The Bordeaux 2019 En Primeur campaign has certainly been a surprise in more ways than one. First that it went ahead; with all the uncertainty and lockdown issues, the Bordelais went all out to make the best out of the 2019 En Primeur vintage. We are very grateful for all the help and support we have received from the négociants. Couriering over samples, organising video calls and making sure that we had everything we needed to try to make the campaign a success. Interestingly, it has always been thought that barrel samples don’t travel well – however, we and many other wine professional around the world tasted hundreds of samples and can report that we had no issues. In fact, quite the opposite, the quality was superb.
The strategy of the Chateaux has been an interesting one. Though the yield was good, many Chateaux decided to reduce their initial releases, and supporting the campaign by reducing the release prices; overall we estimate initial prices were down by 20 - 30% compared to 2018. This made the merchants job on one hand more difficult because in quite a few cases there was more demand than there was wine, however on the other hand we found we could recommend more wines to buy as the price looked favourable in comparison to the quality of the wines. We fought hard to get the allocation, working with over fifteen negociants it has been a very busy and exciting campaign.
The quality of the 2019 Bordeaux vintage is good to very good. In our opinion, it’s a 9 out of 10 vintage with some wines especially in the northern Medoc where the Cabernet did exceptionally well reaching 9.5/10. It isn’t as good as the 2016 vintage, however possibly better the 2015 in places.
Wine critics have praised the vintage. "Two thousand and nineteen is a great vintage" applauded Neal Martin, "there are instances where the 2019 vintage does surpass everything I have tasted at this unfinished stage", equally saying that 2016 is better than 2019 in other instances. Comparing to the 2018 vintage, Neal says that the 2019s "display much more elegance and will probably become more renowned". Whilst Jane Anson proclaimed “I can unhesitatingly say that 2019 is a successful vintage in Bordeaux”, praise indeed from the Decanter columnist. The 2019 Bordeaux vintage has really captured the attention of critics, according to Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Editor-in-Chief of The Wine Advocate, the vintage could be summarised in three coveted buzz words: “easy, energy and miracle”. If you have the time and want a good read I can highly recommend Neal Martin’s report “Uncertain Smile – Bordeaux 2019” honed in lockdown from his backyard bunker.
Interestingly during the last week or so many of the Chateaux have now released further wine onto the Bordeaux marketplace at a higher price than the initial release price. Naturally we follow the market and many wines have found a good price level above the initial release price. This has to be good news for you the customer and we are delighted to see good performance foundations being laid.. Perhaps the strategy for the 2019 vintage will pave the way for future vintages?
Throughout the campaign we kept a release diary. In relation to previous years it has been a short campaign with good momentum and one that we will never forget for many reasons...
We have published lots of critic notes and top wines reviews including James Suckling’s top wines of the vintage. As you would expect, some wines are sold out, though there are still a few good buys to be had.
See below for our top recommendations
Where there is availability it is sold on a first come first served basis. If you wish to discuss do give us a call and we will be happy to talk you through the details.
Finally, a big thank you to our customers who have shown great support for the vintage and also to the négociants for making it possible to taste the vintage in Yorkshire. The poor DHL man certainly earned his bottle of wine for Christmas!
The Bon Coeur Team
Cru Bourgeois
A great year to buy Cru Bourgeois as the quality is very good indeed. We preferred many to wines twice their price and our top Cru Bourgeois include Château Beaumont at £102, Château Lanessan at £115. One of our favourites was Château Sénéjac at £125, which is owned by Talbot and where Alfred Tesseron (Pontet Canet) is consultant – without doubt a level above the other Cru Bourgeois estates. Château Cissac at £102 received an impressive 92-93 points from James Suckling.
Château Tour Saint Bonnet is priced at £93 per 12. Sadly I haven’t tasted it, however, our good friend and ex-négociant, Bill Blatch, who now works for Christie's and BBR (the latter had asked him to write a book on Bordeaux) says it’s very good. If you are after a great Bordeaux white wine at under £100, then Clos des Lunes ‘Lune d’Argent’ Blanc at £95 per 12 ticks all the boxes - this a superb Sémillon/Sauvignon Blanc blend owned by Olivier Bernard (Domaine de Chevalier) and is situated near Yquem, scoring 92-93 from James Suckling.
Médoc
In the Médoc, Château Cantemerle is without doubt one of the best value Cru Classé buys at £210 per 12 (it is usually around £240-250). Château La Lagune was also released at its best price since 2008, at £300 per dozen and received great scores (92-94 NM and 94-95 JS). Technically, Château Sociando Mallet should really be classified as St Estèphe as it is situated in the Northern Médoc - a brilliant wine at just £256 per 12. Finally, from the Léoville Las Cases stable is Château Potensac at £189 per dozen, which continues to be a very popular Médoc.
Margaux
We believe Alter Ego de Palmer at £270 per 6 is one of the best buys from Margaux and just 6 cases remain. As the second wine of Palmer, we believe the true value for money lies here as in our view it's more than half the wine of the Grand Vin, at a quarter of the cost... and the quality of the modern vintage of Alter Ego would stand up to most vintages of Palmer from the ’80s and ’90s. Just a stones throw away is another great property; Château d’Issan at £438 per dozen that impressed us greatly and is possibly one of the best ever. James Suckling scored it 96-97 points and was part of his top 10 buys of the vintage - only 3 cases available. The estates second wine, Blason d’Issan is an attractive option at £196 per 12 and our star value buy from Margaux.
Château Labégorce is an impressive property that has undergone serious investment and development since 2010. It is most definitely on the up and a hidden gem at £245 per dozen, which we preferred in comparison to Giscours and Du Tertre!
Pessac-Léognan
We believe that Château Malartic Lagravière Rouge at £165 per 6 is almost as good as Domaine de Chevalier Rouge... and roughly two thirds the price, it's definitely one to add to the watch list. The ever impressive Château Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge blew James away this year. It is safe to say that this is his wine of the vintage (from what was tasted) and was received extremely well by critics (96-98 NM, 96-97 JS, 96-98+ WA). It is priced at £408 per 6 with only 6 cases available. Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc was also released at £475 per 6 and is our star buy white.
Saint-Julien
One of the most popular wines of the appellation is Château Beychevelle, especially on the Asian market thanks to it's "Dragon boat" label. An investment grade wine with a strong following, we have only 3 cases remaining at £329 per 6. Château Talbot was once again a firm favourite and is the best value vintage on the market by £50, priced at £420 per dozen - we have just 6 cases left from our 50 case allocation. Château Branaire Ducru at £348 per 12 is a high scoring St Julien located just next door to Beychevelle and was included in James Suckling's top 10 best buys of the vintage. Allocations were reduced by 45% in comparison to 2018, so we have just 4 cases available.
Château Langoa Barton at £354 really caught our eye. It showed very well at our tasting and is now almost as good as its big brother, Léoville Barton, yet £300 less a case. Highly recommended! La Croix de Beaucaillou at £320 per 12 is the second wine of Ducru-Beaucaillou, yet from a different plot that is located in the centre of St Julien, opposed to the main estate is near the river. A modern and polished wine that received many good scores (94-96 NM, 90-92 WA, 93-94 JS and 94 JA).
Château Gloria is a consistent estate owned by Domaine Martin (also owners of Château Saint-Pierre) and is a great wine at a sensible price at £300 per 12.
Pauillac
In Pauillac, the Lafite Rothschild owned Fourth Growth estate Château Duhart Milon at £312 per 6 is available, although stock is limited. We also have a few cases remaining of Château Clerc Milon, that was also released at £312 per 6. This is an investment grade wine from Mouton Rothschild, which is always an attractive buy for the Asian market.
Château Batailley at £336 per dozen is also great buy. A Fifth Growth estate with a good international following that received a string of superlatives and scores from critics (94-96 NM, 95-96 JS, 94 JA). Château Pédésclaux is located next to Mouton Rothschild and Pontet Canet; we are big fans and have been following the estates rise for some time. This showed well at our HQ tasting and priced at £295 per 12, we would highly recommend. There are also some good value second wines to be snapped up such as Lacoste-Borie (Grand-Puy-Lacoste) at £210 and Echo de Lynch Bages (Lynch Bages) at £275, both per dozen respectfully.
Saint-Estèphe
We feel that St. Estèphe was one of the stand out appellations in 2019 and contains 3 of Jamie's star buys. First is Château Capbern at £180 per dozen, which is owned by Calon Ségur. It is under the watchful eye of Managing Director Laurent Dufau and winemaker Vincent Millet, with Eric Boissenot as consultant (the exact same team as Calon Ségur). The 2019 is a serious step up in quality and with a touch more Cabernet Sauvignon than usual, it really comes alive - stunning value. There is also Château Meyney at £225 per 12, which is located next door to Montrose and many have actually mistaken it for Montrose in recent blind tastings - at a quarter of the price, it's a no brainer! Finally, Château Phélan Segur at £373 per dozen is a dark horse that has been gaining momentum over the last few years and we believe it could be the next Calon Ségur. It received high praise from critics, including a 95-96 point score from James Suckling who included it in his 10 best buys of the vintage.
Nevertheless, high quality and consistency could be seen throughout St Estèphe and we were also impressed with Château Beau-Site at £158 (under the same ownership as Batailley) as well as Château Les Ormes de Pez (owned by Lynch Bages) at £210.
Pomerol and Lalande-de-Pomerol
We begin the right bank in Pomerol with Château L’Évangile (a Lafite Rothschild owned estate) at £876 per 6 and is considered to be the best vintage ever made here. Critics seem to agree and scores are certainly impressive; 91-93 NM, 97-98 JS, 96-98 WA, 98 JA. One of our hidden gems of Pomerol and a must buy is Château Rouget at £360 per 12 - this is a simply brilliant estate that is situated next to Église Clinet and La Conseillante. A little over 1km away lies Château Feytit Clinet, which is an underrated property that neighbours Clinet and Trotanoy - without doubt one of the best buys in Pomerol.
In the satellite appellation of Lalande-de-Pomerol, a property we have followed for many years is Château Les Cruzelles by the late Denis Durantou, which was released at £195 per dozen - a great wine, from a great man who will be sorely missed in both Bordeaux and Yorkshire. The second wine of the estate, Château La Chenade, is a favourite for many who describe it as their "everyday Claret" and is priced at £150 per 12 (a steal!). Château La Fleur de Boüard from the enigmatic Hubert de Boüard (owner of Angélus) and showed very well at our recent barrel sample tasting at Bon Coeur HQ, offering good value for money at just £200 per dozen.
From Martin Krajewski and his daughter, Charlotte, comes Château Séraphine at £448 per 6. This is a small 2.2 hectare estate in Pomerol that was awarded 95 points by Neal Martin who said it is "one to watch" - high praise indeed...
Saint-Émilion
Continuing in the Right Bank with St Émilion, Château Laroque is an impressive estate that received a whopping 95-96 points by James Suckling and was released at £105 per 6. A JP Moueix exclusivity in the form of Château Pey Mouton is also one to watch as it is produced by the same team at Laroque and priced at just £160 per dozen. Château Faugeres was released at £280 per 12 and is a modern styled Grand Cru that was included by James Suckling as one of his top 10 best buys of the vintage. A sleeping giant of an estate is Château Quinault L’Enclos at £300 per 12, who is part of the same stable as the iconic Cheval Blanc.
Château de Fonbel at £180 per dozen is always one of the best value buys in St Émilion as it under the same ownership as Ausone (Alain Vaulthier). Needless to say, Château Saintayme is excellent value at £125 per dozen. It is one of our star value buys that received some great scores (90-92 NM, 93-94 JS, 94 JA). To conclude, our hidden gem from the appellation is Château La Marzelle at £345 per 12, which we class as a "mini Figeac" as it is neighbour to the Premier Grand Cru Classé B estate and located on the same old river bed.
Clos Cantenac (£275 per 12) and Petit Cantenac (£175 per 12) are great sources of St Émilion. Charlotte Krajewski has spent 10 years working in six different countries (over four continents) before heading back home to Bordeaux, bringing with her modern and innovative wine making techniques whilst still respecting the traditions of regional heritage. She is one of the brightest young talents in Bordeaux.
Côtes de Bourg and Côtes de Castillon
In Côtes de Bourg, we believe Château Roc de Cambes (owned by François Mitjaville) is almost as good as Tertre Roteboeuf (£760 per 6) and is a steal at just £260 per 6 and scored 92-94 points by Neal Martin. Although Domaine de Cambes is not the second wine of Roc, as grapes are taken from a different terroir, however, it still has that magic Mitjaville touch. Over in Côtes de Castillon, Château Cap de Faugeres (owned by Swiss Billionaire Silvio Denz) is one of our star value buys and punches well above its weight at just £95 per dozen.
