93pts Jeb Dunnuck

Checking in as 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc that's from a small vineyard on the upper plateau, the 2019 Château La Serre reveals a deep purple hue to go with an already complex nose of ripe red and blue fruits, leafy herbs, chalky minerality, and spicy oak. Rich, medium to full-bodied, balanced, and satisfying, it's well worth seeking out and will benefit from just a handful of years in the cellar and shine over the following 10-15 years or so. It's a complex, undeniably delicious Saint-Emilion.

92pts Wine Spectator

Solid, featuring a good, direct core of dark currant and plum fruit that has the rich, lightly roasted edge of the vintage, with sleek anise, apple wood and savory notes streaking through the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2035. 1,825 cases made, 300 cases imported.

90pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Exhibiting aromas of cherries, plums, sweet berries and vanilla pod, the 2019 La Serre is medium to full-bodied, ample and seamless, with a generous core of succulent fruit and supple, melting tannins. This is a charming wine from a small, four-hectare vineyard located on Saint-Émilion's limestone plateau (near Château Trotteveille) that has recently undergone extensive replanting.

90pts Vinous

The 2019 La Serre is a powerful, dense Saint- Émilion. A burst of black cherry, plum, licorice, spice and tobacco hits the palate. There is plenty of fruit intensity, although some angularity remains in the contours. La Serra is best enjoyed over the next decade or so for its boisterous, pleasantly hearty personality.

Winery Notes

Château La Serre has an exceptional position in the very heart of Saint-Emilion, six hundred feet from the town ramparts of this magical UNESCO protected area, on outstanding limestone soils with a due south exposure.  The history of the property dates to the 15th century, with the residence constructed at the end of the 17th century by a prominent local family.  Arnaud d’Arfeuille’s grandfather purchased the property in 1956, and his father Luc in particular worked on renovating the vineyards and cellars to produce wine equal to its terroir.

The estate spreads over 18 acres between Villemaurine and Trottevieille, on shallow clay over limestone – the road dividing the two major vineyard parcels on Château La Serre is in fact blocked off, since there is an old limestone quarry below the vineyard and it’s dangerous for cars to drive over it. The vineyards consist of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc with an average vine age of 35 years.

La Serre is one of the absolute little gems of Saint-Emilion.

The heat and sun of the vintage produced exceptional wines in Saint-Emilion, with fruit, depth and balance in abundance.  In the perfectly proportioned cellar, optical sorting was followed by a pre-fermentation cold soak, fermentation in concrete tank, and aging for around 16 months in a majority of new oak.