Vintage 2019 Overview

This year our Fine Wine team couldn't fly to Bordeaux for the annual En Primeur tastings. But, we have managed to taste a number of the 2019's in HK and been in touch with the various Châteaux, to gain an understanding of the vintage.

It is clear that this is another very good to great vintage for Bordeaux. The "2019" is on par with those well recognised vintages 2015, 2016 and 2018, but very classic and balanced. No heaviness and no excess.

Below are some highlights of the weather conditions:

• Overall, it's a hot vintage, 1.1°C to 1.2°C higher than usual.
• Early bud burst, with a cool and wet spring led to uneven flowering, which slightly affected quantities, but no disasters like the late spring frost of 2017.
• The dry and hot weather from mid-June onwards contributed to a successful fruit set and offered perfect ripening during the growing season.
• Cool nights contrasted with high daytime temperatures, producing clear-cut tannins and perfectly balanced wine.
• Intermittent rain after the heat wave and hot summer, relieved water stress.
• Ideal harvest conditions

On the left bank, 2019 will be remembered as the year that Cabernet achieved the pinnacle of its potential, thanks to the ideal ripening and harvest conditions. The wines are bursting with fruit but show great balance and freshness.

On the right bank, many Châteaux used “freshness” and “balanced” to describe the vintage. The wines are rich and lush, but the cool nights combined with the clay-soil terroir, contributes to excellent acidity levels. 

Critics' Views:

“I find the vintage to be outstanding and at the same quality as the extraordinary 2018 but the young wines show more classic, even traditional style with fine tannins and bright and vibrant acidity.” - James Suckling

"Early reports of the 2019s have been quite positive. Is it the Vintage of a Lifetime, or the Vintage of the Century? Well, we will need a few decades to answer that. But I am 100% sure of one thing, and that is that 2019 is the Opportunity of a Lifetime." - Antonio Gallioni Vinous