2018 Pauillac is a contender for the appellation of the vintage. The wines are flat-out extraordinary! Universally, they are deeply colored, concentrated, supple, firm, full-bodied and occasionally, ostentatious. But even with all their flair, they retain their firm, regal, Pauillac nature. With many wines, 2018 Pauillac is a better version of 2009. It is also
Winemakers
2018 St. Estephe produced great wines, from top to bottom. Just about every wine I tasted showed fabulous character from the Second Growths, to the Cru Bourgeoise to the smaller, lesser known wines. All the wines show good, dark color, rich, opulent fruits and supple tannins. 2018 Saint Estephe is relatively forward as well so
As I wrote in my 2018 Saint Julien barrel tasting report, the appellation should win an award for the most consistent Left Bank appellation of the 2018 Bordeaux vintage. Frankly, every wine I tasted was good. And not just the Grand Vin, the second wines were strong as well. In fact, just peruse my tasting
2018 Pomerol is a contender for the appellation of the vintage. There are numerous, concentrated, exciting, sultry, sensuous wines in this vintage that will appeal to hedonistic wine lovers. Edouard Moueix is bullish on 2018 Pomerol. He explains why. “What we enjoy most in our 2018s is the controlled power. The harmonious and polished tannins
2018 Margaux is not as homogenous as the other top appellations in the Medoc. In part, of course it is due to the massive size and diversity of terroirs. But it is also important to note that while Margaux is not always consistent, 2 of the wines of the vintage came from Margaux! It is
2018 Pessac Leognan is the product of a challenging growing season. Like the rest of Bordeaux, the vintage had an auspicious start as the vineyards were underwater. It was not just the non-stop rain that went on for months. There were hail storms to contend with as well. And if that wasn’t enough, the devastating
The best 2018 Saint Emilion wines are stunning! They are everything fans of the appellation could hope for. The wines are all deeply colored. They are aromatic with a cornucopia of scents ranging from flowers, to red, black and blue fruits, wet earth, crushed rocks, cocoa, truffle and licorice. Even better is the level of
2018 Bordeaux is going to be thought of as an outstanding vintage for years to come. Not just because the wines at the top were sublime. The quality of a vintage is also measured by how the lesser wines from more challenging terroir performed. I tasted 800 wines from 2018 Bordeaux covering every appellation and
It has been quite a year for all of us. Tasting close to two hundred 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape wines has certainly made the year much more bearable. Overall, I was surprised at how much I liked the vintage. Having been in Chateauneuf in June 2018, I saw the incredible toll the mildew was having
After tasting 700 wines from the 2019 vintage. I can assure you that there is an array of 2019 Bordeaux wines worth buying from all over the entire appellation. There are wines at all price levels. At the top of the 2019 Bordeaux range of wines, if you are seeking the best of the best,
2019 Bordeaux Superieur wines are well-worth paying attention to. The wines are loaded with ripe, sweet, dark plums, black cherries, licorice and chocolate. Round, lusciously textured, sweet and filled with fruit these are pleasure in a glass wines. And do not forget, they drink well early too, so you do not have to hold them
2019 white Bordeaux wine can be very good, depending on the terroir and the vigneron. Bordeaux Blanc can be tricky. White wine grapes are not like the red wine grapes. With red wine grape varieties, you have time to pick, you can often wait and there is not usually a rush to pick White wine
2019 Medoc Wine Report. – The Medoc appellation is located in the far north of the Left Bank. Due to its cooler climate and terroirs that don’t always allow for full ripeness, every vintage does not always work up there. But when it does, the wines can be very good and offer value. But 2019
2019 Bordeaux wine, the complete guide to all the best wines of the vintage… Getting started Tasting 2019 Bordeaux has been a once in a lifetime experience I will never forget for so many vintages. Where do I start? Happy 10th Anniversary to The Wine Cellar Insider Well, that seems like the right place to
2019 Graves red and white wines at their best are aromatic, soft, smoky, medium-bodied, forward and refined. They should all deliver pleasure early. In fact, most will be delicious on release. Plus, almost every wine in this report sells for $15 or less! These well-priced early drinkers offer a lot of value for the money.
2019 Bordeaux is known for great wines at all price points. In fact, that is a large part of what goes into my vintage rating. The ability for producers at every price level of wine is important. This report offers more focus on value-priced Bordeaux. 2019 Lalande de Pomerol wines can be beautiful expressions of
Some of the best values in 2019 Bordeaux are found in the Cotes de Bordeaux appellation. The terroir at the best estates mirror what you can find in some of the best vineyards in St. Emilion. So here, you find the elusive blend of high-quality wine, fabulous character and the ability to age, without high
The satellite appellations of St. Emilion offer some of the best values found in the 2019 vintage. Located adjacent, or not too far from Saint Emilion, many of the following 2019 Bordeaux right Bank wines come from vineyards with terroirs that are similar to some of the top vineyards in its famous and more expensive
I tasted over 150 wines from 2019 St. Emilion. Because of the large volume of wines tasted, my Saint Emilion report had to be divided into 2 seperate articles. Part 2, this report focuses on all the non Classified Growths from Saint Emilion. It is important to note that not all the great wines of
I tasted over 150 wines from 2019 St. Emilion. Because of the volume of wines tasted, I am publishing the 2019 Saint Emilion wine report in 2 articles. Part 1, this report focuses on all the Classified Growths. Part 2, which will be published tomorrow covers all the other 2019 Saint Emilion wines tasted. 2019
2019 Pomerol is dedicated to Denis Durantou of Chateau L’Eglise-Client who passed away in May, after a long illness. I am honored to say I was friends with Denis for 15 years. He was an interesting man that marched to the beat of his own drummer. Like Frank Sinatra, he did it his way. He
You find stylish, high quality 2019 Pessac Leognan red and white wines this year. That is something that does not happen often, as more often than not, vintages usually favor red or white wines. Across the board, 2019 Pessac Leognan wines are aromatic, character driven, silky, lush, alluring wines produced from ripe grapes. Alcohol levels
2019 Haut Medoc wines can be a bargain hunters paradise, if you know where to look. And that is not an easy task as the appellation is huge, at close to 4,200 hectares in size! Because it is massive, you find various levels of terroirs and wines. In part, much of the variance is due
The 2019 Margaux vintage is very good, but not great. I say that because while there are some great wines, you need to remember that Margaux is such a large appellation, with a wide variety of terroirs that varied in their ability to cope with the dry conditions found in 2019. At their best, 2019
2019 Saint Julien wines across the board are a treat. Every property I tasted showed beautifully. Less powerful and opulent than you find in 2018, the wines all showed good color, complex aromatics and a captivating floral quality. What I enjoyed most was that here, the wines provide a beautiful sense of purity paired with
2019 Pauillac competes for the appellation of the 2019 Bordeaux vintage! The top 2019 Pauillac wines as you can see from my notes and comments are stunning! In fact, the best 2019 Pauillac wines are picture-perfect examples of what Pauillac does best, combining power, firm tannins, the structure to age and a refined character that
The best 2019 Saint Estephe wines make this a truly unique vintage for the appellation, and in many ways, for all of Bordeaux and me too! Not only does this mark the only time I have tasted barrel samples at home in bulk, and occasionally over Zoom with the directors, it is also the first
Diamond Creek Vineyards of Napa Valley fame was just sold to Louis Roederer Champagne! That is big news, especially during today’s economic climate. If you are not familiar with Diamond Creek Vineyards, you should be. In my opinion, they are one of the top vineyard sites in the entire Napa Valley. Their four most famous
The 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Report In 2017, Chateauneuf du Pape scored another very good vintage, although, it is behind the stunning 2016 and the sensuous 2015. Though many of the best 2017 Chateauneuf wines are not that far behind. For lovers of Southern Rhone wines, 2017 merits your attention. Unlike the 2 previous vintages,
Here are 15 crave-worthy comfort food and wine pairings. Be warned, naps are not included (although, you’ll be tempted!). Images of wine pairings tend to go in a decidedly elite direction. Fine cheeses, charcuterie boards, and foie gras seem to be the best friends of wine. But at the end of a long, stressful day,