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BORDEAUX 2015 EN PRIMEUR, Part 2


Hopes have been high for the Bordeaux 2015 vintage ever since the harvest. Early opinions from critics, industry experts and winemakers formed from the En Primeur 2015 tastings suggest this is an excellent vintage; the best since 2010 and potentially surpassing it in some cases. sound cliche. Still remember 1997?

Collected below are some of these opinions though.

JAMES SUCKLING & WINE SPECTATOR SCORES

James Suckling and Wine Spectator have released scores for Bordeaux 2015. Suckling announced: “I can already say that 2015 is indeed a fantastic year, producing rich and opulent reds with ripe and velvety tannins. The wines have a lot of ‘wow’ factor when you taste them… They are fun to taste and give energy and intrigue.”

Scores are high, sometimes too high, with Suckling suggesting that many were the best wines he had ever tasted from those châteaux.

FURTHER CRITIC & EXPERT OPINION

Early opinions suggests richness in the reds, freshness in the whites and perfect botrytis conditions for the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac. Below you will find a summary of critic and leading expert views released to date…

“Anticipation is rising for the Bordeaux 2015 vintage ahead of the En Primeur tasting week at the beginning of April. Several château owners have said quality is set to be strong.” – Jane Anson

And also from Jane Hanson later on, on Decanter, "There is a soft, fresh and incredibly luscious elegance... to the best en primeurwines of the Bordeaux 2015 Graves and Pessac."

“2015 should easily be the best vintage since 2010.” – Wine Spectator

“Quite clearly 2015 is by far the most concentrated of the last five years.” – Bill Blatch .

“We have really great pleasure in announcing that 2015 is an outstanding vintage in terms of both quality and quantity… all five conditions necessary for a great red wine vintage in Bordeaux were perfectly aligned.” – Denis Dubourdieu, Professor of Oenology at the University of Bordeaux.

By the way , please ask us for full copies of the vintage reports from Bill Blatch and Professor Denis Dubourdieu.

“The wines [Margaux 2015] are rich and generous, with soft tannic matter and impressive flavours. What really characterises them is the extra sunshine. This is a vintage that highlights the notion of terroir, and its diverse expression.” – Eric Boissenot, Doctor of Oenology and Ampelology (has also worked as an oenologist at four of the first growths)

WINEMAKERS & NEGOCIANTS

Pierre Oliver Clouet, technical director of Cheval Blanc, announced that he would not be producing a second wine for this vintage, suggesting that the standard is exceptionally high and homogenous. Other winemakers and negociants have been similarly bullish…

“We’ve just been tasting the 2013 and the 2014 alongside the new wine, and really the 2015 stands out. It’s particularly fleshy and has great fruit. It’s a big step up in quality.” – Pauline Vauthier of Ausone

“2015 offers a large array of colours and refinement as in a painting. The seeds in the grapes were fully ripe and brought another layer of complex aromas such as chocolate and walnut in the wines.” – Hubert de Bouärd of Angelus and other.

“2015 vintage can be summarized in three words: powerful, fresh and velvety.” – Fabien Teitgen, Smith Haut Lafitte.

“2015 saw a return to satisfactory levels of production.” – Jerome Héranval of Dufort Viviens. “These [Margaux 2015] will be generous, voluptuous wines… for many years to come!”– Alexander Van Beek of Giscours and du Tertre.

“It is the most luxuriant and flamboyant vintage I have made in my lifetime.” – Christian Moueix of La Fleur Petrus, Trontanoy and Belair-Monange.

“Rule of Five remains intact: every vintage ending in five or zero since 1985 has been excellent and that sequence continues with 2015.” – Gavin Quinney of Bauduc (writing for Jancis Robinson)

“We’ve now tasted a representative number of wines from 2015 vintage, and we have now confirmation this is a very beautiful vintage… Merlots are superb. Petit Verdot, when they get into the final blend, also produced beautiful results.” – Vintex & Les Vignobles Gregoire, Bordeaux Negociant

“A great Bordeaux vintage is when all the appellations perform at the highest level. I think the Bordeaux right bank has made a great vintage, particularly Pomerol… We are convinced that the 2015 is on a par with the quality of ’09 and ’10.” – Alexandre Theinpont of Vieux Chateau Certan. The level of optimism suggests that this will be a truly intriguing En Primeur.

To the TAsting Teams, the 2015 vintage of claret (red Bordeaux) will not be ready to drink for three or four years – and not for 10 years or more in the case of the leading and most expensive châteaux. That is a good news.

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