James Suckling has released his first scores after a series of tastings of the 2019 vintage at his Hong Kong wine library. Although the results so far do not match the 2018 vintage (3 wines scored 100 out of 100), there could still be perfect wines in the future as many well-known brands are missing.
Image courtesy of: Liv-ex
Suckling praised the quality of the 2019 vintage as being similar to that of the 2018 vintage, although he acknowledged that the 2019 vintage was less fruity and tannic, but seemed to be more typical of Bordeaux, which was good.
Suckling also compares 2019 to the excellent 2010 vintage, but it lacks simplicity and intensity.
However, the timing of the release and price levels of these wines are still in doubt. Suckling explained that when he spoke with many winemakers and merchants in Bordeaux, they said they would release prices in June and agreed that prices would have to be reduced by 10 to 40 percent.
Given that the release will take place during this unprecedented period, Suckling concluded: when the 2019 en primeur wines start to be sold in a few weeks, the market must also decide whether it should buy now.
