Bordeaux 2015 revisited 10 years on

Appraising the best of Bordeaux as the wines approach 10 years old is always a fascinating exercise.

We often underplay the longevity of these wines from the most lauded of regions, perhaps because we have lost the patience to wait, or, perhaps we are influenced by so many regions making styles that are so instantly appealing.

At the decade mark, depending on the style of the vintage, you see the more approachable wines starting to hit their long-lived peak and the very finest wines starting to wake from their slumber.

Scroll down for 25 of the best wines from the Bordeaux 2015 vintage

I should add, this is not always the case, certainly not with vintages such as 2005 or 1986, where the wines can lay dormant for decades, leaving us to wonder whether they’ll ever open.

2015, thankfully, isn’t crafted from that mould. If you’re of the school that suggests ‘great vintages are vintages that drink well every day of their lives’, then these are wines you need in your cellar.

The 2015 growing season wasn’t straightforward and was marked by an unusually warm spring that led to early but, crucially, even flowering.

Summer was mixed: storms followed by excessive heat, followed by rain. Most importantly, the harvest was dry and there was no risk of rot.

A notable château owner once proclaimed: ‘We don’t have bad vintages in Bordeaux, just good vintages, great vintages and vintage of the century… but we can only use that every five years.’

Funnily enough, combined with the famous ‘rule of fives’ – years ending in ‘5’ reputed always to produce quality, certainly in recent decades – that’s how the rhetoric goes.

Ups and downs

From an investment standpoint, it’s unsurprising that 2015 has been a mixed blessing.

According to LiveTrade, Bordeaux Index’s trading platform, the best performers have been Châteaux Margaux and Beychevelle, and Carruades de Lafite, having put on 89%, 71% and 67% in value respectively since their release.

At the other end of the scale, Châteaux Pavie and La Mission Haut-Brion now trade at more than 20% below their release price.

This really brings into question an interesting point: ‘Does your classification affect the price?’

In the case of Château Pavie, which had been promoted to grand cru classé A status in the 2012 St-Emilion classification revision, the fall in price would indicate that the market isn’t willing to pay their seemingly ambitious release prices.

Whereas a fall in price of La Mission Haut-Brion, despite trading at half the price of neighbouring first growth Haut-Brion, would indicate that the 1855 classification is more relevant than ever, despite the two being very much qualitative peers.

Quality on all sides

The question is ultimately how does 2015 Bordeaux stack up next to the other ‘vintages of the century’ – 2000, 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2016?

In terms of style, the 2015s are, across the board, effortlessly balanced, showing beautiful concentration, measured oak influence, seamless tannin structure and just enough sunshine evident in the glass.

They aren’t as ‘showy’ as 2009, more luxurious than 2010 and 2016, but not as broad-shouldered as 2000.

I was surprised at how delicious and drinkable these wines were even at this early stage, which is, we should not forget, the ultimate aim.

The quality here is high, and most importantly, across the board, from top to bottom, up and down the Médoc and left and right of the Gironde.

You can buy these wines blindly, with confidence, knowing that almost every producer has crafted something stylistically typical of the appellation and of an extremely high standard.

Unlike 2005, for example, these wines are accessible at this age, but don’t underestimate their longevity.

There is balance in these wines that will see the very best wines, if impeccably stored, still giving pleasure towards the end of the century.

My advice, as it often is, is to buy the cheaper wines in large format and if you can raid the piggy bank for the apex of 2015, do not hesitate. These are exceptional wines.

Bordeaux 2015: 25 of the best 10 years on

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