2019 Château Le Chatelet
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Tasting notes
An 80/20 split of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Château Le Chatelet has a pretty, ripe, medium-bodied profile that's very much in the more elegant, streamlined style of the vintage. Ripe black cherries, hints of blue fruits, leafy herbs, and earth all emerge on the nose, and it's nicely balanced, has supple tannins, and outstanding length. I don't see this making old bones, but it might surprise given its balance. Nevertheless, I'd drink bottles over the coming 7-8 years.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
More reviews and scores
Smoked graphite, pencil lead and slate curl out of the glass, with blackberry and red cherry fruits on the attack. This has gourmet traces of cocoa bean and brioche, and is a good quality vintage at le Chatelet. Located between Clos Fourtet and Beauséjour Duffau Lagarosse, the first year with Stephane Derenoncourt. This estate was declassified in 1996 but reinstated in 2012, and is producing increasingly consistent wines.
The 2019 Chatelet lacks the fruit intensity of its peers on the nose. It needs to "gee-up" the aromatics. The palate is medium-bodied with a bitter entry, quite brittle in texture and needing more flesh on the finish.