Château Faugères 2019

As I wrote a couple of years back, the 2019 Faugères is ripe and opulent on the nose, lacking the delineation of the best Saint-Émilion wines, hedonistic but needing more complexity. The palate is better, with sappy red berry fruit and touches of white pepper and clove. If the nose can improve, then this will match the palate and be a fine 2019.

Deeply colored, the wine is fresh, vibrant and rich. The fruit blends black cherries, plums and strawberry with dried flowers, forest leaves and spice. Plushly textured, long and packed with loads of ripe, sweet, dark red fruits, chocolate, licorice and spice, the soft, polished finish tastes and feels great. Drink from 2023-2038.

[ En Primeur 2019 notes: 91-92 ] Broad attack with spicy silkiness, a well-structured wine with more energy in the tannin than in recent vintages. It really makes you want to reach out your glass for more.

A nose with character, very straight and focused, where the oak takes the lead. On the palate, surprisingly, a certain freshness, with undergrowth notes that carry through to the finish.

Dark color with good intensity. Moderately aromatic nose, fruity and slightly oaky. Very fruity on the palate, developing into a tasty, caressing feel, with a bit more definition on the finish. Medium length.

Broad and extracted in feel, this pushes dark fig, black currant and bitter plum paste flavors to the fore, along with notes of espresso crema, alder and vanilla. Stays rich yet focused through the finish, leaving a lightly toothy echo at the end. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2024 through 2037. 10,800 cases made.

Lovely perfumed cherries on the nose, so aromatic and pleasing. This is upfront and juicy straight from the get go, with real purity of juice, crystal clean and bright. Tannins are fine and firm, supportive, but it's the red cherries and strawberries taking centre stage while the oak edges and cinnamon spice come in after a minute or so alongside some dark chocolate notes adding structure and complexity. Perhaps needs a little longer to meld together a bit more but this is lively and fun.

A full-bodied red with fine tannins and plenty of plum, milk-chocolate and walnut aromas and flavors. It’s creamy and attractively textured. Rather flamboyant for the vintage. Generous and formed. Drink after 2024.

Dark ruby garnet with purple reflections and a subtle ochre rim. Ripe plums on the nose, with a hint of dried fruit and cardamom, nougat and candied orange zest. The powerful, sweet texture majors on ripe black cherries supported by well-integrated tannins. It's mineral and persistent, with power and freshness on the finish. Good ageing potential.

Intense and elegant nose with aromas of chalk, balsamic notes, violet and cassis plum confiture, wild berries, leather, tobacco and new oak notes. A very powerful and dense but balanced palate with plenty of extract, great freshness, a plethora of dark fruit, ripe and unctuous with grainy tannin, and a long, muscular finish. A massive wine with great potential!

The 2019 Château Faugères is also ripe and upfront, yet it's slightly cooler in style compared to the sunny, exuberant 2018. Blackberries, black cherries, tobacco, chocolate oak, and lots of minerality define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a round, layered mouthfeel, beautiful mid-palate density, and a great finish. It has another 10-15 years of prime drinking. I'd be thrilled with a case in the cellar.

70% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40 hl/ha. Deep ruby. Complex bouquet with a delicate smoky note from the barrique, dark-berry contours, and leather in the background. On the mid-palate, an elegant structure with impeccably polished, supportive tannins. Focused finish with black pepper and dried rosemary.

Kunz barrel sample 2020: (70% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40 hl/ha, production 70,000 bottles) Dense, velvety, creamy, finely mineral and powerful bouquet, strawberries, raspberry jelly, blueberries, cedar, subtle mocha, red licorice. Balanced, dense and multi-layered palate with powerful, creamy fruit, plenty of fine tannins, diverse aromas, elegant, dense structure, long, fresh finish with many lingering flavors. Can still improve with time.

Owned by Silvio and Claudio Denz, a sleek and polished vintage at Faugères, and one that marks the 400th anniversary since André de Faugères founded the property in 1619. This is very much focused on chalky tannins and an austere, precise and chiselled feel to the fruit overall. Great quality, built to last, slate scrapes up against the raspberry and damson fruit from beginning to end.

The very ripe fruit of 2019 has not yet been tamed by time in bottle. The wine shows a certain wild character, yet on the palate a brighter tension emerges, more in line with great terroirs. The savory finish remains marked by the cru’s hallmark sandy tannin.

The charm of candied notes and the freshness of limestone define Faugères’ bouquet, with shades of blueberry, mint, and chalky nuances. On the palate, the charm promised by the nose is confirmed, but there is also vigor and density. The tannins show beautiful finesse, velvety and smooth, while the acid structure ensures expression and a persistent finish. A stylistic choice that may be debatable, but is fully embraced.

The nose is fruity and offers power, concentration, depth, as well as a finely tight (even stretched) character. It reveals notes of blackcurrant cream, wild blackberry and, more subtly, wild strawberry, combined with touches of nutmeg and cardamom, hints of grilled and toasted notes, as well as a subtle touch of coffee and graphite. The palate is fruity, balanced, and offers juiciness, indulgence, a zesty backbone, freshness, good minerality, concentration, and a good guideline. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of crushed blackcurrant, fleshy small black berries and, more slightly, wild strawberry, combined with touches of toasted notes and cardamom, fine hints of caramelization, a discreet touch of cinnamon, as well as a subtle hint of licorice and black pepper. The tannins are precise and well-managed. Good length. Good freshness, a hint of graphite, and a lovely grain on the finish.