2019 Château Saintayme

The 2019 Saintayme is endowed with an impressively well-defined and focused bouquet with intense black cherries and blackberry fruit, tobacco and cedar. Plenty of energy here. The palate is quite oaky on the entry, but this is a Right Bank with plenty of stuffing, quite peppery towards the finish and demonstrating admirable persistence. Superb. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.

- Neal Martin (01/2023)

I wasn't able to taste the 2019 Saintayme from barrel, but it's solid from bottle, offering a medium-bodied, elegant profile that's very much in the style of the vintage. Ripe black cherries, mulberries, crushed stone, graphite, and sappy flowers all emerge from the glass, and it's focused, firm, and straight on the palate. It’s going to benefit from bottle age. (04/2022)

The 2019 Saintayme, 100% Merlot, is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. It is a little broody to start off, with notes of tar and fertile loam leading to baked plums and fruitcake scents plus a hint of unsmoked cigars. The medium to full-bodied palate is chewy and rugged, with muscular black fruit, savory accents and a firm finish. (05/2023)