2019
Elio Grasso Barolo Ginestra Casa Maté 2019
"Very different from the Gavarini Chiniera, the 2019 Barolo Ginestra Casa Maté shows more bite, structure and a bigger tannic impact. Fruit was harvested a bit earlier, but healthy grape skins allowed for 52 days of maceration. This wine shows beautiful intensity and fullness with dark fruit, earth, hazelnut and dark plum. Surrounded by forests, the greenery gives balance to this wine by moderating temperatures. In fact, this site saw up to 10 degrees Celsius drops in diurnal temperatures, leading to thick skins and ideal phenolic ripeness." - Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate
Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Chiniera 2019
"With vines adjacent to forests on white chalky soils, the Elio Grasso 2019 Barolo Gavarini Chiniera is a luminous and very beautiful wine. Vintner Gianluca Grasso called this "the helicopter vintage" because he actually rented a helicopter to fly over the vines for 45 minutes to dry them from rain right before harvest. As he tells it, this was a costly but good decision because 15 minutes after he finished harvesting on October 26, heavy rain came and lasted an entire week. Thanks to these dramatic measures, the grape skins were excellent, and maceration with submerged cap lasted 55 days. That's how perfect the skins were. This balanced wine shows extreme precision and elegance." - Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate
Anwilka Red Blend 2019
"The 2019 Anwilka is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon with 30% Syrah. The nose opens with subtle Syrah notes of red peppercorn and smoked meats before moving to dusty red and black fruit aromas. Full-bodied, layered and fresh, the palate reveals the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon, with soft herbal essences, bitter black tea and delicate olive notes. Graphite and pencil shavings follow across the mid-palate. The wine continues to unwind over the long lingering, mineral-laced, food-friendly finish. This rested for 20 months in all French oak, 50% of which was new, before being bottled." - Anthony Mueller, The Wine Advocate
Bodegas y Viñedos Alión 2019
"The 2019 Alión was cropped from a drier vintage compared with the average, and the wines from that year tend to be powerful, concentrated and with structure. They shortened the maceration by 11 days and used concrete for part of the élevage, trying to reduce the impact from the oak in the wine. They define 2019 as a powerful, concentrated and juicy vintage, sensual and unctuous. The wine is ripe at 15% alcohol and has mellow acidity (4.4 grams) and a pH of 3.88, reflecting the warm and dry year that delivered powerful and concentrated wines, similar to the wines from 2015. It's quite fruit-driven, ripe and juicy, with abundant, slightly dusty tannins despite the limited pumping over they did to avoid extracting too much, and the maceration was also shortened. 256,526 bottles, 7,005 magnums and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in June 2021." - Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate
Bodegas Benjamin de Rothschild & Vega Sicilia Rioja Macán Clásico 2019
"The second wine in the Bordeaux sense is the 2019 Macán Clásico, a more concentrated and powerful wine cropped from a warmer and drier year that was saved by the 80 liters of rain in the first half of September. It fermented in stainless steel with 10% of their own yeasts, and the élevage was 22% in stainless steel and the rest in new and used oak barrels, mostly French but with around 5% of them American, and lasted 12 months. It has a moderate 14% alcohol, mellow acidity and good freshness and balance. 2019 was a dry and warm year when they did a soft vinification to avoid harsh tannins. The nose is ripe without excess, and the oak is neatly integrated. The palate is juicy and round, with fine tannins and a velvety texture." - Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate
Fèlsina Fontalloro IGT Toscana 2019
J.L. Chave Sélection Hermitage Blanc Blanche 2019
"Another incredible white from this family is the 2019 Hermitage Blanc, a powerful, concentrated, and remarkably pure Hermitage that has laser-like focus as well as textbook Marsanne notes of quince, green almond, powdered rock, licorice, and spice. It’s still tight, focused, and inward at present, yet it reminds me of the 2018 with its purity and rare mix of power and elegance. It’s worth trying a bottle any time over the coming 3-5 years, but after that, I’d recommend waiting until after 2031. 98+" - Jeb Dunnuck
J.L. Chave Sélection Hermitage “Farconnet” 2019
"The 2019 Hermitage Farconnet comes from a mix of Péléat, Les Doignières, and Les Greffieux, and it was raised in used barrels. It has a classic Northern Rhône bouquet of ripe red and blackberry fruit as well as saddle leather, forest floor, ground pepper, and spring flowers. Needing a short decant, it's medium to full-bodied, has a supple, elegant mouthfeel, those classic Hermitage ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. It's already drinking nicely yet has a solid 10-12 years of longevity ahead of it." - Jeb Dunnuck
Domaine Trapet Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin “Ostrea” 2019
Domaine Trapet Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin “Ostrea” 2019, "More deeply pitched and slightly less elegant aromas are comprised by notes of plum, dark currant, forest floor and whiffs of game and herbal tea. There is excellent density and power to the broad-shouldered yet still reasonably refined flavors that flash a bracing salinity on the refreshing and impressively long if slightly warm finale. This is always a solid Gevrey villages and 2019 is no exception." - Allen Meadows, Burghound
Domaine Moreux-Corty Pouilly-Fumé Artisan La Loge aux Moines 2019
This is the flagship wine from a domaine whose history stretches back to the 17th century and which is being revitalised by the current (14th) generation of owners, brothers Arnaud and Julien. These are serious wines, an incredible expression of Pouilly-Fumé. The 4.5ha south-facing parcel of vines that make La Loge aux Moines (The Monks' Lodge) is planted on Kimmeridgian marl with a very high proportion of active limestone. Wines from this plot are characterised by great precision, minerality and structure. It's an austere style, with faintly smoky, herby aromas that hint at great concentration beneath. A delicious expression of Pouilly-Fumé, made with great finesse.- Amy Wislocki, Decanter
