Amsterdam UGCB Tasting

Beurs van Berlage
Tasted Tuesday, March 15, 2022 by Xavier Auerbach with 938 views

Introduction

The growing season in Bordeaux in 2019 was once again quite extreme, with some very high temperatures in summer, and the wines in bottle are quite heterogeneous. The top terroirs are clearly at an advantage in such a vintage, but I was very happy to see that only few wines had really suffered. It's not like in 2003 anymore - perhaps the vines are adapting and the vignerons are certainly learning how to deal with the consequences of climate change. On the other hand there were no spring frosts like in 2017 or disease pressure (mildew) like in 2018. In the Médoc, Margaux and Saint-Julien turned out some lovely wines, typical for their terroirs. Further north the wines were sometimes more difficult, quite tough and tannic. In Pessac-Léognan the best vineyards did very well too, but overall my scores were slightly higher on the right bank, where the Merlot did very well on clay (the Couronne in Pomerol) and chalk (the Côtes in Saint-Emilion), if ripeness was not pushed too far. On both the left bank and the right bank the vineyards on lighter, sandier soils had a difficult time for obvious reasons. But in every appellation there are ups and downs, even among famous names. Do your research: caveat emptor!

Flight 1 - pessac-léognan blanc (7 Notes)

Flight 2 - pessac-léognan rouge (6 Notes)

  • 2019 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Delightful. Grippy and peppery Cabernet Franc delivers lovely energy, bright and harmonious, flowers and cassis, hint of cream, firm tannins, good resonance and length.

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  • 2019 Domaine de Chevalier 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    A bit closed on the nose, balanced and flowing palate, nothing out of place, so delightfully juicy, ripe acidity and perfectly enveloped tannins, very good resonance and length.

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  • 2019 Château Haut-Bailly 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Lovely balance on the palate, nothing out of place but seems to lack flavour concentration, slightly drying tannins, very light finish.

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  • 2019 Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Good ripe fruit, bright tannins, spices and a creamy texture, slightly green on the grippy finish.

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  • 2019 Château Pape Clément 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Strikes a lovely balance between creamy ripeness and elegant freshness. Seamless and silky, with beautifully managed tannins, good to very good length.

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  • 2019 Château Smith Haut Lafitte 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Quite meaty and fleshy, which is quite unusual in this vintage, but the warmth is pleasant and the wine is balanced and charming.

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Flight 3 - haut-médoc (5 Notes)

Flight 4 - margaux (10 Notes)

Flight 5 - saint-julien (7 Notes)

Flight 6 - pauillac (8 Notes)

Flight 7 - saint-estèphe (4 Notes)

Flight 8 - pomerol (8 Notes)

  • 2019 Château Le Bon Pasteur 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    Lovely purity of ripe Merlot fruit, velvety tannins, floral lift and spices, well constructed, very good length.

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  • 2019 Château La Cabanne 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    Supple and juicy, delicately sweet Merlot fruit, easy going, finishes a bit hot and chocolaty.

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  • 2019 Château Clinet 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    Very complete, firm but ripe tannins are finely grained, lovely weight and concentration, nothing out of place, totally classical, the Merlot is rich and the Cabernet-Sauvignon is ripe, big but effortless tannins, excellent resonance and length. Top notch.

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  • 2019 Château La Conseillante 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    Floral nose, beautifully bright and almost shimmering expression, harmonious, red berries, hint of sexy oak, delightful concentration, elegant weight, good length. Star quality - I notice now that I used these exact words in 2020 already...

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  • 2019 Château La Croix de Gay 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    Supple and rounded palate, already aromas of truffle and earth, sexy spicy oak, tough finish. Needs time.

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  • 2019 Château Gazin Pomerol 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    Rich and ripe Merlot fruit on the nose, flowers and a nice hint of spice from the oak, Alpine herbs and liquorice on the palate, tight finish.

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  • 2019 Château Petit Village 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    Very good precision of expression, good definition, flowers and fruit and spices, medium body, slight edge to the tannins, hint of heat on the finish.

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  • 2019 Château La Pointe 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    The light sandy soils here have difficulty in hot years (like 2018), but this 2019 has turned out well. Good fruit and generosity, spices and floral lift, nice freshness and well managed tannins.

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Flight 9 - saint-emilion (14 Notes)

  • 2019 Château Balestard La Tonnelle 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Very attractive, reminds me in style of the La Tour Figeac, plush Merlot fruit, perhaps more liquorice and less flowers, just a little less expressive.

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  • 2019 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Lemon verbena, tart cherries, tight tannins, very grippy, not really unripe or green but lacks charm.

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  • 2019 Château Canon 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Seamless, elegance and finesse and a very winning souplesse and charm, pure and bright fruit expression, velvety tannins, impeccable balance and length.

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  • 2019 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Ripe fruit, sexy oak, clear touch of warmth, firm but ripe tannins, dried up finish.

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  • 2019 Château Figeac 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Cabernet dominated character, floral lift, bright and shapely, firm and tannic but well balanced, the oak sticks out at present on the finish and needs time to integrate. Conservative score.

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  • 2019 Clos Fourtet 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Expressive nose, flowers and a hint of earth, red berries and cherries, good stuffing and generosity on the palate, firm and tight structure, quite alcoholic finish.

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  • 2019 Château La Gaffelière 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Good Merlot fruit and freshness, but the tannins are a bit tight and on the raw side. There is some creamy souplesse too. The jury is still out.

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  • 2019 Château Larcis Ducasse 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Warm glowing nose, bright fruit and a velety texture, dried cherry and liquorice finish.

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  • 2019 Château Pavie Macquin 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Bright expression on the nose, cherries and spicy depth with a brush stroke of chalk, steely acidity, medium body, good purity and precision, very good length.

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  • 2019 Château La Tour Figeac 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Violets and spices, ripe black cherries, fleshy and rich, velvety tannins, very good length, floral lift. A great success in this vintage.

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  • 2019 Château Troplong Mondot 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Very firm and tightly wrought style, good stuffing, complete, good concentration, all components in place, very good length. Needs time, good future.

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  • 2019 Château Trotte Vieille 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Quite warm in style on the nose, good intensity and drive, grippy and energetic, good fruit and tannic structure, complete, convincing finish.

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  • 2019 Château Valandraud 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Wonderfully sexy style, everything in the right place, perfect balance and harmony, hint of lemon verbena, perhaps not as concentrated as usual, very finely textured tannins, excellent amplitude on the finish.

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  • 2019 Château Villemaurine 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Good ripe fruit and spicy oak, generous and energetic, a bit obvious but with some floral lift, well made and has very good length.

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Flight 10 - sauternes (1 Note)

  • 2019 Château de Fargues 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    More power and structure than some recent vintages, good richness and concentration, bitter orange and honeyed rôti, will need time to absorb the new oak.

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