Château Pichon Baron and Canon were the top-rated reds from a recent tasting of the 2019 vintage from UGC estates. - Three Sauternes received Robinson’s top scores of 18-points.
- Both Jancis Robinson and Julia Harding had positive comments about the vintage.
The 2019 Château Coutet and Château Pichon Baron were among the top-scoring wines for Jancis Robinson MW and Julia Harding MW at the recent Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux tasting in London.
The pair split the tasting duties. Robinson tasted wines from the Right Bank, Margaux, St-Julien and Sauternes, while Harding tasted the rest of the Left Bank.
Harding commented that: ‘From this relatively small selection, I’d say it’s a vintage that needs time for those tannins to relax and one that offers decent value for those who are willing to wait.’
Robinson meanwhile approved of the, ‘trend away from exaggerated, pastiche St-Émilions towards freshness’, and that the tasting had, ‘demonstrated the class, ripeness of fruit and tannin, and potential longevity of the 2019s’.
Canon’s performance since release
The best scored red wines were Canon and Pichon Baron which were both awarded 17.5++ points. Robinson thought the former was ‘beautifully put together’ and Harding said the latter had ‘elegance in embryo’.
Of the two, Canon has had the better price performance since release, up 36.1% to £1,225 per dozen. As can be seen from the chart, however, it has not traded at all this year – which is also true of Pichon Baron and several other top 2019s.
Sauternes takes the highest scores
The highest scores of the tasting were awarded to the sweet wines. Three Sauternes, châteaux Coutet, Lafaurie-Peyraguey and Suduiraut, were rated 18-points by Robinson.
She commented that 2019 is ‘really an excellent vintage for sweet white Bordeaux’ and called them ‘trophy wines… at non-trophy prices’.
All four of the top sweet wines are far cheaper than the reds. However, the three 18-point Sauternes have declined in price since release. Coutet has fallen the furthest, down 22.3%.
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