93-95. Barrel Sample. This wine is a great success. It is structured, balanced and full of fine berry fruits. It is built for long-term aging.

The 2019 Grand Corbin Despagne turned out beautifully. Readers will find a big, statuesque Saint-Emilion built on vertical energy. Black cherry, plum, graphite, spice, licorice and gravel lend nuance to this explosive, potent Saint-Emilion. Gravel, scorched earth, tobacco and incense lend gravitas on the substantial finish. This is an especially powerful, earthy Saint-Emilion. Quite simply, the 2019 is a flat out stunner.

Mostly Merlot blended with a decent amount of Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Château Grand Corbin-Despagne offers a solid, slightly spicy bouquet of red and black fruits, spring flowers, gravelly earth, and graphite. These all carry to a medium to full-bodied wine with a great mid-palate, polished yet certainly present tannins, and a great finish. It's certainly the finest wine I've tasted from this château, and while it's drinking beautifully today, it warrants a handful of years in the cellar and will evolve for 15+ years.

From holdings just across the border from Pomerol characterized by predominantly sandy-clay soils, the 2019 Grand Corbin-Despagne offers up aromas of plums, sweet berries and cherries mingled with raw cocoa, cigar wrapper, licorice, violets and spices. Medium to full-bodied, ample and succulent, with fine concentration, lively acids and ripe, powdery tannins, it's a beautifully balanced classic that will age with grace.

A richly fruity version, with cherry compote and plum puree notes gliding through easily, while melted licorice and warm fruitcake fill in through the cedar-tinged finish. Enticing, if a touch shy on energy in the end. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2032. 7,000 cases made, 1,500 cases imported.