2019 is a wonderful vintage in Pauillac. Whilst Château Latour, Château Mouton Rothschild and Château Grand Puy Lacoste were missing from the MW Institutes line-up, the range included most of the other top properties. Château Lafite Rothschild was sublime. It had terrific purity, precise blackcurrant fruit profiles and wonderful balance. This quality was also mirrored in two epic wines from the Pichons. If Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande fractionally topped Château Pichon Baron in early primeurs tastings, then maybe Baron is now fractionally head by a whisker, but that is more to do with how they are currently drinking. Both are show-stoppers, and both must surely rank amongst the very top wines of the vintage. Château Lynch-Bages is full-throttle but currently a lot rawer and needs another three of four years [it will age well for decades]. Château Duhart Milon has made classic Pauillac along with Château Batailley, and Château Clerc-Milon looks to be one of the best wines here in the last decade. It has great purity and balance.

St Julien in 2019 is a study in consistency and finesse. These have been stylish and impressive wines from the start, but are beginning to hit their stride. Nine wines were shown by the MW Institute back in late 2023. The major omissions were Château Ducru Beaucaillou and Château Léoville Las Cases [normally shown at this annual tasting]. Otherwise, all the top crus classés were represented. The wines from Château Gruaud Larose, Château Léoville Barton and Château Léoville Poyferré impressed the most, but there are excellent wines too from Château Branaire-Ducru, Château Lagrange, Château Langoa Barton, Château St Pierre and Château Talbot. On the day Château Beychevelle was lush and polished but it lacked a bit of grip and freshness compared to the others. The blend at Beychevelle is Merlot dominant, while the other St Juliens tasted were all significantly Cabernet Sauvignon dominant, which might explain this stylistic difference.

The MW Institute usually has a good spread of wines from Margaux on show at its annual Bordeaux event. Seventeen 2019s were on tasting and generally impressed. While this appellation is quite large and covers varied terroirs, the qualitative heterogeneity of the appellation has lessened in the past decade. Gentler approaches in the cellar and better understanding in the vineyard and a move to earlier picking have all contributed to this improvement. There is greater emphasis on the purity of fruit and freshness, and it is evident in the wines in 2019. Undoubtedly Château Margaux has produced one of the wines of the vintage. It is already spellbinding in its aromatics and in its balance. Phenomenal. The line-up was sadly sans Château Palmer and the next best contender, and really not that far off the pace of Château Margaux, was Château Rauzan Ségla. Initially this was less forthcoming in the glass but it opened up wonderfully. Excellent wines has been made once again at Château Brane Cantenac. This property is supremely consistent and their 2019 ranks alongside super efforts here in 2016 and 2018. Château Giscours has put together, for me, its best ever recent wine. It is a beauty with terrific purity. Just behind these are very good wines from Château Cantenac Brown [showing increased finesse over previous vintages], Château d’Issan [full of promise but backward], Château Kirwan, Château Lascombes [full and lush as usual] and a fresh and vigorous Château Durfort-Vivens.

There was something magical about the top wines in 2018 when first tasted during primeurs. The finest wines had fabulous levels of extract and exotic fruit profiles that were reminiscent of 2009, 1989 and 1982. Just over a year ago the MW Institute put on their 2018 horizontal tasting of all the principal Bordeaux appellations at four years of age. It was instructive. Some of the wines were developing really well and impressed. Others had firmed up considerably and had shut down. There were quite a few others that now felt a bit ponderous and lacking in freshness. There can be no doubt that this heatwave vintage has yielded some remarkable wines, but overall, the vintage continues to lack the overall consistency of 2019 and 2016 vintages from what I have tasted. So, what were the highlights?