St-Emilion satellites 2015: Panel tasting results

Four communes north of St-Emilion are an excellent hunting ground for value, particularly in good Right Bank vintages like 2015. See which of the 92 wines tasted by our three-strong panel of experts came out on top...

• 92 wines tasted with 16 highly recommended

• The panel tasters were: Stephen Brook, Andrew Jefford, Tim Sykes

Introduction by Jane Anson

Bordeaux 2015 was one of the rare years when the city’s oenology school, which releases detailed overviews of every vintage dating back to the 1960s, declared that ‘all five conditions necessary for a great red wine vintage in Bordeaux were perfectly aligned’.

Now in bottle, we can judge what that means for quality – but we already saw what it meant for prices during en primeur, with almost every big estate posting a healthy (for them) price rise.

It’s these vintages where the smaller appellations should shine – something that sounds promising for the St-Emilion satellites in a clear right bank vintage.

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See Jane Anson’s tasting notes and ratings for Bordeaux 2015 wines in-bottle

The four satellites of Montagne, Puisseguin, Lussac and St-Georges have had the right to use their commune names with that of St-Emilion since 1921.

Quick Link: View all 92 wines from this panel tasting

They’re located to the northeast of St-Emilion, with the Barbanne river separating them, and go as far as the slopes of Castillon to the east. The satellites in total cover 3,985ha, across varied terroirs but with three main characteristics – slopes, plateau and foothills, with mainly clay-limestone soils.

Plantings are the same as in St-Emilion, so about 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon (with some spots of Malbec and Carmenère), and the average estate size is just 8ha.

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Similarities and differences

Land prices differ enormously once you step over the boundary from St-Emilion to its satellites (we’re talking a difference of many million euros per hectare in some cases), and similarly the price-per-bottle potential in the satellites has a ceiling that you rarely find in the mother appellation.

And yet the terroir has plenty of similarities, with mainly clay-limestone soils and some exceptional south-facing slopes, particularly in St-Georges and parts of Montagne.

All four satellites ripen a little later than St-Emilion as a rule – something that has meant their tannins have been seen to be a little more rustic and their acidities a little higher – but this same later- ripening has also proved useful in recent vintages.

Potential sticking points might be that at these lower price points there is less grape selection, and in some cases 2015 did see blockages of the vines due to the hot summer, particularly on the loamy soils that you find in Lussac, or the sandier parts of the other satellites.

Styles also vary widely, with winemaking often taking precedence over terroir, and I would expect to find that some estates have really pushed ripeness and oak. But I would also expect to find many excellent drinking wines that offer great value, and that should be ready to enjoy over the next five to 10 years.

The scores

92 wines tasted

Entry criteria: Producers and UK agents were invited to submit their 2015 wines from the St-Emilion satellite appellations of Lussac, Montagne, Puisseguin and St-Georges

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 0

Highly Recommended 16

Recommended 59

Commended 15

Fair 1

Poor 0

Faulty 1

The results

Lussac was the surprise star of these four communes, but all offered affordable drinking and very good quality – when not marred by new oak. Tina Gellie reports on the post-tasting discussion.

While the results might not immediately suggest it, our experts were impressed by this line-up from the St-Emilion satellite communes of Lussac, Montagne, St-Georges and Puisseguin.

‘I’d urge Decanter readers to rush out and buy the top wines here,’ enthused Andrew Jefford. ‘2015 is a lovely vintage, and the best of the producers here did a fantastic job with it.’

Stephen Brook agreed. ‘These wines have a reputation for rusticity, which is often well deserved, but I was astonished by how good some of them were.’

Tim Sykes had been expecting ‘a lot of high-octane, over-extracted not particularly user-friendly wines’, but was pleasantly surprised at the overall level of quality.

The only real criticism was a lack of freshness due to the rich, ripe vintage conditions. Brook was missing ‘verve and nuance’, while Sykes wanted ‘drinkability’.

Jefford’s bugbear, meanwhile, was new oak. ‘The first thing you do when you’re ambitious is buy new barrels. There were a lot of exciting wines here spoiled by too much new oak. Spend your money in the vineyard first.’

Lussac-St-Emilion was the standout commune – a big surprise for all the judges. ‘My heart normally sinks when confronted by a line-up of Lussacs, so I had low expectations,’ said Brook. But he enjoyed both ‘lighter, graceful, stylish and moreish’ styles as well as bigger, richer and more oaky wines. ‘And with very few exceptions the wines had enough weight and richness to carry the oak.’

Jefford said Lussac impressed to such an extent that ‘we were wondering what was gong on – who has moved in as either a proprietor or a consultant! Really exciting, fresh, stylish and contemporary wines.’

Montagne is the largest commune of the four, and while Jefford found some excellent wines, ‘we had to slog through some very dreary, deeply unambitious wines and those that were mired in the past’.

Brook agreed: ‘It’s the commune I think of as the most prestigious, but there were quite a few herbaceous, confected wines that were very disappointing.’ He said that was balanced out by several serious – probably more expensive – high-quality wines.

Producers in St-Georges can either label their wines as St-Georges or Montagne, and the judges felt they did ‘a fair job’.

However Puisseguin’s performance divided opinion: Brook recalled a few good examples but found the majority ‘drab and dull’, while Jefford was more positive. ‘The Puisseguins didn’t have the sexy freshness of the best Lussacs, but there was always a really good core and structure to the best wines.’

He said it was worth noting that as a percentage of the total, there were more wines in Puisseguin under £15 than over £15, ‘so it’s a happy hunting ground for those looking for value’.

Brook urged consumers to remember the adage that you get what you pay for. ‘It’s worth paying that extra fiver to get a little more distinction,’ he said. ‘Most of my top wines were £15-£30. And yes, if I discover they are £28 that may be little pricey, but in the overall context of Bordeaux the best of these wines offer good value.’ Sykes agreed. ‘There were some good wines under £15, but Côtes de Bourg and some Côtes de Bordeaux communes like Castillon offer better value at that price.’

Sykes said most of the sub-£15 wines were ready now, particularly if decanted, while pricier, more ambitious wines could be cellared to 2025.

Our tasters each pick their top 3 wines from the tasting:

Stephen Brook

Brook has been a contributing editor to Decanter since 1996 and has won many awards for his writing on wine. The author of more than 40 books, his works include The Complete Bordeaux, now the definitive study of the region and in its third edition, and The Wines of California, which won three awards. His most recent book is The Wines of Austria.

Château de Lussac, Lussac St-Emilion 2015

Griet Laviale from Belgium bought this fine property in 2000 and invested heavily. Only the best fruit goes into the grand vin, and it shows. Wonderful richness and splendour and could easily be taken for a St-Emilion. 95 Drink 2019-2027

Château Croix de Rambeau, Lussac St-Emilion 2015

The Trocard family owns a raft of right bank estates, including the highly regarded Clos Dubreuil in St-Emilion. This Lussac has sophisticated oak use and exuberant but elegant fruit. 93 Drink 2019-2026

Château la Rose Perrière, Lussac St-Emilion 2105

Jean-Luc Sylvain of the famed cooperage family has owned this estate since 2003, and only the best fruit is used for this wine, aged in new oak. Textured, powerful and beautifully made. 93 Drink 2019-2027

Andrew Jefford

Jefford is a multi-award winning writer and author who pens a monthly column for Decanter magazine as well as the ‘Jefford on Monday’ blog for Decanter.com. He has been writing and broadcasting about wine since the 1980s and lives with his family in the Languedoc, close to Pic-St-Loup.

Vieux Château Palon, Montagne-St-Emilion 2015

Grégory Naulet’s mighty Vieux Château Palon was the tasting standout for me, made with consulting advice from Hubert de Boüard. Very fine aromatic finesse here, as well as all the palate generosity you could wish for. 95 Drink 2019-2026

Château la Rose Perrière, Lussac St-Emilion 2015

Tonnelier Jean-Luc Sylvain’s impeccably managed property has produced an excitingly brooding wine in 2015. Don’t hurry into its sombre black fruit; cellar time will reward you. 93 Drink 2019-2027

Château Teyssier, Montagne-St-Emilion 2015

The Montagne Château Teyssier (in different ownership to the St-Emilion Teyssier) has consultative help from Stéphane Derenoncourt; it’s a beautifully sensual, sumptuous mouthful with lots of life ahead of it. 93 Drink 2019-2026

Tim Sykes

Sykes joined The Wine Society in 2012 as head of buying and has been in the wine business for more than 25 years. Having studied law at the Sorbonne in Paris and qualified as a solicitor, he gave it up to work in a London wine shop, following this up with time at merchants OW Loeb and Enotria.

Château Haut-Goujon, Montagne-St-Emilion 2015

This immaculate property is near Lalande-de-Pomerol. The 2015 is delicious, with perfumed, generous fruit and entrancing balance. I picked this out for its incredible value for money. 91 Drink 2019-2025

Vieux Château Palon, Montagne-St-Emilion 2015

From a tiny but well-sited, family-run property this is a modern, Merlot-dominant wine that delivers bags of drinking pleasure. With ripe dark fruit perfume and plush, almost hedonistic texture this is a top-drawer Montagne. 91 Drink 2019-2026

Château du Courlat, Cuvée Jean-Baptiste, Lussac St-Emilion 2015

The top cuvée from a well-run estate owned by the Bourotte family (of Pomerol’s Clos du Clocher). This is 100% Merlot from quite cool soils, ideally suited to warm vintages like 2015. Vibrant, dense fruit and a generous finish. 90 Drink 2020-2026

St-Emilion satellites: the facts

Montagne 1,600ha – can deliver powerful and structured wines from clay-dominant limestone soils in the right places.

Lussac 1,450ha – loamy soils giving lighter, more floral wines; the best are found on the slopes and the limestone plateau.

Puisseguin 750ha – some good wines with fine ageing potential on clay-limestone soils with some gravel areas.

St-Georges 185ha – some excellent spots worth seeking out and the equal of St-Emilion in parts; well-drained, south-facing clay-limestone slopes.

St-Emilion satellites: know your vintages

2016 Heavy rains early, then a warm, dry finish. Areas on clay and limestone gave excellent wines, while sandy soils suffered more.

2015 Excellent quality across the satellites in this sunny, dry year. Plenty of value.

2014 Some rain. Good-quality wines where the Merlot was able to reach maturity.

2013 A difficult vintage for early drinking. Prime spots on limestone coped best with harvest rains.

2012 Some good wines in the satellites as early-ripening Merlot did best.

2011 Cabernet Franc performed best, giving some structured wines in the satellites that should be drinking well now.

2010 Excellent quality across satellites, although alcohols can be high in the Merlots. Great-value wines that are starting to open up.

Top scoring wines from the panel tasting:

See all 92 wines from the panel tasting

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