En Primeur Bordeaux 2015

The 2015 Bellevue Mondotte is the one wine from Gérard Perse that tends to leave me cold. This year it is a blend of 90% Merlot with 5% each of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, matured entirely in new oak. It has a very powerful and intense bouquet with sweet ripe blueberry, boysenberry jam and honey-like aromas that almost knock you sideways. The palate is medium-bodied with sweet ripe tannin, not as tannic or as aggressive as I have occasionally discerned this wine, a little gentler and caressing towards the velvety smooth finish that just needs a little more personality to come through. It is always a brute out of barrel, but tends to mellow with bottle age, so don't even think about approaching this young. While it is undoubtedly surpassed by the 2015 Pavie, I am fascinated to see how this shows with age and who knows, maybe I will be proved wrong.

Score: 91 - 93 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate Maturity: 2023-2045

This has a focus and intensity that I haven’t seen before. I goes wide in the palate and then compresses with great precision and beauty. Full and excellent. So great. Best I ever had from here.

Score: 98 - 99 James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com

A lush, modern style, with plum sauce and raspberry påte de fruit flavors backed by a broad swath of melted red licorice and sweet spice notes. Features the caressing feel of the vintage as well.

Score: 91 - 94 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

The 2015 Beychevelle was picked between 22 September and 8 October, a blend of 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot that will be matured in 50% new oak. It has quite a high IPT at 81, a pH of 3.72. It has a clean and crisp bouquet, tightly-wound at first, then unfurls with redcurrant, cranberry and raspberry scents, leaning towards the red spectrum rather than black. There is impressive delineation here, no frills, almost clinical in its "aromatic efficiency." The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. This is a suave Beychevelle in the making, harmonious in the mouth, supple even, gently building towards a lightly spiced finish. Among the Saint Julien wines, this is clearly one of the more understated 2015s. It is only when you swallow the wine that its lingering flavors remind you that this could evolve into one of Philippe Blanc's great Beychevelles. While it is not a headline-grabbing wine, a decade in bottle will be handsomely rewarded.

Score: 92 - 94 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate Maturity: 2025-2050

This is very pretty with ultra-fine tannins, blueberry, blackberry and mineral flavors. Full body, integrated and balanced. Shows refinement and tension.

Score: 92 - 93 James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com

This has a plush, slightly smoky edge, with plum sauce and blackberry confiture notes forming the core. Shows ample stuffing through the finish, presenting a pleasantly chewy edge.

Score: 90 - 93 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

The 2015 Château Bourgneuf has a crisp and quite earthy, blackberry and briary scented bouquet that just needs to coalesce during its élevage. The palate is medium-bodied with steely tannin, quite pointed acidity, fresh in the mouth with moderate weight, hints of licorice surfacing towards the linear finish. Note that a second sample at JP Moueix showed more elegance and poise on the velvety finish. Give this 3-5 years in bottle.

Score: 90 - 92 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate Maturity: 2020-2040

A super velvety textured red with a freshness and coolness. Full body, ultra-balanced and a savory finish. Super. Mostly merlot with a touch of cabernet franc.

Score: 94 - 95 James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com

A flattering wine in the making, with a velvety feel from start to finish, offering warm plum, blueberry and boysenberry fruit that cascades through the finish. Features a healthy dose of toast, but everything is integrated and the fruit will win out easily when the élevage is done.

Score: 91 - 94 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

New generation at the helm and showing constant progression. Rich and complex on the nose. The palate is round and full but also fresh and harmonious, with fine tannins and a long finish. Will offer value.

Score: 91 Decanter

The 2015 Boyd-Cantenac has plenty of ripe blackcurrant, bilberry and wild strawberry fruit on what feels quite a lavish and voluminous nose that is determined to make an impression. The palate is medium-bodied with juicy ripe tannin. This is a Margaux with the dials turned up to ten - a huge overarching structure lacquered with black fruit, supported by some quality new oak that lends it sheen. It is a powerful Margaux that deserves a decade in bottle, not a wine of finesse but it has the substance to reward long-term bottle age.

Score: 91 - 93 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate Maturity: 2025-2050

The 2015 Branaire-Ducru is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc that was picked between 18 September until 8 October, with two or three intervals in between. Matured in around 60% new oak (although as usual my barrel sample was from a new oak barrel), it has a high-toned, black cherry and cassis scented nose that perhaps feels a little constricted by the new wood in this sample, though not necessarily once in bottle. The palate is medium-bodied with a lightly spiced entry, white pepper and a touch of sage, gritty tannin, foursquare and a little conservative. There is commendable weight on the finish, if not quite the precision compared to its peers. I noticed this gaining more cohesion in the glass, which bodes well for once the Branaire-Ducru is in bottle. I expect this to rest at the top of my banded score.

Score: 90 - 92 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate Maturity: 2020-2040

This is very structured and tight with chewy polished tannins and blueberry, blackberry. Full and savory. Should develop beautifully.

Score: 93 - 94 James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com

Pretty and aromatic, with flavors of kirsch and cherry preserves mixed with tobacco and bay notes. Stays energetic through the relatively sleek finish. Wins on purity.

Score: 90 - 93 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator