La Conseillante 2019

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.

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.

Tasted blind. Heady and opulent on the nose. Lots to consider here. Masses of tannin but the potential for interesting fruit development. Though the finish is currently drying and a bit austere. 14.5%Drink 2028– 2044

84% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc; 70% new oak, 3% amphora. Yield 34 hl/ha. Barrel sample.Deep purple-crimson hue. Plenty of depth and intensity on the nose with morello cherry and floral (violet) notes. Palate hits a perfect pitch of ripeness, the fruit ripe but juicy and refreshing. Solid but refined tannins provide a firmness and persistence on the finish. Offers gravity and charm combined. (JL) 14.5%Drink 2027 – 2042

The 2019 La Conseillante was picked 17-20 September for the Merlot and 30 September and 7 October for the Cabernet Franc. Yields were low at just 34hl/ha. The Grand Vin is aged in 70% new French oak, 27% one-year old barrels and 3% in clay amphora. Limpid purple in colour, this has an exquisite bouquet with pixelated blackberry and raspberry scents, laced with pressed iris and a touch of graphite. It reminds me of a less powerful version of the 2010 when I tasted that from barrel. The palate is very smooth with ebullient red and black fruit on the entry, then it tapers in a little, towards a very cohesive, satin-textured middle. This is definitely one of the purest La Conseillante wines that I have encountered from barrel. It delivers a subtle spiciness towards the finish with hints of tobacco and clove on the persistent aftertaste. Winemaker Marielle Cazaux and her team have conjured a magnificent Pomerol here. 2026 - 2060

A very fine, ethereal wine, offering blueberries, white truffles and violets. Full body and a wonderful texture with tannins that spread across the palate, caressing the mouth. Really polished to the finest grain. Extremely long. Shows strength with finesse.

The 2019 La Conseillante is composed of 84% Merlot and 16% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it wafts out of the glass with compelling scents of violets, dark chocolate, eucalyptus, and rose oil over a core of plum preserves, ripe blueberries, and cinnamon stick. Full-bodied, the palate shimmers with energized black and red berry layers, framed by exquisitely ripe, fine-grained tannins and exhilarating tension, leading to a very long and achingly fragrant finish on this gorgeous wine.

The 2019 La Conseillante is a blend of 84% Merlot and 16% Cabernet Franc, harvested from the 17th of September to the 7th of October at yields of 34 hectoliters per hectare. It is being aged in 70% new French oak barrels, 27% second fill barrels and 3% amphora. The alcohol this year is 14.5% with a pH of 3.67. Very deep purple-black colored, it comes bounding out of the glass with all the energy of a new puppy, featuring notes of warm plums, wild blueberries and freshly crushed black cherries with hints of licorice, molten chocolate, violets, woodsmoke and tar plus a waft of lavender. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is laden with layer upon layer of black and blue fruits with loads of floral sparks and a very fine-grained, silt-like texture, finishing with incredible freshness and a provocative mineral edge. La Conseillante's signature perfume, purity and restrained power shine through with amazing clarity and style this vintage.