I only gave one perfect score after tasting more than 1,000 2019 Bordeaux barrel samples. And it was a dry white. It was the great white of Chateau Haut-Brion. All I could say in the Zoom interview I did with winemaker Jean-Philippe Delmas on June 10 was “Wow. Crazy. Oh My God.”
Haut-Brion really made a breakaway wine with its sauvignon blanc and semillon blend. Of course, it won’t come as a surprise to Bordeaux lovers or the wine trade. It’s one of the great white wines of the world and the 2019 has the density of some of those legendary whites like the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Montrachet or great vintages of its own such as 1989, 2009 and 2010.
That’s why I rated it 100 points. There’s no need to use a scoring range on this one.
His top reds, notably Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion, were almost as impressive with ratings of 99-100. These could also be perfect wines after bottling.
The Haut-Brion red was released to the Bordeaux wine trade a few minutes after this report was posted at about 30% less than last year’s price.
Delmas made a point that vintages with “9” at the end have always been great for his estates. “With Haut Brion we are very lucky with the “9” number: 1929, 1959, 1989, 2009 and now 2019,” he said.
I think it is much more than luck. Delmas, like his father before him who was technical director at Haut-Brion for more than 40 years, is dedicated to precision in his vineyards and winery. He gets the most out of it whenever he can and he nailed it in 2019.
“You have the ripeness of a great vintage,” Delmas said during our Zoom call on June 10, during which we tasted the wines. “If you compare to last year the level of alcohol is the same and the acidity is a little lower. The ph is a little higher. It is like the 1989 but you have this freshness. You feel the freshness. I know you like the 1998. It is mixed with the freshness of 1998 and the ripeness of 1989.”
That’s a perfect description for his reds, especially for the Haut-Brion red. The red is indeed ripe yet it’s tight and focused at the same time with great structure and finesse. It’s so very precise and goes on and on with the finish. The La Mission is more tannic and muscular with a solid core of blue fruits and stony tannins. The La Mission white is a knockout as well and his St.-Emilion from Quintus is one of the best I have had.
Delmas made a poignant remark at the end of the interview that I thought I would share. “It is a special vintage for me as my father left us (died) the last day of the harvest. It’s not only the quality (with the 2019).”
This is part of an extensive en primeur tasting campaign being conducted by James, which has already covered 1,000 wines, with more to come. The reports are listed below:
Bordeaux en primeur first report: A potentially challenging vintage
Bordeaux en primeur second report: 1,000 notes and scores
Pricing report: Pontet-Canet’s decision to slash its prices
