Half a dozen wines tasted from Montagne St Emilion and Lussac St Emilion in 2019 showed impressive fruit and structure. I was particularly struck by the quality of the de Boüard wines in Montagne St Emilion, Château Clos de Boüard and La Dame de Boüard. Chateau Messile-Aubert also showed finesse and had good texture. In Lussac St Emilion, Château de Barbe Blanche showed plenty of velvety fruit and felt pretty lush. Château La Rose Perrière was intense and spicy, and if it lacked finesse, it had plenty of enjoyable fruit. The following wines were tasted in London in June from samples sent by Le Grand Cercle des Vins de Bordeaux and Château Angélus. Hope you find the notes useful.

Montagne St Emilion

Château Clos de Boüard, Montagne St Emilion, 2019

Deep and saturated looking; opaque at core; colour tight to rim; purple edge; fresh sweet fruit; perfumed and lifted; black cherry, some spice; lovely joyful merlot [85% of the blend] super juicy; fleshy; plenty of matter on the palate; super juicy fruit; some zap to it too; lots of matter; tannins ripe; has been worked but not over extracted; warm finish suggests alcohol; juicy finish with some oak on the end. [30ha, 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon]. Tasted 2/6/20. Drink 2023-2028. 90-91+

Dame de Boüard, Montagne St Emilion, 2019

Similar depth; deep and saturated looking; little firmer aromatics; tighter, more restraint but there is a lot of fruit here; creamy cabernet aromatics open up [40% of the blend]; slightly savoury, saline edge but with the black cherry and dark chocolate notes behind; some new wood to integrate but plenty of fruit enveloping it; sweet entry; lovely texture on the entry; plenty of oomph but this is nicely handled on the palate; nice chew to the tannins on the end; quite a bit of chew; savoury finish. Again, impressively serious and quite long. Looks like a lovely vintage here. [30ha, 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon]. Tasted 2/6/20. Drink 2023-2032 91-92+

Château Messile-Aubert, Montagne St Emilion, 2019

Mid depth; red at edge; chocolate; black fruits; sweet; some fruitcake spices; schist; attractive; sweet entry; some vanilla; ripe sweet fruit and soft tannins; this is drinking well now; savoury finish. Will be good. [Vineyard 65% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon]. Tasted June 2020. Drink 2024-2032. 87-89+

Château Reclos de la Couronne, Montagne St Emilion, 2019

Super deep and arterial; colour tight to edge; very dense; rather raw initially; sense this is chewy; inky palate with lashings of spicy fruit; lacks finesse but has plenty of extract; wow; chewy on the finish. Let’s see how it goes but expect this to settle. [100% Merlot]. Tasted June 2020. Drink 2025-2035. 85-87+

Lussac St Emilion

Château de Barbe Blanche, Lussac St Emilion, 2019

Mid depth; deep at core; gutsy; some briary fruits; black cherry and summer fruit compote aromatics; chocolate; nice entry on the palate; has good fruit and texture; velvety tannins; savoury notes; nicely done. Works for me. More immediately fruit driven than La Rose Perriere. More freshness; quite positive and gusty. Plenty of matter and sap on the finish. [85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc]. Tasted June 2020. Drink 2024-2032. 89-91+

Château La Rose Perrière, Lussac St Emilion, 2019

Deeply coloured; dark at the centre; rich; tarry; some Pontefract cake; deep; certainly concentrated on the nose; menthol; bold; spicy; very savoury; a little reminiscent of La Vielle Cure; like this works well in a spicy style; inky finish. Creamy texture to the fruit. [Vineyard planted 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon]. Tasted June 2020. Drink 2024-2032. 88-90+