Château Desmirail 2019

The 2019 Desmirail opens in the glass with aromas of blackberries, cassis, sweet soil tones and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, supple and seamless, it's a charming, polished wine, with a fleshy core of fruit, refined tannins and lively balancing acids. This elegant, beautifully made wine has turned out very well.

Offers roasted plum and baked cherry aromas that lead the way, with fruit paste and licorice flavors following behind. The finish is scored by singed cedar and alder that give it form, with a touch of grain as well. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2030. 8,330 cases made.

Bramble hedgerow on the nose, smooth texture but with tannins that grip and take hold, filled with chewy, lively juice. They really do cover the entire mouth, yet they’re vibrant, succulent, and very playful, expanding outwards and filling the mouth with no harshness. It sits at the extravagant, opulent end of the spectrum, but with energy at the same time. I really enjoy it. One to drink now and simply enjoy for its boldness and brightness.

Black fruit, chocolate, cedar, walnut, graphite and sweet spices on the nose. Medium body with fine, sleek tannins. Elegant and structured with a dark core of fruit at mid-palate and a flavorful finish. Drink from 2025.

50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. Mid to deep crimson. Some toasty oak notes on the nose. Light and mild. Very gentle. A bit simple. (JR)

The 2019 Desmirail has improved on the nose, with well-defined scents of blackberry, raspberry and crushed rose petals, elegant and refined. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and a crisp line of acidity. Taut and quite linear toward the persistent finish, which will need 3–5 years to fully assimilate the oak. This Desmirail should provide up to 20 years of drinking pleasure.

Floral, earth, cedar and forest leaf notes work well with the sweet, red fruits on the nose. The wine is soft-textured, medium-bodied, elegant and fresh, with a nice sweetness to the fruits that show in the silky, refined finish. The endnote offers additional complexity with its cool, minty edge. Drink from 2024–2040.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, subtle brightening at the rim. Fine red-berry nuances, ripe cherries, a hint of mandarin zest, nuances of wood and an attractive bouquet. Complex, taut texture, dark berries, integrated, supporting tannins, good freshness, juicy blackberry-cassis fruit on the finish, elegant and long-lasting, good ageing potential, very good length.

Dark garnet core and hue. Fragrant nose finely blending mild oak and butterscotch with a hint of toast, ripe dark berries, cassis, tobacco and violet. The palate shows good density and concentration yet remaining within the frames of medium bodied and elegant, savoury dark berry flavours with sage and violet hints, grainy and refreshing tannin with a gentle oak spice leading on to a long and lingering finish. Elegant, savoury and fresh.

Cassis, mulberries, tobacco, cedary oak, and violet notes all emerge from the 2019 Château Desmirail, another beautiful, medium to full-bodied, balanced, just seamless beauty. Based on 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, it can be drunk any time over the coming 25 years or more.

Kunz barrel sample 2020: (45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 55% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, 13% vol. alcohol, production 100,000 bottles) Herbal, restrained, red-berry bouquet, wet bread crust, smoke, red cherries, stone dust. Angular, firm palate with sandy tannins, light fruit, little aromatics, drying finish.

Light, herbal bouquet, blackberries, hardwood, tar. Slim, light palate with subtle fruit, a firm, bony structure, bitter aromatics, dry finish. 16/20 2025 - 2034

Gentle, well-finessed smoke and grilled coffee bean aromatics, adding depth to the ripe blackberry and bilberry fruits. Balanced and enticing stuff from owner Denis Lurton.

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Desmirail shows cedary notes to begin, giving way to classic cassis, pencil shavings, and red currant preserves scents, plus a suggestion of roses. Medium-bodied, the palate is elegantly crafted with a pleasantly chewy texture and well-integrated acidity supporting the delicate red and black fruits flavors, finishing savory.

The 2019 is currently closed down; it has solid substance, with a finish that, at this stage, is marked by prominent élevage notes and firm, tight tannins. It stretches out nicely and still needs to round out… we’ll give it a bit more time.

An inviting, opulent nose of mocha, slightly meaty, with black and red fruits, cherry. The palate is lively, fruity, energetic, fairly juicy, but the substance fades a little too early, leading to a finish with coffee notes yet lacking the fruit needed to counterbalance them.

Medium intensity color. Fruity, discreet nose. Very fruity palate, pleasant, aromatic, and light. Medium length.