The 2019 Château Malartic-Lagravière showed brilliantly, with an elegant, pure, flawlessly balanced style. Giving up ripe black cherry, currants, tobacco leaf, and spicy oak, with textbook Graves scorched earth, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a beautiful layered, seamless mouthfeel, great tannins, and one heck of a great finish. It's not a blockbuster, but it excels on its elegance, balance, and complexity. Readers will love to have this in the cellar, and it will keep for 20+ years.

The Bonnie family has worked wonders at this estate, producing today one of the top wines of the appellation. This latest release, equally rich in tannins and fruit, is dense, powerful and also elegant. It will age well, and should be ready from 2027.

The 2019 Malartic Lagravière presents a refined nose of blackberry, raspberry, cedar and light estuarine aromas, very well defined and focused. The palate is framed by fine-grained tannins, and the pure blackberry and raspberry notes are laced with blood orange. Maybe just a little more granular in texture than before, but still wonderfully balanced, with great length and nobility. This will age with style. A sophisticated Pessac-Léognan with a lot of potential.