Château Prieuré-Lichine 2019

A great success, with a colour and intensity rarely seen in this growth, which also reveals a superlative aromatic finesse, placing it among the very best Margaux of the vintage. With the expected floral character and freshness on the finish. Peak between 2031 and 2034. One of the best value-for-money wines of the vintage.

Interesting aromatic potential with notes of berries and herbs; full-bodied yet with great freshness, tannins with pep, impressive length; excellent and true to style.

Presents lush plum and blackberry preserve flavors that gush through, flanked by a twinge of singed sandalwood to give it form. The finish is dotted by dark licorice, ganache and earth accents. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2034. 18,000 cases made.

Minerality on the nose, wet stone, graphite and liquorice. This is tasty, with a creaminess to the fruit that some of the others don’t have. It feels round with fine but grippy tannins that see the wine through. It’s clearly powerful and concentrated but wrapped up well, delivering freshness and intensity. Cool blue fruit flavours and menthol notes dominate. Will be absolutely delicious in time.

Wonderful aromas of dried orange, blackcurrant and crushed stone follow through to a full body with beautifully polished tannins that are composed and fine. Lots of subtle and complex character on the finish. Extremely well done here. Drink after 2025.

62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot. Barrel sample. Marked Cabernet cassis aroma with a crunchy, fresh appeal. Lively, animated palate that is both juicy and suave. Ample fruit to coat the firm but ripe tannins. Good length and persistence. (JL)

The 2019 Prieuré-Lichine is very perfumed on the nose, offering ample red berry fruit, cranberry and undergrowth scents; more rose petal aromas emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and gentle grip. As I suggested in my primeur note, it appears to show a little more judicious extraction, so that the finish feels more substantial. Excellent.

Medium-bodied, soft, supple and polished, the wine opens with a mix of ripe, red fruits, flowers, espresso, licorice and a hint of cocoa. Round, ripe, polished and fresh, the finish loads you up with its layers of sweet, fresh, polished, lively, elegant, sensuously textured fruits. This will age quite nicely. Drink from 2027-2050.

Dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. Notes of liquorice and cassis, delicate hints of cinnamon and vanilla, a multi-faceted bouquet, a pleasant touch of wood. Powerful dark berries, some nougat, integrated tannins, chocolaty on the finish, ripe plums, mineral, complex on the finish, still somewhat underdeveloped and will benefit from bottle ageing.

Pure and floral with stony notes, violet, inky dark fruit, cassis and fine tobacco. The palate has a dense structure, with fine polish and grain, cassis and black cherry notes, mild oak finely integrated, balanced, elegant and very good length.

Readers looking for a complex, nuanced Margaux should check out the 2019 Château Prieuré-Lichine. Giving up a beautiful floral bouquet that includes red and blue fruits, sappy herbs, and flowery incense, it hits the palate with medium- to full-bodied richness, plenty of mid-palate depth and sweet tannins, and a great finish. This complex, layered Margaux needs just 2–4 years of bottle age and should see its 20th birthday in fine form.

Kunz barrel sample 2020: (62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, production 356,000 bottles) Spicy, delicately vegetal bouquet, red berries, red cherries, red licorice, caramel. Firm, medium-bodied palate with moderate fruit, sandy tannins, light green tones, good aromatics, a bourgeois structure, and a bitter finish. Has room to improve.

Herbs, restrained bouquet, blackberries, wood, coffee beans. A firm, slender palate with light fruit, a bourgeois structure, finely sandy tannins, subtle aromatics, and a bitter finish. 16/20 2024 - 2036

Excellent quality, full of pleasure, this unrolls slowly and carefully, with great texture to the tannins, and sculpted, precise black cherry and damson fruits, cocoa bean, liquorice and gunsmoke. Overall yield of 51 hl/ha, 45 hl/ha for the first wine (reflecting the fact that some of the best plots are old vines that give a lower overall yield). 40% new oak, continuing this gradual reduction.

The 2019 Prieure-Lichine has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It rolls out with open-knit notes of plum preserves, wild blueberries, and cardamom, leading to suggestions of pencil shavings and raspberry leaves. The medium-bodied palate is elegant and refreshing with soft tannins and well-knit acidity, finishing spicy.

A seductive nose of red fruits, strawberry and raspberry compote, sweet spices, grey pepper, and a freshly baked cherry clafoutis. The palate is fresh and juicy, with supple, well-integrated tannins. A wine that stands out for a character more Burgundian than Bordeaux.

Very nice complexity and fruity intensity on the bouquet, with aromas of blackberry and mint. On the palate, the wine is delectable and dense. Its tannins are fine, perfectly integrated, and provide ideal support. An elegant, generous, and delectable wine. Lovely freshness and good length on the finish.

Logo on the cork: LA Dark, intense color. Very aromatic nose with ripe, delicately creamy fruit. Supple on the attack, flavorful mid-palate with good taste, a caressing texture and fine tannins; the wine glides into the finish, barely marked by a hint of oak. This will fade with age.

94–96. Barrel Sample. This wine is poised between great ripeness and a mineral, textured character, while also showing a robust tannic structure. Its richness is tempered by the freshness of the vintage. There is plenty of long-term aging potential in this wine that continues the great improvements at the estate.