2019 Rauzan Gassies

The 2019 Rauzan-Gassies exhibits aromas of earthy cassis, burning embers and cigar wrapper, followed by a medium-bodied palate with a delicate core of fruit framed by powdery tannins and lively acids. It's a nicely balanced, uncomplicated claret, but it remains a comparative underachiever given this estate's history.

The 2019 Rauzan Gassies has opened nicely on the nose, offering brambly red berry fruit and veins of blue fruit, and thankfully lacking the greenness that I have noticed in other recent vintages. In fact, if I had this blind, I would not guess it to be Rauzan Gassies. The palate is medium-bodied and quite saline in the mouth, with dark plummy fruit and good acidity. It is missing some amplitude toward the finish and would benefit from more persistence, yet overall, this is a marked improvement compared to both the barrel sample and other vintages, and I raise my score accordingly.