Weekly tasting report (May 17-23, 2020): Australia, France, USA

My tastings of Bordeaux 2019 barrel samples continued last week, and among them were some excellent wines that suggest this vintage will be another outstanding one. There has been some interesting discussion regarding pricing for these, in some of the Zoom tasting sessions I have had with producers. Hubert de Bouard, esteemed winemaking consultant in the region, suggested prices needed to come down 30 percent. See his remarks in our video here. I think they may need to come down even further! 

Among my highlights, the Château Cos d’Estournel St.-Estèphe 2019 is a show-stopper, full and layered, but not overpowering. I rated it 98-99 points. And the Domaine de Chevalier Pessac-Léognan 2019 (96-97 points) showed gorgeous chocolate, walnut, dark-fruit and stone character. 

I also continued with my tasting of wines from Washington State, with Leonetti Cellar, Figgins, Quilceda Creek, L’Ecole and K Vintners providing the top highlights, wines that are rich and pure with full and chewy tannin structures. 

Meanwhile Executive Editor in Nick Stock dove into McLaren Vale, where there’s a strong push from grenache producers to seek out the best parcels, often sharing them with other producers. But there were other highlights too. For example, Ox Hardy’s small plot of shiraz planted in 1891 is a passion project and the 2010 is the first release of this wine.

Nick says: “These ancient vines have delivered a rendering of rich, supple McLaren Vale shiraz that stops you in your tracks. The allure of this wine is insatiable, an incredible tribute to Hardy’s ancestors who planted and stewarded the block until 20 years back. Hardy has built a library of small parcels from this plot, the 2010 being the first he has commercially released. Top end value here.”

Enjoy our notes below (subscribers only).

– James Suckling, CEO & editor

Tasting Notes

Château Cos d'Estournel St.-Estèphe 2019
Country France
Region Bordeaux
Vintage 2019
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Hurley Vineyard Pinot Noir Mornington Peninsula Garamond 2018
Country Australia
Region Victoria
Vintage 2018
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K Vintners Syrah Wahluke Slope The Hidden 2017
Country United States
Region Washington
Vintage 2017
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K Vintners Syrah Walla Walla Valley Phil Lane 2017
Country United States
Region Washington
Vintage 2017
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Ox Hardy Shiraz McLaren Vale 1891 Ancestor Vines 2010
Country Australia
Region South Australia
Vintage 2010
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Château Cos d'Estournel Bordeaux Blanc 2019
Country France
Region Bordeaux
Vintage 2019
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Figgins Walla Walla Valley Estate Red 2017
Country United States
Region Washington
Vintage 2017
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K Vintners Syrah Washington State Royal City 2016
Country United States
Region Washington
Vintage 2016
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Leonetti Cellar Walla Walla Valley Holy Roller 2017
Country United States
Region Washington
Vintage 2017
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Leonetti Cellar Walla Walla Valley Reserve 2017
Country United States
Region Washington
Vintage 2017
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L’Ecole No 41 Walla Walla Valley Ferguson Vineyard 2017
Country United States
Region Washington
Vintage 2017
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Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2017
Country United States
Region Washington
Vintage 2017
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Thistledown Grenache McLaren Vale This Charming Man Old Vine Clarendon 2019
Country Australia
Region South Australia
Vintage 2019
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Yangarra Grenache McLaren Vale High Sands 2017
Country Australia
Region South Australia
Vintage 2017
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Château du Domaine de L'Église Pomerol 2019
Country France
Region Bordeaux
Vintage 2019
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Château Malartic-Lagravière Pessac-Léognan Blanc 2019
Country France
Region Bordeaux
Vintage 2019
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Château Trottevieille St.-Emilion 2019
Country France
Region Bordeaux
Vintage 2019
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Domaine de Chevalier Pessac-Léognan 2019
Country France
Region Bordeaux
Vintage 2019
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