As I reported last weekend, 2019 proved its mettle at the recent Southwold tasting, asserting its claim to be counted amongst the all-time greats of Bordeaux.  I left convinced these are the greatest Bordeaux reds of my career and the mood music amongst the group was largely in agreement that 2019 has taken 2016’s spot at the top of our league table of vintages.

Of course, a group of merchants with wine to sell are going to talk up a vintage; making the Jancis Robinson quote (see above) all the more eye-catching.

When Jancis calls 2019 as ’the best vintage ever’ tasted by the Southwold group, remember that these blind tastings began with the 1976 vintage (which Jancis attended).  In other words, 2019 is being rated above 1982, 1990, 2000, 2005 and any other benchmark you care to mention.

From a combination of our stock in Singapore and London, and some recent acquisitions from Bordeaux, we’re pleased to offer a selection from this outstanding year.  In addition to a shortlist of the true standard bearers of the vintage we are offering a quartet highlighted in my report as value picks – such is the nature of 2019 that many of these can be broached before too long.

With best wishes for the weekend,
Matthew Hemming MW

The Offer: 
Subject to remaining unsold.  Some wines are immediately available from our SG cellars, others are in stock in London and a small number are offered ex-Bordeaux.  Please enquire about specific ready dates when placing your order.

2019 Highlights
Domaine de Chevalier 2019
8 cases (1×6) OWC available @ $585 per case (inc GST $631.80)
A beautiful and classically-proportioned Domaine de Chevalier that was the group’s top Pessac wine outside of the 1st growths.

Mid-weight, composed and controlled.  Would be easy to miss as there is a subtle class to this.  Has a juicy, stone fruit – like a very ripe plum – element.  Impressive energy and spice on the mid-palate  Finishes creamy.
93/100 – Matthew Hemming MW

The 2019 Domaine de Chevalier is pure, silky and exceptionally beautiful. The 2019 is all in reserve today. Sweet red berry fruit, mint, spice and blood orange lend brilliance to this understated, super-classy Pessac-Léognan red. Lifted floral aromatics and silky tannins grace this exquisite, wonderfully polished wine. Tasted two times.”  
97/100 – Antonio Galloni / vinous.com

Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste 2019
4 cases (1×6) OWC available @ $615 per case (inc GST $664.20)
I’m convinced that GPL is knocking on the door of the 1st growths in 2019.

A wine of enormous elegance and lifted fragrance with a fruit expression both extremely pure and very precise.  Fine-boned and delicate without any sacrifice of power.
96/100 – Matthew Hemming MW

The 2019 Grand-Puy-Lacoste exhibits notions of minty cassis, plums, loamy soil, burning embers and cigar wrapper, followed by a medium to full-bodied, rich and velvety palate that’s deep and concentrated, its generous core of lively fruit concealing an elegantly muscular chassis of ripe, powdery tannin. Consisting of fully 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, this is another true classic from the Borie family.
96/100 – William Kelley / robertparker.com

Chateau Lynch Bages 2019
24 cases (1×6) OWC available @ $1,100 per case (inc GST $1,188)
For the full group, Lynch was the #1 Pauillac outside of the 1st growths.  This was so distinctive – in its spice, structure and cassis profile – I spotted it blind.

Deep colour.  Very succulent, black and glossy, fruit on nose.  Polished and taut, with some mineral aspect to the tannin.  The structure is brooding and very powerful – the tannins creep up and just keep building – but it has the fruit to balance.  Could this be Lynch?
95/100 – Matthew Hemming MW

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. 
99/100 – Antonio Galloni

Chateau Montrose 2019
6 cases (1×6) OWC available @ $1,440 per case (inc GST $1,555.20)
One of my wines of the vintage.  Up there with Le Pin and a whisker ahead of Latour.

Explodes on the palate.  Just phenomenol acceleration and thrust.  Driving, mineral tannins and layers of sleek fruit.  Dark-toned and mineral, it has an imposing stature and a sense of authority.  Huge finish.
98/100 – Matthew Hemming MW

The 2019 Montrose is very clearly one of the wines of the vintage. Rich, inky and towering in concentration, the 2019 possesses of the charts intensity and tons of structure to back it up. Succulent black cherry, plum, tobacco, gravel and licorice infuse the 2019 with striking depth. The 2019 is not quite as opulent as some recent vintages, and that’s a good thing. Readers will find a regal wine that marries elegance with power. Unforgettable. Tasted two times. 
100/100 – Antonio Galloni

Vieux Chateau Certan 2019
9 cases (1×6) OWC available @ $2,550 per case (inc GST $2,754)
The top right bank wine of the vintage for me.

Powerful, energetic and intense.  Massive spice and drive here.  Bright, curranty fruit and has great freshness and vibrancy to its definition.  Floral and scented on the back end and the most seductive, fine-spun texture.
97/100 – Matthew Hemming MW

One of the wines of the vintage, the 2019 Vieux Château Certan unfurls in the glass with a striking bouquet of cassis and cherries mingled with notions of violets, loamy soil, sweet spices and incense. Full-bodied, ample and layered, it’s seamless and enveloping, with a fleshy core of beautifully vibrant fruit, lively acids and ripe, powdery tannins. Concluding with a long, resonant finish, this perfumed, sensual Vieux Château Certan is a remarkable achievement from Alexandre and Guillaume Thienpont. 
100/100 – William Kelley