This is very perfumed, with dried flowers, chocolate and hints of nuts to the dark fruit, following through to a full body with layers of fruit and a ripe, rich finish. Plush and ripe, yet still formed and pointed. Needs time to open and come together.

The 2019 La Dominique is plump, juicy and super-expressive, all while avoiding the excesses of years past. Succulent dark cherry, plum, leather, licorice, menthol and tobacco are front and center. This is an especially voluptuous, racy style that works so well. Soft, creamy tannins wrap around the gorgeous, persistent finish.

The third vintage produced by the new team that is trying to take this irregular estate adjacent to Cheval Blanc to new heights is the 2019 La Dominique. Offering up aromas of sweet berries, cherries, mocha and spices, it's medium to full-bodied, velvety and seamless, with juicy acids, supple tannins and an elegantly gourmand profile. This is a terrific effort that shows that this estate's fine performance in vintages such as 1998, 1990 and 1989 is not a thing of the past.