Chateau La Conseillante 2019

95–97. Barrel Sample. While the wine is dense, there is a gentle richness here. It shows ripe tannins and soft black plum flavors. At the same time, the wine's potential is obvious and powerful. It has balance, ripeness, structure and a fine future.

Vivid red pink in the glass with an expressive nose filled with softly fragrant red cherries, raspberries and purple flowers. This has a lovely texture and appeal straight away - it’s juicy and lively all the way through from start to finish but with a rich, mineral, wet stone core balanced by silky tannins. Detailed and graceful with presence and a satisfying weight on the tongue edged with lashings of black liquorice and slate. Star quality and such Pomerol glamour here with such a long finish. Lots of life ahead. A gorgeous wine.

The transparency and vibrancy here is impressive. From the very start it’s so aromatic, showing crushed-berry, dark-chocolate, coffee and cedar character. Full-bodied, yet tight and wonderfully tailored, with tannins that are fine-textured, but intense and so long, giving this wine great length. A joy to taste, but needs many years to soften and come together. Wonderful development here. Try after 2028.

The 2019 La Conseillante is elegant and nuanced, just as it was from barrel. All of the freshness and energy that was present en primeur comes through in the bottle. There is an element of sophistication, of reserve, that needs time to be fully expressive. The 2019 is a wine of linear precision more than volume or density. It should age exquisitely for many years to come.

Almost at the same level as the incredible 2016, this is one of the great vintages of La Conseillante. The nose, with its haunting bouquet of violets, lilacs and roses come along with additional nuances of chocolate, truffle, black cherries, black raspberries and black plums. I remember during the barrel tastings with Marielle Cazaux over Zoom blurting out, "Holy F..K!" Yes, it is that good! On the palate, the wine is elegant, seductive, long, vibrant, sweet, fresh and most importantly, incredibly pure displaying the essence of its gorgeous fruits. This is one of the great vintages of La Conseillante. Fans of the estate need some of this in their cellar. Drink from 2032-2055.

Dark ruby, opaque core, violet tints, subtle bright rim. Dark cherry fruit underlaid with a hint of noble wood, delicate chocolate touch, fine liquorice touch, candied orange zest in the background. Complex, juicy, ripe cherries, silky, supporting tannins, delicate chocolatey nuances on the finish, mineral and persistent, certain ageing potential.

An utterly brilliant Pomerol and the finest wine from this estate to date, surpassing even the 2016, the 2019 Château La Conseillante checks in as 84% Merlot and 16% Cabernet Franc and was raised in 70% new French oak. A wine of incredible finesse, purity, and precision, its deep purple hue is following by an incredible array of blueberries, crème de cassis, spring flowers, damp earth, and violets. Flawlessly balanced, full-bodied, and concentrated on the palate, it has a beautiful mid-palate, ultra-fine, utterly seamless tannins, and a heavenly finish. It doesn't have the sheer density or outright power of some of the other top Pomerols, but as I wrote in the barrel sample review, no one marries elegance with opulence as well as Conseillante. This magical Pomerol will take a decade to hit full maturity and will evolve for 30 years or more. This is haute couture at its absolute pinnacle, and as I wrote in the barrel review, hats off to Marielle Cazaux for producing one of the top wines of the vintage.

Kunz Fassprobe 2020: Dense, velvety, creamy, charming bouquet with blueberries, pralines, mint, strawberry jelly, herbs, mocha cream, flint. Tightly knit, elegant, powerful palate with creamy fruit, plenty of fine tannin, a gently opulent structure, complex sweet aromatics, and a very long, fine, fresh finish with sweet notes on the aftertaste.

Dense, velvety, creamy, charming bouquet: blueberries, pralines, mint, strawberry jelly, herbs, mocha cream, flint. Tightly knit, elegant, powerful palate with creamy fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a subtly opulent structure, complex, sweet aromatics, and a very long, fine, fresh finish with sweet notes on the aftertaste. 19/20 2024 - 2045

Majoring on Cabernet Franc character at this point, clear spice notes with rosebud, fragrant raspberry leaf, the most gorgeously powerful aromatics. On the palate you get cassis, bilberry, liquorice, dark chocolate shavings, balanced yet concentrated. Love this wine, and it is a brilliant example of the vintage. Harvest September 17 to October 9 (picking just a day at a time as needed, spread out over three weeks). Bottled mid June. 70% new oak, 30% amphoras. 34hl/h yield.

Made from 84% Merlot and 16% Cabernet Franc, the 2019 La Conseillante is deep garnet-purple in color. It hits the ground running with notes of violets, chocolate-covered cherries, and wild blueberries, leading to hints of crushed rocks, pencil shavings, and dried roses. The full-bodied palate is elegantly crafted, multilayered, and refreshing, featuring bright, energetic fruit and a long minerally finish.

Great aromatic purity dominated by peony, rose and iris. Creamy on the attack with sanguine, satiny nuances; a fine, persistent tannic structure, well set within luscious, melting fruit, followed by a sublime, airy floral finish. Irresistible charm. The best advisor since the beginning of this century.

This vintage will go down in the estate’s legend. From the first nose, you’re captivated by the charm of its aromas, at times marked by delicate floral notes, at times by small dark fruits. The palate is defined by an energetic, vibrant freshness and taffeta-like tannins. Enjoy over the next 30 years.

What purity, what clarity! The wine reveals itself sparingly—one might almost call it cautious—yet it shows astonishing energy right from the attack. This is a very precise Conseillante that goes straight to the point. Its tannins unfold slowly. They are imposing, but beautifully balanced by the energy of the acidic framework. The aromatic expression leads into a lively, persistent finish. So much character, so much energy!

The nose is elegant and refined, offering lovely definition, precision, pure fruit, a very fine tannic texture, depth, intensity and power, all with great delicacy. It reveals notes of fleshy wild blackcurrant, fresh/fleshy small black fruits and, more subtly, crushed blueberry, alongside small touches of crushed raspberry, liquorice, toast, fine hints of bright small purple plum, chocolate, as well as a subtle touch of cubeb pepper/sweet spices and racy minerality. The palate is fruity, airy, elegant, gourmand, delicate, nicely refined (with a real sense of place) and offers lovely definition, precision, tension and delicacy, a very fine tannic texture, freshness and depth, a fine tangy/mineral frame, as well as great precision and purity of fruit. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of juicy/fleshy blackcurrant, fresh boysenberry and, more lightly, bright/fresh black plum, combined with touches of small wild berries, raspberry, cornflower and violet, along with fine hints of liquorice, chocolate, toast, toasted hazelnut, cardamom, discreet touches of cubeb pepper, fresh blond tobacco, sweet spices and vanilla pods (in the background). The tannins are well managed, elegant and refined, nicely fine and precise. A lovely persistence with an almost imperceptible touch of coffee and crushed almond. What finesse, purity and precision! Congratulations!

Last year’s favourite is still here! Dark, intense, beautifully purple colour. A highly aromatic, even radiant nose—fine, fruity and subtle—with a touch of vanilla and Zan liquorice. With a bit of aeration in the glass, it will develop creamier nuances. Delicate on the attack and especially fragrant through the mid-palate, this wine stands out for the originality of its aromatic expression. It adds grace to the texture, with a fleshy body that is constantly evolving—melting at first, then gaining sap and energy on the finish. Great length, consistently delicious. Worth noting: decanting adds complexity.