Chateau d'Aussieres 2019 (750ML)

93 JS / 92 JA / 91 WA / 91 DE

Blackcurrants, slate, crushed stone and berries with hints of chocolate. Medium-bodied, bright and racy. Vivid at the end. A blend of syrah, carignan, mourvedre and grenache. Drink now. - James Suckling

Plenty of graceful black and red fruits, this is an impressively balanced wine from a warm vintage. Turmeric and smoked cumin kick things off, emphasing tight tannins that will soften over the next few years, before everything softens and opens through the mid palate to show a burst of baked raspberry, incense and rosemary spices, orange peel, plenty of juice. First time for the 167ha Domaine d'Aussières on the Place (or rather not in exclusivity with DBR Lafite). Director Jean de Roquefeuille (ex Rieussec), working alongside the group winemaker Olivier Tregoat.- Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

The 2019 Chateau d'Aussieres, made from 52% Syrah, 20% Carignan, 19% Mourvedre, and 9% Grenache Noir, is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. It requires a little coaxing to bring out notes of baked black plums, fruitcake, and boysenberry preserves, followed by wafts of tobacco leaf, tar, and sauteed herbs. The full-bodied palate delivers spicy black fruit preserves layers with a chewy texture and savory finish. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

The 2019 Château d'Aussières is blended from 52% Syrah with 20% carbonically macerated Carignan, 19% Mourvèdre and 9% Grenache. It’s another dark red wine with harmonious, complex aromas which combine blackcurrant fruit (typical, says the Aussières consultant Matthieu Dubernet, of Fontfroide Syrah) with wildflower and hillside pine forest scents. The palate is surprisingly light and elegant with a sense of proportion and harmony; there’s no shortage of fruit density, though. It’s a more approachable wine at this stage than the 2018. - Decanter