Dear <<First Name>>,
Bordeaux 2019 En Primeur .. The show must go on !
We continue our 2019 EP offers with a trio of excellent value Saint-Julien wines, a Pauillac that always seems on point and a Haut-Medoc gem that punches above its weight.
We also now have the 2019 vintage assessment from the well respected critic Neal Martin (Vinous.com) and he acknowledges "2019 is a great vintage. I know. Boring. But it is what is is .."
Château Saint-Pierre is a 4th growth from Saint-Julien neighbouring Beychevelle and Ducru-Beaucaillou, with a whopping 25% reduction on 2018 and the same score.
Château Gloria from Domaines Martin, who also runs Château St-Pierre, we have an another excellent Saint-Julien wine with an impressive 20% discount on 2018 and better scores.
Château Lagrange, a 3rd growth from Saint-Julien, has an excellent pedigree and once again weights in with a satisfying 16.% reduction on 2018 and a glowing 94-96 pts from Neal Martin - 'Excellent!'.
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste or GPL from Pauillac has notched up some impressive scores across the board for 2019 with Neal Martin declaring 'classy and full of breeding', yet has managed to come in at 20% below 2018!
Château Sociando-Mallet is one of those wines that just does everything right year-in-year-out at a great price point and 2019 is no exception.
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Neal Martin (Vinous)
"Two thousand and nineteen is a great vintage. I know. Boring. But my job is to tell it as it is, and that is what it is. It is an excellent vintage. Where it stands in the context of elite growing seasons such as 2000, 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2016 is another matter. Proprietors habitually trot out the “BEST. WINE. EVER” banner each year. You can easily become so entangled in hyperbole that it becomes impossible to objectively judge how true that statement is. Having tasted all the aforementioned vintages in barrel and regularly in bottle, there are instances where the 2019 vintage does surpass everything I have tasted at this unfinished stage, and others where I feel the benchmark 2016s will ultimately be superior."
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We still have access to limited stocks of Château Palmer (£166.50 per btle) which is a solid buy at 30% less than the 2018 release price. More importantly, after an absence last year, the terrific Alter Ego de Palmer is a great value wine at £45 per btle and a must buy for any Margaux lovers!
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The 2019 vintage and resulting En Primeur campaign will be remembered long into the history of these illustrious proceedings, with nature clearly giving something back to help heal some of the wounds. Starting more than 4 weeks late, we expect this to be a short and concentrated campaign.
The weather was particularly wet during the winter of 2018 but this was a saving grace as the long warm, dry summer came round quickly. The heat was fierce for a few short spells but the flowering was well established early on and the berries (fruit set) in a good place to compensate. A pleasant autumn, with the odd shower during harvest had already got some talking of the great potential, with well formed concentrated berries, with good acidity and healthy yields.
The term 'great vintage' is not used lightly in Bordeaux and certainly initial reports are of a very high quality, with comparisons to 2009, 2015 and 2016 previously earmarked as the best this century. Pricing is a key factor of any En Primeur campaign and expectations are it will much lower than 2018, due to current global crisis.
There has not been any of the traditional April trips to the Chateaux for day long tastings and lavish dinners, instead during these difficult times, pallets of samples have been arriving on the doorsteps of critics all over the world. Those that follow social media closely will have seen snippets of enthusiastic commentary as each appellation is meticulously poured, tasted and written up. Most have yet to publish any meaningful reports and accompanying notes but the signs are more than positive, if not glowing.
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James Suckling
"2019 is an exceptional year for Bordeaux wines... Some say 2019 is close to the excellent 2016 vintage but with perhaps slightly less tannin concentration. They all agree that the quality is very close to 2018, 2016 and 2015."
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With Château Pontet-Canet (98-100 pts - Wine Advocate), a powerhouse of modern day Bordeaux, selling out in Bordeaux over a weekend at £61 per btle (IB) this seems to have defined the 2019 vintage!
This level of pricing has rarely been seen in the last 15 years and was lower than the 2013 release price, which was certainly one of the poorest vintages in recent memory. This gives hope that possibly one the best quality vintages in the 21st century will unusually be one of the best value.
A vintage for buyers and drinkers alike!
We have also seen a new release from Château Latour (96+ pts Wine Advocate) this week, the first since they decided to no longer participate in the traditional En Primeur process in 2011, opting to release wine when the Chateau felt it was ready. At a release price of £2,100 for 6 bottles this also represents the cheapest vintage of the previous 10 years.
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Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate)
"I have just begun receiving barrel samples of the 2019s and have so far been very impressed about how they have showed"
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Château Saint-Pierre (Saint-Julien)
First and foremost this is the story of a man, Henri Martin, the son of a cooper whose family history in Médoc went back for a number of centuries.
It all began with a little vineyard, historically owned by the family, called Château Haut-Beychevelle Gloria, and it ended with the acquisition of Château Saint-Pierre, which had been given Grand Cru Classé status in 1855. In the meantime, Henri Martin created a world-renowned estate, Château Gloria. These three vineyards are all in the prestigious Saint-Julien appellation, but he also acquired Château Bel Air, a Haut-Médoc cru bourgeois, in the early 1980s. The total area covered by all of them amounted to a little over 105 hectares. Henri Martin died in 1991 and the estates are now run by his daughter Françoise and his son-in-law Jean-Louis Triaud, backed up by their children, Vanessa and Jean.
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Neal Marin (94-96 pts) Vinous
"The 2019 Saint-Pierre, the sibling of Gloria owned by Domaines Martin rather than the Right Bank estate, is an address that has rapidly become one of the go-to Saint-Juliens in recent years. The bouquet is exquisite: pure blackberry, raspberry and briary scents infused with cedar and hints of mocha, very well defined a little more generous than Gloria. The palate is fresh and detailed with grippy tannins. Very good structure here, a sturdy yet paradoxically elegant wine with a lip-smacking salinity on the long finish. Superb, absolutely superb."
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2019 Château Saint-Pierre (4th Growth)
75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
Château Saint-Pierre is a Fourth Growth of the 1855 Imperial Classification.
A vineyard covering 17 hectares, with an average vine age of 50 years, located in the middle of the commune of Beychevelle on soil made up of Gunzian gravel covering a layer of clay and sand. The bulk of their vines are located close to the village of Saint Julien not far from Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou and Chateau Beychevelle. The vine density is 10,000 vines per hectare. The property has old vines. On average, many of their vines are close to 50 years of age. The terroir of Chateau Saint Pierre is gravel, sand and clay soils.
£210.00 per 6 x 750ml (IB)
£215.00 per 3 x 1500ml (IB)
"The wealth of fruit is something you notice right off the bat. Lusciously textured, rich, fresh, nuanced and complex, the waves of perfectly ripe, concentrated, velvety fruit are fresh, long, intense, complex and exciting. This is a top vintage for Saint Pierre."
Jeff Leve (94-96 pts)
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2019 Château Gloria (Saint-Julien)
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot
Created by Henri Martin and the only one of its kind as this 50-hectare vineyard was put together piece-by-piece over a number of years, through the purchase of plots exclusively from grands crus classified in 1855.
The origin of the terroirs, the care taken over the growing and the vinification all help to explain its world-renowned quality. A vineyard covering 50 hectares, with an average vine age of 40 years, spread across three areas, in the middle of Beychevelle and then in the west and the north of the appellation (bordering Pauillac) on soil made up of Gunzian gravel covering a layer of clay and sand.
£150.00 per 6 x 750ml (IB)
£155.00 per 3 x 1500ml (IB)
"The 2019 Gloria continues a strong run of form - those rustic Glorias of the 1970s and 1980s are a distant memory. This has a precise and detailed bouquet that offers blackberry, briary, cedar and light tobacco aromas that gently unfurl in the glass. The palate is very well structured with a lovely citric undercurrent lending freshness and sharpness. This is a nimble Saint-Julien, athletic in build with a sapid finish that urges you back for another sip. Excellent."
Neal Martin (93-95 pts)
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2019 Château Lagrange (3rd Growth)
80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot
Château Lagrange was known in the Middle Ages as the Noble House of Lagrange Montei. Records of the successive owners go back as far as 1631. In 1824 the total production was 120 barrels (12 000 cases). In 1842, the ex-Home Secretary to King Louis-Philippe, Count Duchatel, left his mark on the property and the Médoc by introducing a drainage system in the vineyard. The Count brought the annual production up to 300 barrels. This was a golden age for Lagrange, with the famous 1855 classification awarding the property the title of Third Classified Growth.
Château Lagrange is universally acknowledged as being back in excellent form. After seventeen years as the estate's technical director, Bruno Eynard took over management from Marcel Ducasse. The vines planted in 1985 are now in their prime, making it possible to select the finest grapes, plot by plot, in order to fine tune the final blend. Château Lagrange's potential remains enormous, and its progress has been tangible from year to year. Ongoing investments have improved quality, made the most of a unique site, and given priority to environmental considerations at every stage of production.
£183.00 per 6 x 750ml (IB)
£188.00 per 3 x 1500ml (IB)
"The 2019 Lagrange was picked from 24 September and finished with the Petit Verdot on 14 October - the longest harvest at 27 days. It has quite a dense, powerful bouquet with black fruit, sous-bois and cedar, taking its time to open but somehow remaining more “distant” than previous vintages of Lagrange. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, layers of black fruit with just a light citric touch. Quite a streamlined Lagrange in the context of a warm growing season, this feels agile and nimble on the finish. Excellent."
Neal Martin (94-96 pts)
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2019 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste (Pauillac)
75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc
The history of Grand-Puy-Lacoste is fascinating in many ways. It is a family saga going back to the 16th century.
The name Grand-Puy, already mentioned in documents from the Middle Ages, comes from the ancient term "puy” which means "hillock, small height”. True to its name, the vineyard sits on outcrops with a terroir similar to that of the Médoc's first growths. From Since the 16th century the property remained attached to a single family from generation to generation, in a direct line through marriage until 1920, before connecting with another family in 1978—the Borie. François-Xavier Borie has guided Grand-Puy-Lacoste's fortunes, working to restore its glory and remain faithful to its spirit. François-Xavier Borie has directed the estate since its acquisition in 1978, benefitting greatly from the experience of working beside his father. As determined, demanding and diligent as Jean-Eugène, François-Xavier has raised Grand-Puy-Lacoste to the level of a "great Pauillac” and ensures that it maintains that status.
£270.00 per 6 x 750ml (IB)
£275.00 per 3 x 1500ml (IB)
"The 2019 Grand Puy Lacoste is deep purple in colour. Initially the bouquet is tight and so I left my sample for 15-20 minutes to open. It rewards patience with a beguiling mélange of pure blackberry, raspberry, crushed violet and pencil shavings, very focused and mineral-driven. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled tannins. Compared to the robust, tannic GPL's of old, this is much more lithe and approachable, yet it still bears the DNA of this Pauillac estate. It might not possess the flair of other 2019 Left Banks, but that it is not what I seek from this estate. Classy and full of breeding - quintessential Pauillac."
Neal Martin (95-97 pts)
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2019 Château Sociando-Mallet (Haut-Medoc)
55% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc
A man of multiple careers, whose success was built on a series of visions he pretended were just common sense, Jean Gautreau was the true creator of Sociando Mallet as we know it today : a profound and authentic wine, with a sense of pride.
Across 50 years, he meticulously added to the initial vineyard with the very best of adjacent terroirs.
Unclassifiable and yet at the top, Sociando is unique. Its wines resemble their creator : rooted, open, proud, emotional, vibrant, touching.
Jean Gautreau passed away as 2019 was nestling into barrel.
Sylvie, his daughter who had taken over running Sociando a some years ago, pays homage to her father with a dedicated label for his last vintage.
£127.50 per 6 x 750ml (IB)
£132.50 per 3 x 1500ml (IB)
"The 2019 Sociando-Mallet has a lovely bouquet with vivacious raspberry, wild strawberry and rose petal scents, touches of undergrowth coming through with time, one of the most elegant noses from this property in recent years. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy red fruit, crushed stone and a discrete pinch of white pepper, focused and full of energy on the finish. What a superb Sociando-Mallet."
Neal Martin (92-94 pts)
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All prices are 'In Bond' and exclude, duty, VAT & delivery and subject to availabilty and confirmation
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The wines above are subject to strict allocation on a first come first serve basis, confirmation and remaining unsold.
Different formats are available for most wines (375ml to 15L) at a small additional bottling cost.
Delivery is expected to commence in spring 2022.
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