2019 Château Larrivet Haut-Brion

Moving to the red, the 2019 Château Larrivet Haut-Brion is a rich, broad, mouth-filling, spicy, complex and full-bodied style that has loads to love. Giving up lots of mulled red and black fruits as well as tobacco leaf, loamy soil, and chocolaty nuances, I love its balance, it has ripe tannins, and it will drink nicely for 25 to 20 years.

Generous and fleshy, the 2019 Malartic Lagravière bursts with aromas of smoky blackberries, plums, forest floor and spices. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, rich and muscular, with ripe acids and a generously extracted, chewy profile. This will need a bit of time to round out in bottle.

The 2019 Larrivet Haut-Brion has an intriguing, well-defined nose of more red than black fruit, touches of camphor and blood orange percolating through. The palate is well-balanced and poised, with ripe blackberry and raspberry fruit and a slightly granular texture. The cohesive finish maybe does not quite have the panache of, say, the Carbonnieux. Still, this is very fine and should give 25–30 years of drinking pleasure.