The 2019 Vieux Château Mazerat is a dark, powerful wine. Black cherry, bittersweet chocolate, leather, licorice and spice add to a real feeling of weight and gravitas that also comes through in the wine's overall feel. The 2019 is a decidedly somber Saint-Émilion. These Cabernet Franc, planted in 1947 on clay over limestone add so much character. Today, the tannins are quite incisive as well. Patience is key. Here, too, there is so much to look forward to. I won't be surprised if the 2019 is even better from bottle, as Jonathan Maltus' wines often are.

Jonathan Maltus' 2019s are superb across the board. I imagine many readers will be drawn to the micro-cuvées, Le Carré, Le Dôme and Les Astéries, in particular, and right so. In my view, though the most impressive wine in the lineup is Teyssier because of its quality at a production level that is very hard to achieve. The growing season was hot, as it was everywhere, with rain episodes in July, August and September that helped balance things out. Frost was an issue in some of the lower-lying parcels that typically inform Teyssier and Laforge. More importantly, the decision to give the wines a bit more energy while retaining all of the richness readers have come to expect yields a range of wines that really stand out in 2019.

The 2019 Vieux Château Mazerat, from the Jonathan Maltus stable, offers baked cherries, fresh dates and melted tar on the nose that suggests just a little sur-maturité compared to recent vintages. The palate is actually better than the nose with lithe tannins and nicely detailed brambly red fruit intermixed with white pepper and sage. The finish shows the elegance that I come to expect from this cru. Despite the aromatics revealing too much exuberance, I will give this the benefit of the doubt.

Aromas of black cherries, currants, dark chocolate and creamy new oak, the 2019 Vieux Château Mazerat is medium to full-bodied, rich and chunky, with a ripe core of fruit, lively acids and plenty of chewy tannin that marks it out as one of the less polished, blockier wines in the Maltus portfolio. It will merit a bit of patience.