Weekly tasting report (May 10-16, 2020): Australia, France

It was always going to be hard to top last week’s tastings, in which we found four 100-pointers and many other wines scoring 95 points and up. But last week’s tastings from myself and Executive Editor Nick Stock in Melbourne produced their own excitement.

I was tasting primarily barrel samples from Bordeaux, and the 2019 vintage looks like it will produce really excellent wines, similar to 2018 with ripe yet cool fruit and refined tannins and slightly higher acidity. Many I tasted scored 96-97 points, like the Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte Pessac-Léognan Blanc 2019, which was precise and plush with beautiful upfront fruit, and the Château Pape Clément Pessac-Léognan Blanc 2019, which was racy and full-bodied with excellent minerality and intensity.

Meanwhile Nick Stock continued his tastings of Australian wines, and his chosen highlights are all about fermentation vessels – a more than 100-year-old slate fermenter from a winery ruin and two wines fermented in ceramic eggs.

Nick is in the middle of a deep dive McLaren Vale tasting and is also tasting wines from other regions in Australia and European producers. The 2018 Ox Hardy Slate Shiraz is wine that taps deep into the history of the region. It is heritage project and the first fermentation of Upper Tintara shiraz to be fermented in one of the century old slate fermenters that is part of the remains of the original winery built in 1863. Think X-factor texture and concentration.

Also in the realm of cleverly curated fermentation, the Yangarra Roussanne McLaren Vale Roux Beauté 2018 is a wine that has intensity and textural superiority with fermentation on skins in ceramic eggs. The Giant Steps Chardonnay Yarra Valley Ocarina 2019 is also fermented in eggs but aimed at delivering purity and assertive fruit character of the top Yarra Valley terroirs.

Enjoy our notes below (subscribers only).

– James Suckling, CEO & editor

READ MORE:

WHAT WE TASTED LAST WEEK #1
WHAT WE TASTED LAST WEEK #2
WHAT WE TASTED LAST WEEK #3

Tasting Notes

Château d'Issan Margaux 2019
Country France
Region Bordeaux
Vintage 2019
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Château Pape Clément Pessac-Léognan 2019
Country France
Region Bordeaux
Vintage 2019
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Château Pape Clément Pessac-Léognan Blanc 2019
Country France
Region Bordeaux
Vintage 2019
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Château Phélan Ségur Saint-Estephe 2019
Country France
Region Bordeaux
Vintage 2019
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Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte Pessac-Léognan 2019
Country France
Region Bordeaux
Vintage 2019
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Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte Pessac-Leognan Blanc 2019
Country France
Region Bordeaux
Vintage 2019
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Giant Steps Chardonnay Yarra Valley Ocarina 2019
Country Australia
Region Victoria
Vintage 2019
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Ox Hardy Shiraz McLaren Vale Slate 2018
Country Australia
Region South Australia
Vintage 2018
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Yangarra Roussanne McLaren Vale Roux Beauté 2018
Country Australia
Region South Australia
Vintage 2018
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Château Valandraud Bordeaux Blanc 2019
Country France
Region Bordeaux
Vintage 2019
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