Top 10 Bordeaux 2015 wines

2015 is undoubtedly a very fine vintage in Bordeaux, and one that continued the run of successes in years ending ‘5’ and ‘0’ dating back to 1985.

Although it has been somewhat eclipsed by 2016 and 2018, it is certainly superior to the run of indifferent vintages which followed 2009 and 2010 with many fruit-driven, opulent and structured wines that have great potential to age.

Scroll down for Andy Howard MW’s top 10 Bordeaux 2015s

A total of 98 wines were shown, including all but Château Latour from the First Growths. Other notable absentees were Palmer, Pavie, Pape Clément, Lafleur, Ausone, L’Eglise-Clinet, Vieux Chateau-Cértan, Valandraud and Clinet. Château Pétrus was also missing – hardly surprising given its in-bond price of around £3,000 per bottle (Pétrus was last spotted at the MW annual Claret tasting in 2005). Despite missing a few key wines, this was a great opportunity to see how this much lauded vintage is progressing.

The Left Bank

On the Left Bank, in the Haut-Médoc, Margaux was a standout appellation, consistently on-song with typical wines across the board. Château Margaux was very fine (the 2015s presented in special bottles dedicated to the late Paul Pontallier) and while Palmer was absent, Rauzan-Ségla is superb and relatively well-priced.

Quality in Saint-Estèphe and Pauillac was variable though Lynch-Bages, Cos d’Estournel and Pichon-Lalande shone. Mouton and Lafite seemed a little behind the game this year, although Lafite at just 12.5% alcohol, is precise and extremely elegant.

Pessac-Léognan performed very well at the tasting with Château Haut-Brion, Haut-Bailly, La Mission Haut-Brion and Smith Haut-Lafite all strong – the latter a standout.

Botrytis affected many estates in Sauternes and Barsac producing intense and pure wines, although lovers of high acidity in their sweet wines might favour 2014 or 2011.

The Right Bank

The Right-bank performed strongly, with Cabernet Franc a particular success. Pomerol has been highlighted as a standout appellation, although in neighbouring Saint-Émilion a wide range of styles can be seen, some of which offer precise and elegant wines with wonderful fruit purity whilst others are beefed-up, hefty and, for me, overly alcoholic, so it’s less easy to make generalisations here.

That said, Pomerol performed strongly with L’Évangile, Trotanoy and Lafleur-Pétrus leading the way. Saint-Émilion showed distinct variations in style – Cheval Blanc was a clear highlight but Balestard La Tonelle, Bellevue, Troplong-Mondot and Quintus all weighed in at over 15% alcohol (and in a non-subtle way). Interestingly, some top estates managed to juggle super-ripe fruit whilst still achieving freshness and lightness of touch – often where there was a higher proportion of Cabernet Franc.

The growing season

After a slow start to the growing season, the weather from mid-April was almost exactly what vignerons wanted; warm and dry dominating the first part of the season with flowering taking place in ideal conditions. With increasing temperatures in July, concerns about a repeat of 2003 started to surface but rain in August allayed winemaker’s fears. The rest of the season was mixed, with cooler than average temperatures and higher than average rainfall – a key factor, and heavier the further north in the region – leading to a long, slow, final ripening. As a result, many wines retained freshness and classic fruit characters, combined with richness and power from the early season warmth.

Pricing

In terms of prices, 2015 can be seen as a year of transition. During the en-primeur campaign release prices seemed high and the vintage in danger of being over-hyped but with the arrival of the super-charged pricing for the 2016 and 2018 vintages, 2015 now almost seems good value. As a general rule, pricing is around 20% lower compared to 2016 and 2018, with the market for top 2015s seeing prices around 20-30% more than their 2012 and 2014 equivalents. Certain estates ‘broke-through’ in 2015 – particularly the Saint-Émilion duo of Canon and Figeac. However, the quality here is directly proportional to the higher pricing – these are great wines. If your pockets are very deep, enjoy!

See Andy Howard MW’s top 10 Bordeaux 2015s

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