Vintage 2019 — Great international reds, balance and ageing potential

Buying a 2019 wine means choosing a vintage of controlled ripeness, balance and strong ageing potential. The best wines combine ripe fruit, preserved freshness, structure and precision, with a profile that feels less extreme than the hottest years.

The most convincing buying axes are Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Barolo and Barbaresco from Piedmont, red Bordeaux, red Burgundy, Spain’s leading wine regions and German Riesling. Dry white Bordeaux, Sauternes, Barsac, the Rhône Valley, Champagne, the Loire and Alsace also offer very attractive opportunities, with a more selective reading.

The style of the 2019 vintage

2019 stands out for controlled ripeness, ripe tannins and natural concentration, without excessive weight. In the most successful regions, the wines show presence, preserved freshness and genuine ageing potential. It is a particularly attractive year for wine lovers seeking complete, structured bottles built to evolve.

Napa Valley 2019 — Benchmark Cabernet Sauvignon

In Napa Valley, 2019 is one of the best buying axes of the vintage. The most successful Cabernet Sauvignon wines show dense fruit, firm structure, well-built tannins and serious ageing potential. It is a priority for lovers of balanced Californian reds made to develop over time.

Look for: Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux-style blends and benchmark Californian estates.

Piedmont 2019 — A great vintage for Barolo

In Piedmont, 2019 stands as a very strong year for Nebbiolo, especially in Barolo. The best wines combine structure, depth, freshness and aromatic definition in a classical, serious style. For cellaring, it is one of the most convincing choices of the vintage.

Look for: Barolo, Barbaresco, leading Nebbiolo producers and single-vineyard cuvées.

Bordeaux 2019 — Great balanced reds, very strong whites

In Bordeaux, 2019 ranks among the great recent vintages for red wines. The best crus combine ripeness, freshness, fine tannins and ageing potential, with remarkable consistency across many appellations. The choice of château and style remains important, but red Bordeaux is clearly one of the major buying axes of the vintage.

Look for: Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe, Margaux, Pomerol, Saint-Émilion, Pessac-Léognan, as well as white Pessac-Léognan, white Graves, Sauternes and Barsac as high-quality secondary buys.

Burgundy 2019 — Outstanding reds, whites to select carefully

In Burgundy, 2019 is especially convincing for red wines. The best Pinot Noir combines concentration, freshness, aromatic intensity and ageing potential. The whites remain interesting from the most precise domaines, but this buying reading places the reds in the foreground.

Look for: Côte de Nuits, red Côte de Beaune, great Pinot Noir climats, reliable domaines, as well as Chablis and carefully selected great white Burgundy.

Spain and Germany 2019 — Structure, freshness and cellaring potential

In Spain, 2019 is very solid across the leading regions for age-worthy wines, with ripe, structured and well-balanced bottles from the best estates. In Germany, Riesling offers precise, structured profiles suited to graceful evolution, especially from producers known for consistency.

Look for: Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Priorat, Toro, leading Spanish estates, Riesling from the Mosel, Nahe, Rheingau and Rheinhessen.

Rhône, Champagne, Loire, Alsace and Switzerland — Very attractive secondary buys

Beyond the six main successes, 2019 also offers fine opportunities in the Rhône Valley, Champagne, the Loire Valley, Alsace and Switzerland. The Rhône is very convincing in red, Champagne shows good potential in vintage cuvées, while the Loire, Alsace and Switzerland deserve a careful selection according to estate style.