Château Le Boscq 2019

Slightly reductive and therefore a bit dry, it doesn’t quite have the en primeur balance at the moment.

Ripe and juicy, boasting both burly and sleek aspects, with black currant and blackberry fruit that pumps through and hints of licorice root, tobacco and warm earth. Shows lovely persistence through the finish, as the fruit and earth notes meld. Features a touch of old school, too. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2035. 7,833 cases made, 125 cases imported.

Nicely concentrated rich, ripe nose. Lovely sculpting here, the fruit feels well handled and although there are tannins that are quite pronounced right now you do get the lovely quality of blackcurrant and cherries and a chalkiness that's really appealing. Great freshness too, good sustaining acidity that keeps the palate lifted. A cooling aspect comes in on the finish. Just needs a little time to integrate fully. Captivating. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.

Intense and focused, with cigar tobacco, cedar, spice and berry. Currant too. Medium- to full-bodied. The fruit is there at the beginning and then it takes off at the finish. Give this two or three years to soften and come together. Complex and long. Drink after 2024.

Tasted blind. A mix of ripe fruit and sharpness – picked at two different times? Fairly simple, with all the appeal on the nose, and the palate a little lacking in fruit concentration, but certainly better than many vintages! Tannins on the end. (JR)

The tobacco, wet earth, dark cherries, smoke, and spice nuances come through easily on the nose. On the palate, the wine is even better with loads of bright, fresh, spicy, chewy red berries with ample freshness. Rounding everything out, the finish lingers with a nice spicy touch with just a hint of chocolate in the endnote. Drink from 2024-2038.

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, subtle watery rim. Fine wood savouriness, delicate graphite, black berry fruit and dark cherry, a hint of cassis and mandarin zest. Medium body, red cherry, some liquorice, ripe tannins, freshly structured, salty finish, a stimulating food companion with development and certain ageing potential.

Dense and dark-fruited, a classic profile still on the tannic side but with great freshness, pure fruit and modest oak notes, still needing a few years of ageing.

Plenty of classy damp earth and leafy herb notes as well as ripe plum and currant fruits emerge from the 2019 Château Le Boscq, a rich, nicely balanced, medium to full-bodied Saint-Estèphe. It's a solid, outstanding, moderately tannic wine that will benefit from just short-term cellaring and have two decades or more of longevity.

Fruit-forward, with black cherry and cassis, bristling tannins, and fairly high acidity. This is good quality and wants to be taken seriously. Plenty of St Estèphe character; this is an excellent wine from Vignobles Dourthe. 37% new oak, harvest from September 23 to October 9.

Le Boscq 2019 is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. It skips out of the glass with bright, cheery notes of crushed red and black currants, fresh blackberries, and Provence herbs, plus wafts of lavender and pencil lead. The medium-bodied palate delivers a good intensity of youthful, crunchy fruit, with grainy tannins and lively acidity, finishing with an herbal lift.

A fruity, radiant and fresh nose with notes of fine wood, cigar box, cedar and blackcurrant. On the palate, the wine is muscular and massive, with an exotic edge and rather exuberant fruit.

If we were to sum up this wine briefly, we would highlight its tendency to unfold slowly, in a crescendo. In fact, it was already revealing itself this way during the en primeur tastings. Its bouquet is subtle and convincing, with clear typicity, showing nuances of black berries, licorice and graphite. The palate plays on several levels, both suave and dense and powerful. Moreover, it is elegant and persistent. Yet another great success at Le Boscq!

Logo on the cork: DIAM10 Dark, intense, deep purple color. Lovely, highly aromatic nose with ripe, fresh, and subtle fruit. Inky nuance. Delicate on the attack, very aromatic mid-palate for a Saint-Estèphe, the wine unfolds on a supple body with pleasant tannins. Normal length.

The nose, lifted by freshness, shows hints of small black fruits. With a supple attack, the palate reveals a broad, silky texture, with notes of black fruit and a slightly liquorice-tinged finish. A lovely wine.

Dense purple with a rich core. Seductive bouquet of overripe Morello cherries, followed by cassis liqueur and blackberry jelly. On the firm palate, a tight tannic frame and crumbly extract that dries the mouth. Encapsulated finish with small dried black berries and juniper. They aimed too high here – rounded up!

92–94. Barrel Sample. Strict tannins mark out the structure of this wine. While there is plenty of fine black fruitiness, the wine does have an initially austere character that is classic Saint-Estèphe. It will need time, but the potential is there.