a captivating balance of sweetness and ripe acidity. Finishes strong and vibrant, with firm tannins supported by the wine's mid-palate frui STEPHEN TANZER

The 2019 Lafon-Rochet is every bit as compelling today as it was from barrel. There is a feeling of elegance to the 2019 that is so striking. Sweet dark cherry, plum new leather, tobacco, licorice, spice and rose petal all grace the 2019 as it unwinds to its long finish. Lafon-Rochet is not huge nor obvious, as some Saint-Estèphes are, but it is absolutely compelling. (95) ANTONIO GALLONI

The 2019 Lafon-Rochet, which was picked from 25 September to 5 October, requires a little coaxing from the glass, eventually unfurling with blackberry, bilberry, violet and light crushed stone/clayey scents that is quintessential Saint-Estèphe. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins, fresh and saline in the mouth, old school in the best sense of that expression. No, it is not the most flamboyant Lafon-Rochet, but it is imbued with a sense of nobility and classicism that I much admire. Tasted three times with consistent notes. (95) NEAL MARTIN

Brilliant stuff, the 2019 Château Lafon-Rochet shows the best of the vintage with its pure, precise, elegant, yet at the same time concentrated style. Showing lots of ripe currant, plum, tobacco, Asian spice, and cedar pencil aromatics, it's medium to full-bodied, has nicely integrated acidity, and just seamless tannins. It's beautifully done and well worth seeking out. It's going to evolve for 20-25+ years. (95) JEB DUNNUCK

The 2019 Haut-Batailley has a precise and quite understated bouquet with mineral-rich black fruit, cedar and mint, just a very slight floral note developing with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with graphite infused black fruit, classic in style, very well balanced with wonderful tension. It fans out effortlessly on the finish. Superb. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. (95) NEAL MARTIN

Plenty of blueberry and chocolate aromas and flavors. It's full and chewy with a powerful finish. Tar and graphite at the end. Solid core of fruit and tannin here. One of the most structured I have had from here. Cazes family making the difference. (96) JAMES SUCKLING

The Cazes family has turned out a beautiful 2019 Château Haut-Batailley. It has the pure, clean fruit and aromatics of the vintage as well as medium to full-bodied richness, plenty of cedary spice and tobacco notes, ripe yet certainly present tannins, and a great finish. It's largely in the same classic, elegant, concentrated style of the 2018 and is going to reward 5-7 years of bottle age. (95+) JEB DUNNUCK

I can't remember a Haut-Batailley this tannic, yet the tannins are savory and very ripe with beauty and purity. Full-bodied, chewy tannins and a long and intense finish. (95) JAMES SUCKLING

The grand vin 2018 Château Haut-Batailley is a beauty and is comprised of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon and 41% Merlot brought up in 60% new French oak. It's an attractive, elegantly styled wine that has lots of juicy Merlot notes of black cherries, graphite, scorched earth, and spice. Rich, medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and with terrific purity on the palate, this brilliant Pauillac is going to be approachable in just a few years and will evolve gracefully. This wine hit 14.3% alcohol with 3.61 pH and an IPT of 81. My money is on it being one of the best to date from this estate. (95+) JEB DUNNUCK

Plenty of blackberry, currant and floral aromas. Some mint as well, following through to a full-bodied palate with layers of ultra-fine tannins and wonderful length. This is sophisticated and beautifully crafted with style and personality, displaying its terroir. Extremely well done. Drink after 2025. (96) JAMES SUCKLING

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Langoa Barton is a very pleasant surprise, singing of Black Forest cake, raspberry preserves and warm blackcurrants notions with suggestions of chocolate mint, forest floor and pencil shavings plus a hint of cinnamon toast. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has jaw-dropping tension and intensity, featuring ripe, grainy tannins and bags of evocative red and black fruits, finishing with a lively lift. The style of this 2019 is worlds away from the also very impressive 2018, showcasing an even brighter, immediately impactful and downright flamboyant side to the estate. Color me impressed! (95) WINE ADVOCATE

Checking in as 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Château Langoa Barton offers up a dense purple color as well as notes of blackberries, smoked earth, chocolate, and leafy herbs. This rich, medium to full-bodied effort has an expansive, mouthfilling texture, beautiful mid-palate density, and outstanding length. It's going to have some upfront appeal, but my money is on it benefiting from a solid 5-7 years of bottle age. (95) JEB DUNNUCK

The 2019 Langoa Barton has a very typical Langoa nose, which is a good thing, sporting vivacious black cherries, blackberry, crushed iris, cedar and light blood orange scents lurking offstage. Lovely oak integration here. The palate is beautifully defined on the entry, a structured almost big-boned Langoa with enormous grip on the spicy finish. I love the generosity of this Saint-Julien, one that I suspect will be seductive on release but don't be deceived - it deserves cellaring lest you get a smacked wrist for being impatient. (95) NEAL MARTIN

The 2019 Ducru-Beaucaillou is a seriously impressive wine. Seamless and yet potent, the 2019 is so alluring. Even so, readers should not plan on opening a bottle anytime soon. A wine of tremendous gravitas and power, the 2019 possesses explosive energy to play off its seamless personality. I can't wait to watch the 2019 develop over the coming years and decades, as it possesses notable energy and a compelling interplay of opulence and elegance. (97) ANTONIO GALLONI

A killer wine in the making, the 2019 Château Beychevelle checks in as 49% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc that will spend 18 months in barrels. Deep purple-colored, with classic Saint-Julien purity and elegance, it offers full-bodied aromas and flavors of red, blue, and black fruits, cedary herbs, spring flowers, graphite, and earth. With flawless balance, ultra-fine tannins, and again, and stunning purity of fruit, this quintessential Beychevelle is going to benefit from 7-8 years of bottle age and cruise for 20-30 years in cold cellars. (97) JEB DUNNUCK

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Beychevelle explodes from the glass with bombastic scents of crème de cassis, blueberry preserves and baked plums with touches of menthol, cinnamon toast and smoked meats plus a waft of dark chocolate. The medium-bodied palate injects fantastic energy into the decadent black and blue fruit flavors, framed by exquisitely ripe, finely-grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing with great length and freshness. (96) WINE ADVOCATE

The flagship 2018 Château Lagrange is a more dense, backward, serious wine, offering an unevolved yet incredibly promising bouquet of cassis, blackcurrants, scorched earth, graphite, and violets. A big, rich, full-bodied Saint-Julien, it delivers thrilling purity of fruit, plenty of background oak, ripe, silky tannins, and a great mid-palate. This is serious stuff, but it's going to require patience. Hide bottles for 7-8 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following two decades. (97) JEB DUNNUCK

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Lagrange explodes from the glass with bombastic notes of crème de cassis, chocolate-covered cherries and baked red and black plums with suggestions of rose oil, cedar chest, pencil lead and hoisin. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has fantastic vibrancy for the ripeness, packed with juicy black fruits and compelling tension with a finely grained texture to support, finishing on a lingering mineral note. Nicely done! (95) WINE ADVOCATE

The 2018 Lagrange is off the charts. Bold, plush and beautifully resonant in the glass, the 2018 possesses tremendous richness and textural intensity. Super-ripe dark cherry, plum, espresso, mint and licorice build in a racy, sumptuous Lagrange loaded with personality. The 2018 is one of the best recent vintages I have tasted. Tasted two times. (95) ANTONIO GALLONI

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

Saint-Estèphe

 3ème Cru Classé

At Canon, it’s all about site, site and site, such a critical factor in 2019 on the Right Bank.

The 2019 Canon is creamy and layered. A wine of immense charm and sensuality, the 2019 is immediately appealing today, but also clearly has the potential to age for many decades. The 2019 is not as exuberant as most recent vintages, and yet its balance is simply magnificent. Readers can expect an aristocratic Saint-Émilion that is holding so much in reserve. Patience is key. Tasted three times. Antonio Galloni 98

Sweet cherries and berries with some walnuts and dried flowers, as well as notes of crushed stone, pine, currants and violets. Full-bodied and building gradually on the palate, with intense, polished tannins that are layered throughout the wine, providing well-toned muscle. The finish lasts for minutes. Quintessential Calon. Needs time to soften. Try after 2027. 97 JAMES SUCKLING

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

Pessac Léognan

Grand Cru Classé

The 2019 Domaine de Chevalier has the potential to be one of the wines of the vintage. Regal and soaring in the glass, with tremendous intensity, the 2019 is pure magic. An exotic mélange of ripe red plum, gravel, spice, cured meats and incense develops with time in the glass. Effortless and wonderfully nuanced, the 2019 is a fabulous wine in the making. Don't miss it. ANTONIO GALLONI 95/97

Beautiful, ripe redcurrants, bay leaf, violets and raspberries on the nose. Full-bodied with firm and very tight tannins that are polished and layered. Crushed stones highlight the beautiful blue fruit. Poised and refined. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, 6% petit verdot and 4% cabernet franc. Try after 2026. JAMES SUCKLING 97

Pauillac

 5ème Cru Classé

The 2019 Lynch Bages is every bit as magnificent from bottle as it was from barrel, if not moreso. What a wine! Towering and vertical in its bearing, the 2019 is a total stunner. There is plenty of Lynch Bages charm, but what distinguishes the 2019 most is its spine of tannin and energy. Time in the glass brings out sweet red cherry, plum, blood orange and pomegranate and mint. The 2019 is a great, great, great Lynch Bages. It reminds me of the epic 1989, but with the youthful grip of this vintage. A towering Pauillac, the 2019 Lynch Bages will make a great addition to any cellar. Antonio Galloni 99

Pessac Léognan

Grand Cru Classé

The 2019 Pape-Clément was a real show-stopper from barrel. Now in bottle since summer 2021, it has a more refined nose that I feel is perhaps just a little closed in as it approaches its first winter. Aeration reveals some lovely rose petal and incense aromas (there’s something almost Burgundian, Morey-Saint-Denis–like about its purity). The palate is extremely well balanced with velvety tannins and perfectly judged acidity. The oak (65% new, in the form of 400-liter barrels that have been employed since 2018) are beautifully integrated. This fans out wonderfully on the finish. One of the finest releases from Pape-Clément in recent years. NEAL MARTIN

Saint Émilion

1er Grand Cru Classé B  

The 2019 Pavie was picked from 30 September to 11 October at 29hl/ha. It is initially exubertant, feisty on the nose, a bit like the Pavie-Decesse. Allowing my sample an hour in the glass, it evolves more grace and composure with scents of blackberry, briary, incense and iris flowers. The oak beautifully integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, quite an edgy line of acidity, touches of graphite infusing the very pure black fruit on the satin-textured finish. This is undoubtedly a very impressive, sauve Pavie destined for long-term drinking. Neal Martin 96-98

Lots of roses and dark fruit, such as blackberries and brambleberries on the nose. Full-bodied, yet tight and poised, with real focus and firmness and seamless tannins that run the length of the wine. Minerality and persistence in a cool way. This is very serious for the vintage and for the cellar. Try after 2025. JAMES SUCKLING 97

Pauillac

5ème Cru Classé

The 2019 Pontet-Canet is plush, dense and explosive, with tremendous richness and pure, soaring intensity that strengthens in all directions with time in the glass. A wine of gravitas, the 2019 is statuesque in build. As always, Pontet-Canet offers a very personal, idiosyncratic expression of Pauillac. A range of lifted floral and savory notes ring out on the finish.

The 2019 is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, harvested between September 23 and October 10, which is a typical time frame for the estate. Yields came in a 33 hectoliters per hectare, more or less the historical average these days. For the first time, all sorting and destemming were done by hand and the wine was vinified only with manual punchdowns (i.e. no pumpovers), without any motorized equipment. Cuvaison was around 21 days, after which the wine was taken off the skins for the malolactic fermentation (which was done in the fermentation vats), and then racked into barrels and concrete for aging - 50% new oak, 35% amphora and 15% once-used barrels. Sadly, 2019 is the last vintage at Pontet-Canet for long-time Technical Director Jean-Michel Comme, who left after 31 years to focus on his own projects. He is succeeded by Mathieu Bessonnet, formerly at Chapoutier. Antonio Galloni 95-97

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. 99 JAMES SUCKLING