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Lots of pure cassis, spring flowers, spice, and cedar pencil notes emerge from the 2019 Château Grand-Pontet, a medium to full-bodied, elegant 2019 delivering silky tannins and a great finish. Shining more for its elegance and purity than power, with a terrific sense of minerality, it’s going to drink beautifully for two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 92-94 JDThe 2019 Grand-Pontet is a very pretty Saint-Émilion. Floral notes, cedar, mint and sweet tobacco give the 2019 lovely aromatic complexity. Medium in body, with gorgeous red berry fruit, the 2019 has a lot to offer. All the elements meld together nicely in this mid-weight, juicy Saint-Émilion that speaks to balance above all else.Antonio Galloni | 91-93 AGDark fruit and rich concentration clear from the first nose, this is certainly trying hard to make an impact. It takes its foot off the pedal just before going over the top, and has a lovely crushed mint leaf finish that is extremely seductive. Impressive, as long as you sit with it for long enough for the minerality and austerity to come through. A yield of 51hl/ha. Owned by the Pourquet-Bécot family, Jean-Philippe Fort consultant. 55% new oak. 5% Malbec completes the blend. Drinking Window: 2026 - 2040Decanter | 92 DECBlackberry, sliced-mushroom and wet-earth character. It’s medium-to full-bodied. Flavorful finish.James Suckling | 91-92 JSThe 2019 Grand-Pontet has a deep garnet-purple color and notes of crushed red and black plums, mulberries and blackberry pie with wafts of nutmeg and forest floor. The medium-bodied palate is packed with juicy, straightforward black berry flavors, framed by chewy tannins and finishing with appealing freshness.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 88-90 RP

One of the unequivocally great wines of the vintage is the 2019 Cheval Blanc, a stunning young Saint-Émilion that wafts from the glass with aromas of wild berries and plums mingled with notions of lilac, pipe tobacco, violets, raw cocoa, licorice, crushed mint and burning embers. Full-bodied, layered and enveloping, it’s deep and intense, with beautifully rich, powdery tannins and vibrant flavors. Concluding with a long, saline finish, this rivals the 2016 as the finest Cheval Blanc of the decade, and in many respects it might be thought of as the latter vintage’s sun-kissed cousin. Bravo to Pierre-Olivier Clouet and his team!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPThe 2019 Cheval Blanc is a stunning, riveting wine. There is simply nothing like a great Cheval in all of Bordeaux. Soaring aromatics are immediately alluring. Bright red-toned fruit, blood orange, cinnamon, espresso and dried herbs build in a Cheval that possesses tremendous layers and exceptional balance. Clean, mineral notes lend tension and drive. The 2019 is a bit strict today and not ready to show all its cards, but it is very clearly a special, special wine in the making. In 2019, the Grand Vin represents 82.5% of the estate’s production, a very high amount by any measure. I wouldn’t dream of touching a bottle anytime soon. The 2019 is an eternal Cheval Blanc.Antonio Galloni | 100 AGBlackcurrants, cassis, graphite and earth on the nose, then changing to roses, violets and berries. Full-bodied with incredible energy of fine tannins and lively acidity. It grows on the palate and escalates to the summit of perfect wine. Very powerful at the end. Holding back and a great finish. Quantity and quality. Menthol. Cool. One of the greatest young Cheval Blancs I have ever tasted. 58% merlot, 34% cabernet franc and 8% cabernet sauvignon. Great finish. Give it time. Try after 2028.James Suckling | 100 JSReminding me slightly of the 1990, the 2019 Château Cheval Blanc is a brilliant, brilliant wine from this estate that’s up there with the true greats. It shows the purity, finesse, and elegance of the vintage beautifully yet backs it up with density, concentration, and depth, revealing a stunning nose of red and black currants, tobacco leaf, new saddle leather, and spring flowers, with absolutely perfect ripeness. As complex and nuanced as only Cheval Blanc can be, even at this young age, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, abundant opulence, fat, and sweetness, polished tannins, and a gorgeous finish. It’s almost in a class all its own. It deserves at least 5-7 years of bottle age and will shine for 30+ years. Hats off to Pierre-Olivier Clouet, who continues to keep this estate at the top of the pyramid in Saint-Emilion!Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDA sexy, direct and precise Cheval with a seriously expressive nose of dark chocolate, blackcurrants and perfumed red cherries. The palate starts off slow and delicate and builds in the mouth, gaining in character and intensity. The acidity is more marked after a few sips, mouthwatering and juicy, giving the palate real life and verve as the generous fruit flavours come into play, a lovely strawberry and raspberry vein with some mint notes all the way through giving such freshness and cooling sensations in the mouth, while soft tannins balanced by acidity give length and direction. Real weight and depth but also delicacy – concentration and restraint – lift, but such coolness. A sensational wine with pure energy. Cheval, 58% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drinking Window: 2030 - 2050Decanter | 99 DECThis has loads of dark currant, fig and blackberry preserve notes that are supported by dense waves of loam and warm gravel, all hallmarks of the 2019 growing season. But there’s an extra dimension here, thanks to its remarkably lush and fine-grained texture, with endless ripples of tobacco, bay and singled sandalwood and balsam wood through the finish. In the end, it’s the combination of power, refinement and expressing an essentially unharnessable vintage that sets this red apart from the pack. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2025 through 2045. 10,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThe wine has power. It is dense but with such concentration along with a fine perfumed character from the Cabernet Franc in the blend. The wine’s richness is impressive while leaving plenty of room for fruit. This fine wine will age well. Drink from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WE

Almost all Merlot, the 2019 Château Franc Mayne is a ripe, beautifully textured 2019 that does incredibly well in the vintage. Giving up lots of ripe black fruits, tobacco leaf, chocolate, and floral notes, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, the vintage’s pure, elegant texture, building tannins, and plenty of classic chalky minerality on the finish. It’s beautifully done. This estate has played on a different level starting in 2018, and these wines deserve your attention!Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThe 2019 Franc Mayne is a real head-turner. Ample and full bodied, Franc Mayne brings tons of black cherry/plum fruit, espresso, chocolate and licorice to the fore. The 2019 is sumptuous and exotic, with tons of intensity, with all the elements impeccably put together. It’s a terrific Franc Mayne.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGGorgeously rich, medium to full intensity in colour with plum fruit on the attack. This has extremely well judged balance between the exuberant fruit that Franc Mayne has as its signature and a more restrained supple frame in its tannins and lift. A really enjoyable wine, one of my favourites at this property. Winemaker Sophie Mage joined in 2018 from Frederic Engerer’s Rhône estate Fortboneau. Thomas Duclos new consultant also since last year. A yield of 43hl/ha.Decanter | 93 DECA fragrant nose of plums, dark cherries, blackcurrants, violets, bark and spice box. It’s full-bodied with fine tannins. Balanced and velvety with a caressing texture. Plush and layered. 100% merlot. Drink after 2024.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2019 Franc-Mayne is supple and charming, wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet cherry and berry fruit mingled with hints of cocoa nib, warm spices and vanilla pod. Medium to full-bodied, broad and velvety, with ripe tannins and succulent acids, it’s a generous, polished wine that will drink well with minimal bottle age. From a site next to Beau-Séjour Bécot that spans the limestone plateau, the slope and sandy clay below, it’s 100% Merlot, but Cabernet Franc has been replanted and will soon contribute to the assemblage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPMade entirely from Merlot, this is rich in vibrant black fruits. Spice and plenty of dark tannins are there to backup to what is going to be a full-bodied wine for medium-term aging.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

The 2019 Laforge has really filled out nicely. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, tobacco, licorice and lavender build beautifully with some aeration. The 2019 is sumptuous, bold and racy, Laforge is an absolute joy to taste today. This flamboyant, racy Saint-Émilion will be a jewel to drink now and over the next few years.Vinous Media | 93 VMThe 2019 Château Laforge is more up-front and charming, with medium-bodied aromas and flavors of savory red and black fruits, leafy herbs, iron, and tobacco. It has good acidity, ripe tannins, and, as with all of the releases from Malthus, is beautifully balanced. Drink this already complex, layered, seamless 2019 over the coming 15+ years.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDMedium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Laforge opens with notions of pencil shavings, rose hip tea, crushed rocks and cedar chest over a core of warm black and red plums, boysenberries and spice cake. The medium to full-bodied palate is charged with freshness and energy, offering finely grained tannins to support the red and black fruit layers, finishing long and fragrant.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RPLots of lovely fruit and freshness in this red with blackberry and cherry character, medium body and a round, juicy finish. Very attractive already. Drink after 2023.James Suckling | 92 JSThis is a fine wine with great black fruits and an impressive density. Spice and ripe tannins make for a wine for aging. Drink from 2025. Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

Such pure and beautiful aromas of blackberries and black cherries with violets and red roses. So aromatic and enticing. Full-bodied with extremely integrated tannins that are velvety and curated. Fresh and sweet fruit at the end with an orange-peel undertone. Crushed stone and sandalwood, too. This is a very beautiful second wine of Ausone. 60% cabernet franc and 40% merlot. Drink after 2025.James Suckling | 96 JSThe second wine of Ausone comes from specific parcels of the vineyard. With 60% of Cabernet Franc in the blend with Merlot, the wine is structured and firm, perfumed and rich. It will age well, drink from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEA blend of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot, the 2019 Chapelle d’Ausone is deep garnet-purple in color. Lifted notes of black raspberries, redcurrant jelly, and blackberry preserves waft from the glass, followed by hints of unsmoked cigars, baking spices, and violets. The medium-bodied palate is plush and juicy, with loads of fragrant layers and a lively, perfumed finish.The Wine Independent | 94 TWIA blend of wine from young vines with a few barriques of declassified Ausone (though anything that doesn’t make the grade is sold off in bulk), the 2019 Chapelle d’Ausone exhibits attractive aromas of cherries, sweet berry fruit, violets, spices, rose petals and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and seamless, it’s elegant and refined, with a deep core of fruit and impeccable balance.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2019 Chapelle d’Ausone has a taut nose, a mixture of red and black fruit, quite marine influenced with a tang of Japanese nori. The palate is medium-bodied with chewy tannins, fine depth though not the most powerful Saint-Émilion, compensating with admirable elegance on the finish. Very fine. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.Vinous Media | 92 VM