2019 Graves red wines offer a lot of charm with character. The vintage favors the red wines, as both the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes ripened well, helping to provide similar characteristics as those found in Pessac Leognan. 2019 Graves white wines are not quite at the level of the red wine, as the Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon could use a bit more acidity.
However, at their best, 2019 Graves wines do provide early drinking pleasure. Best of all, both the 2019 red Graves wines and 2019 Graves Blanc wine drink well early and they can all be purchased for a song!
The following 2019 Graves red and white wines were all tasted in non-blind conditions in my home office.
2019 Brondelle – Elegant, medium-bodied, soft, polished, plum and cherry filled wine with touches of chocolate and smoke. This will be delicious and easy to enjoy on release. Drink from 2022-2029. 88 Pts
2019 Chantegrive – Medium-bodied, soft, refined and already open, the polished, red fruits with their touches of herbs, tea and dark cocoa are ready to go. This will be charming to drink on release. Drink from 2022-2032. 90 Pts
2019 Chantegrive Blanc – Zesty, lemons and limes along with just a hint of white peach helps to deliver freshness, sweetness, along with a bright, pomelo and green apple note in the finish. Drink from 2022-2028. 90 Pts
2019 Chantegrive Caroline Blanc – Curried lemons, white peach, vanilla, and yellow citrus scents shine through on the nose. The wine is fresh, sweet, juicy and vibrant on the palate, finishing with creamy, sweet, citrus peel with a touch of vanilla bean. Drink from 2022-2028. 91 Pts
2019 Chantegrive Les Oiseaux Le Panache Blanc – Lemons, almonds, and a bit of white peach show up in the nose and on the palate. Forward, sweet, fresh and fully ready-to-go, you can drink this on release and over the next few years. Drink from 2022-2025. 88 Pts
2019 Château Les Clauzots – A bit oaky at the moment, but that does not stop the medium-bodied wine from effortlessly serving up its core of sweet, round, red fruits, smoke, licorice, espresso and spice. Forward, polished and fruity, give it a year or two before opening a bottle. Drink from 2023 – 2030. 89 Pts
2019 Clos Floridene Blanc – Spring flowers, green apple, spice and lemon-lime sensations carry through on the nose and palate. Fresh, lifted and creamy, this will be quite nice on release. Drink from 2022-2029. 90 Pts
2019 Clos Floridène – Fresh, crisp, bright red berries, touches of spice, sprigs of mint and leafy herbs pop on the nose and palate in this medium-bodied, already charming wine. You can pop a cork on this as soon as it hits the stores. Drink from 2022-2031, 89 Pts
2019 Crabitey – Juicy, fruity, sweet and fresh with vibrant plums, a touch of cocoa and tobacco leaf. The touch of spice delivers complexity and the dusty tannins in the finish give it a nice backbone. Drink from 2022-2029. 89 Pts
2019 Crabitey Blanc – Bright, crisp, lemons and flower notes are at the core of this early, drinking, fresh, summery, white wine. Drink this on the young side for all of its up-front yellow fruit. Drink from 2022-2026. 87 Pts
2019 Haura – Floral, fruity, fresh and forward, the wine is medium-bodied and already to like with its accessible, open, cherry-filled, leafy character. You can open and this on release. Drink from 2022-2029. 88 Pts
2019 Lesparre – Roasted plums, jam, licorice and tobacco leaf are at the core of this medium-bodied, soft, easy to like, early-drinking, ready to go wine. Drink from 2022-2026. 86 Pts
2019 Mejean – The touch of smoke that comes along with the green tobacco leaf, spice and red berries on the nose and palate are quite nice. Medium-bodied, soft, fresh and fruity, this will be just great to enjoy as soon as the wine hits the stores. This is a superb, Bordeaux value wine from the Graves appellation. Drink from 2022-2030. 90 Pts
2019 Peyrat – Medium-bodied, fresh, earthy, sweet, red berry filled wine with soft texture and chewy tannins in the finish. You can enjoy this almost on release. Drink from 2022-2026. 87 Pts
2019 Peyrat – Round, soft, elegant, easy to like, tobacco-tinged charmer with a polished, plummy core of fruits with green leafy herbed accents and chewy tannins in the finish. You can enjoy this on release. Drink from 2022-2028 87 Pts
2019 Peyrat Blanc – Bright, crisp, lemons and grapefruit notes are in the nose and all over the palate, which finishes with a nice, green apple note at the end. Drink from 2022-2026. 87 Pts
2019 Portets Blanc – Green apples, juicy lemons with a touch of salt in the endnote make this a very nice, summer, easy to like wine for near-term enjoyment. Drink from 2022-2025. 86 Pts
2019 Rahoul – Spicy, fresh and floral, you find a nice, slight touch of tobacco and smoke that comes along with the earthy, herbal touched red fruits. Medium-bodied, elegant and crisp, the bright red fruits show up nicely on the palate and in the finish. You can enjoy this on release. Drink from 2022 – 2029. 89 Pts
2019 Rahoul Blanc – Slightly honeyed grapefruit, flowers and green apples with a touch of orange rind on the palate offers a ready to drink wine with freshness and creamy lemons in the finish. Drink from 2022-2027. 90 Pts
2019 Roquetaillade La Grange – Earthy red fruits topped with truffle, dark cocoa, coffee bean and smoke are soft, polished, round and fresh. Showing much better in bottle than in barrel, this is a fabulous example of a value-priced Bordeaux with style and character. Drink from 2022-2032. 90 Pts
2019 Saint-Robert Blanc Cuvee Poncet Deville – Crisp, fresh, bright and packed with juicy, fresh squeezed lemons, green apples and grapefruit with a tint of orange and pineapple. This is going to be best in its energetic youth. You can pop a cork as soon as you see it in the store. Drink from 2022-2027. 89 Pts
2019 Tourteau Chollet – Medium-bodied, soft, accessible bright wine with a core of herb tinged red fruits and tobacco leaf. You can enjoy this on release for its fruit-forward qualities. Drink from 2022 – 2027. 87 Pts
2019 Tourteau Chollet Blanc – Light, early-drinker, simple quaffer with a citrus character along with a hint of bitter melon in the finish. Drink this on the young side. Drink from 2022 – 2024. 84 Pts
We are posting as quickly as possible. Up next, we return to complete our reports on the 2019 Right Bank wines with three articles on 2019 St. Emilion.