2019 - Le Dome, Saint-Emilion

Chocolate block, velvety damson and black cherry fruit, fragrant crushed roses, this is delicious, with grip and lift, showcasing the slate scrape that I love in great wines, and it is here in abundace. One of my favourite vintages in the line up, showing grace and plenty of engaging textural interest, with Cabernet Franc character bursting out of the glass. Will age no question, a shade less muscular than the biggest vintages, which is a bonus in my book. Harvest October 1 and 10 (grapes brought in over two separate days). Neil Whyte winemaker, 80% new oak, Thomas Duclos consultant.

A blend of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot, the 2019 Le Dome is deep purple-black in color. It needs a fair bit of coaxing to unlock aromas of redcurrant jelly, chocolate-covered cherries, and violets with wafts of forest floor, dusty soil, cedar chest, and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is both wonderfully intense and light on its feet, framed by ripe, fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long with epic mineral and floral sparks.

The 2019 Le Dôme is absolutely compelling. All the elements are dialed up to eleven in a large-scaled, dramatic Saint-Émilion that has so much to say. Cabernet Franc is, of course, front and center at Le Dôme, as it always is. Black cherry, blackberry, mocha, espresso, lavender and dried herbs are all vivid in the glass. I would give the 2019 a few years to come together. It is hugely impressive in the early going, though.

The 2019 Le Dome offers up rich aromas of jammy berry fruit, vanilla pod, caramel and milk chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, broad and velvety, it's seamless and polished, with an ample core of fruit, lively acids and a nicely integrated, harmonious profile that belies the overtly oaky and rather lactic nose. From the nose alone, the taster expects a monster; yet on the palate this Le Dome is actually surprisingly elegant, showing the results of a clear stylistic evolution over the last decade. Work on oak integration, however, remains to be done.