Winemaker Notes
At Château Labégorce, 2019 is a great vintage for Cabernets with magnificent, dense, generous body and precise, tasty tannins.
Blend: 46% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2019 Labégorce, picked from 19 September to 12 October and matured in 40% new oak, has one of the more flamboyant Margaux bouquets with expressive black cherries, bilberry, light cedar notes and crushed violet. It develops impressive cohesion with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied and what you first notice is the finesse of the tannins. This has a satin-like texture and very well judged acidity. The new oak does poke out a little on the finish - if that can be assimilated during its barrel maturation, this could turn into a very serious Margaux. - Neal Martin
Barrel Sample: 93-95 -
Jeb Dunnuck
Gorgeous notes of red, blue, and black fruits as well as sandalwood, tobacco leaf, chocolate, and spicy notes emerge from the 2019 Château Labégorce, one of the richer, more opulent, and straight-up sexy wines in the vintage. A blend of 46% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, all raised in 40% new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, has beautifully integrated oak, a stacked mid-palate, and one heck of a great finish. Drink this rich, sensationally textured Margaux any time over the coming two decades. It’s unquestionably in the same league as the 2015, 2016, and 2018. Best after 2022.
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Decanter
The largest of the Perrodo estates in Margaux, this is a little heavier set and muscular than the Marquis d'Alesme, extremely accomplished and majoring on coffee beans and tobacco alongside blackcurrant fruits. Enjoyable, a little less signature Margaux that its sibling property but this is a delicious gourmet-edged wine, and a brilliant (relatively) value choice in the appellation.
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James Suckling
A creamy, refined red with currant and berry aromas and flavors. Hints of citrus and chocolate. Medium to full body with ripe, creamy tannins.
Barrel Sample: 91-92 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Labégorce has turned out nicely, offering up aromas of smoky berry fruit, cassis, incense and subtle hints of loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and lively, with good depth and ripe, gently chewy tannins, this is a fine effort. Best After 2021
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Wine Spectator
Alluring, offering velvety-textured plum and blackberry preserve flavors, laced with singed alder and tobacco hints. Shows a subtle tug of earth through the dark finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Silky, seductive and polished are the words that characterize the best wines from Margaux, the most inland appellation of the Médoc on the Left Bank of Bordeaux.
Margaux’s gravel soils are the thinnest of the Médoc, making them most penetrable by vine roots—some reaching down over 23 feet for water. The best sites are said to be on gentle outcrops, or croupes, where more gravel facilitates good drainage.
The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification but it is nonetheless important in regards to history of the area. In 1855 the finest chateaux were deemed on the basis of reputation and trading price—at that time. In 1855, Chateau Margaux achieved first growth status, yet it has been Chateau Palmer (officially third growth from the 1855 classification) that has consistently outperformed others throughout the 20th century.
Chateau Margaux in top vintages is capable of producing red Cabernet Sauvignon based wines described as pure, intense, spell-binding, refined and profound with flavors and aromas of black currant, violets, roses, orange peel, black tea and incense.
Other top producers worthy of noting include Chateau Rauzan-Ségla, Lascombes, Brane-Cantenac, and d’Issan, among others.
The best wines of Margaux combine a deep ruby color with a polished structure, concentration and an unrivaled elegance.