2019 Californian & French Bordeaux-influnced Red Horizontal

“Really floral and pretty with currants, cherries and some violets and stones. Medium-bodied with a creamy texture. Attractive tannins and stony undertones. A large percentage of merlot with the cabernet, making it fresh and firm. Sophisticated. Better after 2024.” (03/2022)

“Coming from the Haut- Médoc and bottled in May, the 2019 Madame De Beaucaillou reveals a deep ruby/purple as well as a great nose of red and black cherries, leafy herbs, damp earth, and flowers. Medium-bodied, mouth-filling, and balanced, it has the vintage's purity and focus front and center yet still brings plenty of fruit, texture, and pleasure. Drink this beauty over the coming 4-6 years. (JD)” (04/2022)

“A bit aloof compared to the 2018, with a lower pH. 'We had cooler nights this vintage,' Suire confirms. The 2019 conveys superior fruit brightness: more red than black fruit, with blueberry, cranberry, and juicy, red plum. The long finish is also marked by the now tell-tale wet stone along with liquorice, violets and lilac. Subtle depth albeit more evident structure, as this is still rather a baby. While the 2018 exudes palate-enveloping tannins, the 2019 is more about finesse, and I like it just a bit more for that, as a more cerebral wine not as immediately seductive as the 2018. 'Call it Mr. Limestone,' Suire jokes. (PK)” (07/2024)

“So well put together, you feel the deft strokes of the winemaking layered on top of the terroir, and it's an impressive whole that combines power and restraint. Cassis and blueberry fruits, liquorice and espresso, mouth-watering finish but everything unfolding oh so slowly. No rush here. (JA)” (11/2021)

“I continue to just love this château, which is located in one of the cooler terroirs in the appellation, sitting on pure limestone soils. Director David Suire continues to fine-tune every aspect of the estate and is the driving force behind the incredible quality we're seeing today. The 2019 Château Laroque is as classy as they come, with an incredible level of refinement and elegance. Ripe black cherries, blueberries, violets, white truffle, and cedar pencil all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with incredible tannins, perfect balance, and a great finish. It doesn't quite have the density of, say, Canon or Clos Fourtet, yet it doesn't lose a beat with regard to purity, finesse, and elegance. It's a gorgeous Saint-Emilion that readers will love to have in the cellar.” (04/2022)

“Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Laroque charges out of the gate with bold blackberry preserves, baked plums, and boysenberry notes plus a waft of chocolate box, licorice, and candied violets. Full-bodied, firm and grainy, it has loads of tight-knit layers and a mineral-tinged finish. (LPB)” (05/2026)

“Blackcurrant, cherry and violet aromas follow through to a medium to full body with very well-integrated tannins that give a soft and creamy impression.” (02/2022)

“A terrific effort from an estate that was long one of Saint-Émilion's sleeping giants, the 2019 Laroque unwinds in the glass with aromas of cherries, licorice, loamy soil, rose petals and sweet tobacco. Medium to full-bodied, ample and layered, it's deep and concentrated, with succulent aids, powdery tannins and a seamless, integrated profile. It's well worth seeking out. (WK)” (04/2022)

“The 2019 Laroque captures all of the potential it showed as a young barrel sample. Succulent and racy to the core, with striking depth, Laroque is voluptuous, creamy and wonderfully inviting right out of the gate. Succulent dark cherry fruit, mocha, spice, new leather, licorice and menthol build into the voluptuous finish. Laroque balances fruit intensity with energy. It is certainly impressive in 2019. (AG)” (02/2022)

“This is fresh, open and vibrant on the nose, with a very pointed core of blackcurrant, blackberry, bay leaf and toast, which opens the door to a rather juicy and energetic style on the palate, with a medium-bodied and sinewy core of fruit wrapped up in tobacco, black bean and dark chocolate, underpinned by a decidedly lively seam of acidity. Tense, vivacious and fresh, but with a delicious frame of acidity and juicy dark fruits, along with some delicious mineral and saline elements, before a firm and peppered length, this is nothing short of delicious. One for the cellar.” (07/2025)

“Still a touch reticent but it's all there, from the dark plum and warmed cassis notes to the underpinning of warm loam and sweet tobacco accents. Features fine-grained tannins, with good cut through the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. (JM)” (03/2022)