2019 Dalem, Fronsac (Pre-Arrival)
SKU #1480648
94 points
Jeb Dunnuck
Readers looking for a smoking deal in the vintage should grab bottles of the 2019 Château Dalem. This rich, medium to full-bodied, mouth-filling effort has lots of ripe darker cherry and blackberry fruit as well as tobacco, cedar pencil, and violet nuances. Rich, textured, balanced, and with a real sense of purity and class, it's ideal for enjoying over the coming 10-12, if not 15 years or so.
(4/2022)
94 points
Vinous
The 2019 Dalem offers almost Burgundian purity on the nose, where blackberry, bilberry, crushed stone and pressed iris petal commingle. The palate is beautifully proportioned and quite saline, with fine tannins and an almost pixelated finish, which delivers superb grip and density. This is an outstanding Fronsac that will live long in the bottle. Excellent. (NM)
(2/2022)
92-94 points
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep purple-black colored, the 2019 Dalem needs a few swirls before it really starts to show off all its vibrant black cherries, kirsch and black raspberry scents, followed by hints of camphor, pencil shavings and tobacco leaf. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is chock-full of crunchy black fruits with loads of freshness and perfume and a soft, approachable texture, finishing with a minty kick. (LPB)
(6/2020)
93 points
James Suckling
Sweet plums and berries with some lavender undertones. Medium to full body. Plenty of fruit and ripe tannins. Crushed-stone undertones. Polished and sophisticated finish. Merlot. Very attractive already, but needs two or three years to come together.
(1/2022)
92 points
Decanter
Bramble fruits with a touch of savoury herbs on the nose. Lively and fresh in the mouth bursting with red cherry and strawberry fruit alongside salinity that comes across as a minty fresh, almost spicy, lift all the way through. A linear, aerial style though still with plenty of fruit concentration. A lovely expression from Fronsac with plenty to like. (GH)
(1/2022)
92 points
Wine Spectator
Sleek and taut, with chalky threads running along the edges of a core of fresh cherry puree and cassis notes. Features a subtle tobacco accent throughout, with nice cut through the finish. (JM)
(3/2022)
K&L Notes
92 points Jane Anson for Inside Bordeaux: "Always a polished Fronsac here delivering smoked oak notes with rich fruits. Well textured, silky and sleek, impressive. 41hl/ha yield, 80% malo in barrel, 40% new oak." (10/2021)
