Jury selected Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur Rouge of 2019

By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com

16 November 2021

As I taste through Bordeaux’s recently bottled 2019 vintage, with an article to appear in Club Oenolgique early next year, a shout out to the more humble Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur appellations. I joined a jury of 30 people to pick out my favorites based on samples the union had sent to me. With prices as low as $10 a bottle, taking exchange rates into account, and based on ex-cellar prices plus VAT, you can find decent drinkers!

For example, my overall favorite among those I tasted was the Château Majoureau Cuvée Hyppos, I later shared the bottle with a work colleague who likes wine, but is not a wine geek. He promptly ordered a case, which in Europe costs about €10 a bottle.

While not all my personal favorites – including the above wine – made the top grade, the Union of winemakers of these two humble appellations collected judges’ tallies and recently unveiled the award-winning wines in AOC Bordeaux red and Bordeaux Supérieur red, vintage 2019.

Scores and rankings determined 12 winners named 2021 “Ambassadors” (in French, Les ambassadeurs 2021 des Talents des Bordeaux).

Among the six AOC Bordeaux Rouge appellation 2019 winners, see above, many readers no doubt recognize the Château Thieuley Réserve Francis Courselle, which does well in tastings for most vintages. The Damnation is a heftier style, which I have tried regularly for my articles in Decanter, covering this appellation.

Château Haut Vieux Chêne – 5 euros
Château Notre Père Bordeaux – 6 euros
Château Thieuley, Réserve Francis Courselle – 12 euros
Damnation, Château Roques Mauriac – 15 euros
Kressmann Monopole – 7.90 euros
N°1 de Dourthe – 8.80 euros

Among the six winners for the Bordeaux Supérieur Rouge AOC appellation for the 2019 vintage, above, Château Pierrail is a solid performer, although the alcohol level at 15 is a bit too high for my taste. The best price/quality ratio is the Citran, crafted by the same estate that has the Haut-Médoc appellation.

Château Haut-Gaussens – 7.80 euros
Château Haut-Rieuflaget Cuvée Prestige – 12.90 euros
Château Landereau Cuvée Prestige – 13.40 euros
Château Laurence – 15 euros
Château Pierrail – 12 euros
Citran – 5.95 euros

Prize winning wines were based on selections from online tastings carried out at home by the 30 jurors in several stages. Specialist journalists, “influencers” and industry professionals formed the jury, of which I was a part. I appreciated the opportunity to have tasted the wines over time. And although not all the wines I picked made the top scores overall, those that made the cut are well balanced overall, with persistent aromas and integrated tannins, albeit in different styles.