2019 Bordeaux Vintage

After a mild winter, 2019 began with a cool, wet April and May that triggered frost alerts on April 13-14 and May 5-6, and caused uneven, heterogeneous flowering in late May through early June. From mid-June, the season turned warm and dry, providing the long, hot summer that defines great Bordeaux vintages. The critical moment came on July 26, when Bordeaux-wide thunderstorms delivered 30-40mm of life-giving rain, relieving vine stress just before veraison. September brought a warm, dry first half ideal for phenolic ripening, with further refreshing rains around September 7-9 and 21-25 helping to complete an extended and mostly healthy harvest.

• Overall 1.5°C above the 30-year average with approximately 21% less rain than normal through harvest
• Frost scares on April 13-14 and May 5-6 caused localised damage but nothing approaching 2017's catastrophe
• Thunderstorms on July 26 delivered 30-40mm of rain and are widely credited with preventing a vintage-threatening drought
• Fruit arrived at wineries largely free of rot, mould, and sunburn, giving producers wide latitude in harvest timing

Both banks produced excellent wine, though with distinctive styles. On the Left Bank, the top wines of the Medoc showed a structured, more elegant character closer to 2016 than the lush opulence of 2018, with great persistency and typicity in Pauillac, Saint-Julien, and Saint-Estephe. Margaux was a particular standout, producing wines of remarkable elegance and freshness. The Right Bank was rich and lush, with slightly higher acidity than 2018, making for wines of impressive concentration and energy. Pessac-Leognan excelled across both its red and white wines. Consistency was high at classified-growth level, though some critics noted that quality tapered off more quickly below that tier compared to 2016.

• Margaux and Pessac-Leognan were widely cited as Left Bank highlights for their elegance and freshness
• Right Bank (Pomerol and Saint-Emilion) produced rich, concentrated wines with slightly more acidity than 2018
• Pessac-Leognan dry whites were also outstanding, with many producers picking Sauvignon Blanc from late August to preserve freshness
• Consistency was strongest at classified-growth level; quality was less uniform below that tier compared to 2016

The 2019 vintage received near-unanimous critical praise. The Wine Advocate's Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW headlined her en primeur report 'The Miracle Vintage,' while Jancis Robinson, tasting the bottled wines blind in early 2023, called it 'perhaps the best I have ever tasted at this stage.' James Suckling tasted over 1,000 barrel samples and described the vintage as the best he had experienced in 37 years of barrel tasting. Among standout performers, Chateau Margaux was awarded 98-100 points by multiple critics, Chateau Mouton-Rothschild received 97-99 points, Chateau Figeac earned 98-100 from the Wine Advocate, and Chateau Canon received a 100-point score in a revisited in-bottle assessment. Importantly, Petrus, Le Pin, Ausone, and Cheval Blanc did not send barrel samples to critics during the COVID-affected campaign but sold out rapidly regardless.

• Chateau Margaux: 98-100 points across multiple critics, praised for combining power with perfumed elegance
• Chateau Figeac (Saint-Emilion): 98-100 from the Wine Advocate, described as the highest-scored vintage in the estate's history
• Chateau Canon (Saint-Emilion): subsequently awarded 100 points in a blind in-bottle re-tasting by The Wine Independent
• Haut-Bailly, Cos d'Estournel, Leoville Las Cases, and Pontet-Canet also received outstanding scores and strong critical praise

The 2019s are not, as sometimes characterised, simple near-term hedonists. Jancis Robinson noted that the vintage has 'masses of ripe fruit, but lots of tannin to keep the wines going for many a long year,' while Vinous's Antonio Galloni described them as 'more finessed wines built on persistence and length more than opulence.' The best Left Bank classified growths display a structured, energetic character closer to 2016 than to the opulent 2018, while the top Right Bank wines combine richness with genuine freshness. K&L Wines noted that the wines 'should drink well in their youth, but can be aged for decades as the ripe fruit is balanced by fine tannins and acidity.'

• Top classified growths from both banks are already accessible but have the tannin structure to reward extended cellaring
• Left Bank first and super-second growths can be expected to drink well through the 2030s and 2040s
• Right Bank icons, including top Pomerol and Saint-Emilion, show richness and acidity suited to mid-term aging through the 2030s
• Petit chateaux and Cru Bourgeois are best enjoyed now through the early 2030s for their fruit-forward appeal

Most critics place 2019 alongside 2016 and 2018 as one of the finest Bordeaux vintages of the modern era, though just below the five-star benchmarks of 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, and 2016. On the Left Bank, the wines are less lush than 2018 and more structured, sitting stylistically closer to 2016. The Right Bank is richer and more concentrated than 2016 but with slightly more freshness than 2018. James Suckling compared 2019 to 2005 in its classical proportions and harmony, while Wine Enthusiast described it as a cross between the openness of 2009 and the structure of 2010. The vintage also stands apart for its remarkable consistency across all price points and appellations, a quality that many critics highlighted as exceptional.

• 2016 vs. 2019: 2016 is the more structured and age-worthy reference; 2019 is more open and generous now while still offering real cellaring potential
• 2018 vs. 2019: 2018 is richer and more opulent on the Right Bank; 2019 shows more elegance and consistency across both banks
• 2010 vs. 2019: 2010 is the more powerful, tannic benchmark; 2019 is finesse-driven with ripe fruit energy rather than sheer extraction
• 2019 earned unusually strong scores at all quality tiers, with critics citing its cross-appellation consistency as one of its defining attributes

The 2019 en primeur campaign was one of the most unusual in living memory. Conducted entirely via mailed barrel samples due to the COVID-19 lockdown in spring 2020, it nonetheless became one of the most commercially successful campaigns in years, largely because châteaux offered the wines at average discounts of approximately 20% below 2018 release prices, with some major names cutting by 25-30%. For the first time in roughly two decades, a high-scoring vintage coincided with genuinely attractive pricing. Secondary market trading for newly released 2019s quickly outpaced 2018, with several wines trading above their release prices within months of launch.

• Average en primeur price discount to 2018 was approximately 20%, with First Growths discounting closer to 25%
• Mouton-Rothschild and Pontet-Canet both cut release prices by around 30% versus the 2018 campaign
• Château Latour does not participate in en primeur, having withdrawn from the system in 2012
• Strong secondary market performance followed the campaign, with wines like La Mission Haut-Brion and Clinet seeing rapid price appreciation after release