For those seeking a comprehensive overview of Bordeaux best vintages and comparisons between legendary years, we recommend visiting Cult's Guide to The Best Bordeaux Vintage Years.
How good was 2015? Is it the best Bordeaux vintage ever? Alexandre Thienpont of Vieux Chateau Certain certainly thinks so while Olivier Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier in the Graves appellation compares it to 2005.
You can’t fail to be allured by this charming, velvety vintage. In every appellation, the wine quality is excellent across the board. There are so many to recommend but here is my top 10 selection for your cellar.
Chateau Canon 2015, St-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé
Is this the wine of the vintage? You’ll struggle to find a superior wine to this nuanced and complex St Emilion. Expect lots of lush ripe cherry fruit, spice and an attractive hint of capsicum. Despite the ripeness, there is a surprising level of fresh acidity, which gives the palate tension. Abundant, ripe tannins. Exceptionally long finish.
98+ pts
6/75cl Chateau Canon 2015, St-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé @ £850 IB
Chateau Gloria 2015, St-Julien
This chateau might not have been classified in 1855 but what a wine! It is hugely aromatic, offering a complex melange of black cherries, balsamic, dried herbs and delicate floral accents. The oak is beautifully integrated, supporting the ripe fruit with firm tannins and a fresh conclusion.
96 pts
6/75cl Chateau Gloria 2015, St-Julien @ £170 IB
Chateau Leoville Barton 2015, St-Julien, 2eme Grand Cru Classé
I like Leoville Barton: it is an extremely consistent performer that shuns fashion. It has great depth of black fruit flavours, subtle oak and attractive green bell pepper.
94 pts
6/75cl Chateau Leoville Barton 2015, St-Julien, 2eme Grand Cru Classé @ £400 IB
Chateau Talbot, 2015, St-Julien, 4eme Grand Cru Classé
Fresh and juicy, mid-weight claret with bags of fragrance. Expect lots of layers of flavours: plums, blackcurrant, and finely tuned oaky spice. A lively finish. Surprisingly light, fresh and vibrant.
95 pts
6/75cl Chateau Talbot 2015, St-Julien, 4eme Grand Cru Classé @ £300 IB
Chateau Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2015, Pauillac, 2eme Grand Cru Classé
You could pop the cork and drink this now, as it is well-polished (perhaps too polished, I like rough edges in young Bordeaux), with a broad spectrum of pure flavours. I cannot wait to see how this evolves.
95 pts
6/75cl Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2015, Pauillac, 2eme Grand Cru Classé @ £600 IB
Chateau Lynch-Bages 2015, Pauillac, 5eme Grand Cru Classé
One has to admire the consistency of this house and dedication to the style, which is unapologetically muscular. Lots of ripeness here: blackcurrant and dark cherry fruit with abundant tannins, excellent depth and freshness.
95 pts
6/75cl Chateau Lynch-Bages 2015, Pauillac, 5eme Grand Cru Classé @ £450 IB
Chateau Gazin 2015, Pomerol
Captivating! Every time you put your nose in the glass, there is a new aroma to be found: dark plums, raspberry fruit, subtle oak, spice, and blackcurrant leaf. It is an exciting wine, richly textured with freshness, purity, exceptional depth and concentration.
96+ pts
6/75cl Chateau Gazin 2015, Pomerol @ £325 IB
Chateau La Conseillante 2015, Pomerol
Aromatically expansive with detailed aromas of blackcurrant fruit red plums and soy sauce. The oak is incredibly detailed, very subtle and superbly integrated. A plush wine with fantastic purity and depth of flavour. The length and proportion are superb.
97+ pts
6/75cl Chateau La Conseillante 2015, Pomerol @ £750 IB
Chateau Pape-Clement Blanc 2015
This white astonishes by its richness and purity. It is an exciting mix of fresh citrus, orchard fruit, and floral accents complemented by oak. The palate is rich and broad, however, there is exceptional freshness that keeps this all woven neatly together. For me, this is easily best white of the vintage but it will need three to six years to reach its peak.
96 pts
6/75cl Chateau Pape-Clement Blanc 2015 @ £550 IB
Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere 2015, Pessac-Leognan
There is fantastic flinty minerality that makes this wine dance along the palate. It brings generous citrus fruit and ripe pineapple as well as freshly cut grass. It is a wine with depth, complexity and fantastic freshness.
95 pts
6/75cl Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere 2015, Pessac-Léognan @ £220 IB
