▻ Bordeaux 2019 in Bottle

Let's Talk About

8 Feb

Written By Sarah Kemp

In conversation with Jane Anson

Episode Summary:-

Sarah Kemp talks with leading Bordeaux expert Jane Anson, of www.janeanson.com about the 2019 vintage, which she has just tasted in bottle. Jane, who lives in Bordeaux, was one of the very few wine critics who tasted the 2019 vintage during En Primeur as it was the first year of the pandemic and most wine reviewers were unable to travel. Jane and Sarah discuss how, two years on, it is still difficult for people to travel to Bordeaux.

Jane explains that before the pandemic, at En Primeur she would visit between 8 to 10 châteaux a day, and taste between 40-50 wines a day at her house. For her Bordeaux 2019 in-bottle report, she has tasted around 700 wines. She finds the vintage on a quality level with 2015 and 2018 on the Right Bank but slightly below her star vintages of the decade, 2010 and 2016, which were great across the board in Bordeaux. However, she says, “You can find some great wines in 2019, slightly better on the Left Bank than the Right.”

There are some lovely anniversary bottles to look out for too: 100 years of Château Lynch-Moussas for the Castejas, 160 years at Château Siran for the Miailhes, 100 years at Château Léoville Poyferré for the Cuveliers, 300 years since the founding of Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, and a special bottling of Château Sociando-Mallet to commemorate Jean Gautreau, who celebrated 50 years at Sociando-Mallet shortly before his death in November 2019.

Jane advises looking out for her 94-point scores, which usually offer value for money. “Don’t always look for the 100 points,” she says. Among her 2019 94-point wines, she recommends Dame de Montrose, and Châteaux Marquis d’Alesme, Lascombes, Phélan Ségur, Giscours and La Lagune. She believes that people who bought at En Primeur will have done well – due to the pandemic and global uncertainty, prices were reduced, which led to a remarkably successful campaign.

Jane’s top-scoring wines? She names both white and red Château Mission Haut-Brion, the three wines from the Château Margaux stable and on the Right Bank, l’Eglise-Clinet, Château Cheval Blanc and Château Lafleur.

““It’s not a ‘close your eyes and buy vintage,’ but it is not far off.””

— Jane Anson

Running Order:-

0.00 – 6.40

“There is always a better option than buying 2013.”

– Jane’s approach to tasting.
– How 2019 sits in ranking versus the other vintages.
6.41 – 10.13

“Do not always look for the 100-point wines.”

– The properties celebrating significant anniversaries in 2019.
– Jane’s recommended châteaux.
– Jane’s top-scoring wines.

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