Chateau Lespault-Martillac 2019

Tasted at Bordeaux Extra: Primeur 2019 (9 | 2020) INT

Lively, with a brambly streak amid red currant and loganberry fruit flavors, while light sanguine and singed cedar notes check in on the finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2029. 2,500 cases made.

Nice pinky red rim. This is almost spritzy in the glass with a focus on high‑toned cherry fruit—it has clarity and definition but perhaps not so layered and expressive at this point. Good push of juice and lots of energy here but not so expansive.

Ripe character here with aromas of plums, blackberries, blue flowers, walnuts and chocolate. Some earthy notes, too. Medium- to full-bodied with a soft, creamy texture and fine, polished tannins. Fresh and delicious with a sleek, fruity finish. 65% merlot, 30% cabernet sauvignon and 5% petit verdot. Try after 2025.

The 2019 Lespault-Martillac presents a well-defined nose of black fruit, bilberry, black olive and touches of gravel. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, quite saline at first, then maintaining decent delineation, leading to a vibrant, crisp finish with hints of blue fruit lingering on the aftertaste. Very fine.

Elegant, soft, polished and fresh, the wine easily offers on the nose its array of smoke, coffee bean, flowers, and sweet cherries. On the palate, it is loaded with sweet, juicy, ripe red berries and spice. The refined finish, with its creamy, soft tannins and freshness, hits the spot. You can drink this almost upon release, or age it for a few years. Drink from 2024–2034.

Dark core with a purple hue. The nose shows butterscotch, fine oak, ripe dark berries and sweet plum. Dense palate, still in a youthful and restrained phase, yet with no hard edges, balanced tannins, good layers of digest dark fruit, fine oak-derived vanilla and spice notes with fine length. A wine to drink from 2023.

Lots of redcurrants, darker berry fruits, sandalwood, sappy tobacco, and spicy oak notes emerge from the 2019 Château Lespault-Martillac, a wonderfully elegant, medium-bodied, seamless Pessac that shows the style of the vintage beautifully. It's approachable today but has another 15+ years of prime drinking.

Kunz Barrel Sample 2020: fruity, floral, sweet bouquet, red cherries, herbs, light tobacco, red licorice. Firm, slender palate with sweet fruit, finely sandy tannins, medium aromatics, dry finish. Has room to improve.

Fruity, floral, sweet bouquet of red cherries, herbs, light tobacco, red licorice. A firm, slender palate with sweet fruit, fine sandy tannins, medium aromatic intensity, and a dry finish. Still has room to improve. 16/20 2024 - 2036

I always like this wine, and in the 2019 vintage it is charmingly sappy, with chiselled blueberry and blackberry fruit, a mouthwatering finish, a touch of brioche and toasted oak, made for sharing. From the Domaine de Chevalier team. 33% new oak for ageing.

Very fine aromatic refinement, delicate fruit and pronounced minerality; a flattering, tender, fleshy palate, with great aromatic persistence and a lively finish. Very well made.

The bouquet is inviting and compact, revealing hints of sweet spices and red-berry aromas. On the palate, the wine stands out for its balance and slightly creamy character. It brings together freshness and depth through a juicy structure and perfectly integrated tannins. It still needs to gain aromatic expression on the finish, something I had already noted when tasting the barrel sample. Let’s not lose hope, as this is a wine with strong potential.

The nose is fruity and offers power, concentration, fine grain, subtle intensity and elegance. It reveals notes of crushed blackberry, wild strawberry and, more delicately, wild blackcurrant, combined with touches of crushed small blue berries, lily, violet, as well as hints of racy minerality, camphor, cocoa and a very discreet touch of grey pepper. The palate is mineral, racy, and offers tension, fine structure, juiciness, freshness, and a slightly airy character. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of juicy/fresh blackcurrant, juicy/fresh blackberry and, more lightly, crushed raspberry, combined with touches of violet, a hint of crushed plum, fine hints of fresh licorice, racy minerality, chocolate, as well as a very discreet touch of camphor and an imperceptible hint of Cubeb pepper (in the background). The tannins are well-managed and racy. A touch of cocoa (in the background) lingers on the finish.

Dark color, with moderate intensity. Aromatic nose with fresh, ripe fruit. Palate with a gentle body, tasty and fragrant, but a touch light. Medium length without hard edges. Drink young. Blend: 70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. Alcohol: 13.5%.

This estate in Martillac, under the same ownership as Domaine de Chevalier, has produced a rich, full-bodied blend that includes 65% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. It has generous berry fruits underlined by wood aging. Drink from 2026.