Asteries 2019

The 2019 Les Astéries is the one cuvée from Jonathan Maltus that has closed down a little, though it will open up with bottle age. The harmonious palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, pliant and focused, displaying a touch of black pepper toward the finish and quite a persistent aftertaste. Give this three or four years in bottle.

Score: 93

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2023-2040 01 February 2022

The 2019 Les Astéries has a charming bouquet with small dark cherries, crushed violet and inky aromas, all neatly integrated with the new oak - lush but controlled and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins, cohesive and poised with fine tension and complexity towards the finish. This might well turn out to be Jonathan Malthus' best release this vintage.

Score: 93 - 95

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2023-2040 01 June 2020

The 2019 Les Astéries is another fabulous wine in this range from Jonathan Maltus. A rush of blackberry jam, spice, mocha, white chocolate and licorice builds in a Saint-Émilion endowed with tremendous textural resonance and intensity. The new oak sticks out a bit more than it does in the other wines, but then again, this is a barrel sample shipped from Saint-Émilion to New York.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.

Score: 92 - 94

Antonio Galloni, Inside Bordeaux 01 June 2020

Clear chocolate and coffee toasting right from the start, this is an excellent Asteries. It is full of welcoming brambly fruit and delicious ginger and black pepper spice, definite traces of heat but well handled by the tannic frame. Personality and impact but with a sense of balance through the finish. 80% new oak for malo and ageing. 3.62pH.

Score: 93

Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2024 - 2042 01 June 2020

Another killer barrel sample from this team is the 2019 Les Asteries, which offers a sensational bouquet of crème de cassis, toasty oak, crushed stone, white flowers, and tobacco. One of the more focused, mineral-laced, and backward in the lineup, this full-bodied, concentrated 2019 is going to need 4-6 years of bottle age to show at its best.

Score: 95 - 97

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com 11 June 2020