The 2019 Bordeaux futures campaign is one for the history books. In the wake of a global pandemic, en primeur week was significantly delayed, as were some futures releases. However, what’s incredible about the 2019 Bordeaux vintage is that, despite these hurdles, the quality of the wine is still capturing the attention and imagination of the world’s most knowledgeable wine enthusiasts. Some top critics have had barrel samples delivered directly to them, and early reviews suggest that this is a vintage worthy of your attention. Many of these wines are pure, elegant, and have fine tannins. Just as enticing are their release prices, which are, on average, 30 percent lower than wines of the equally high-quality 2018 vintage.

The last 15 years have yielded some of the best Bordeaux wines in recent history. In particular, five of those years—2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, and 2016—treated critics, collectors, and enthusiasts to early tastings that revealed exceptional quality and suggested these wines would age well for decades. These extraordinary years tend to be compared with one another, too. For example, debate continues over which year wins out when you compare the 2009 and 2010 Bordeaux vintages. And there is still some question regarding how these two vintages stack up against the 2005.