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A quartet of wines from the Médoc have been released this morning encompassing three of the major appellations – St-Julien, Margaux and St-Estèphe. We were especially fond of Cantenac Brown when our team tasted it in Bordeaux and think this particularly worthy of attention. Another strong showing from Léoville Poyferré is sure to be popular as well with its sultry style. Calon-Segur has a lovely structure and intensity this year.
Whilst Gruaud Larose is an estate with an illustrious past we think that better wines have been made at this estate. This factor combined with the relatively high price mean we have included this wine for your perusal but want to point out that it does not offer the best value this year.
Château Cantenac Brown, 3ème Cru Classé, Margaux
£360 Per 12 Bottles En Primeur
The 2015 Cantenac Brown follows their excellent 2014 with another great Margaux. Here, a nuanced nose that does not come racing from the blocks, but keep your nose in the glass and it reveals detailed blackberry, cranberry and strawberry aromas that are neatly embroidered with the new oak. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, quite tensile tannin. There is breeding interwoven into this Margaux, palpable sophistication, and it finishes with panache, fanning out with lightly spiced red and black fruit. It is not the most ostentatious Margaux in what is a fecund season for the appéllation, but I suspect it will surprise a few wine-lovers as its ages.Drink 2020- 2045. 92-94/100, Neal Martin
The 2015 Cantenac Brown is superb. Translucent, weightless and totally finessed, the 2015 offers outstanding purity and exceptional overall balance. Sweet plum, tobacco, cedar, licorice and new leather are some of the many nuances that take shape in the glass, but it is the wine's purity that is most impressive. Hints of lavender, iron and smoke add shades of nuance on the tightly wound finish. Over the two weeks I followed it, the Grand Vin put on considerable depth and power. It will be interesting to see where things end up here, but the 2015 was superb all three times I tasted it. Cantenac Brown is one of the great still affordable wines of the year. Don't miss it.93-96/100, Antonio Galloni
Sweet and elegant with lovely depth of flavour, this was one of our favourite Margaux wines. Bright red cassis and blackberry fruits on the nose and hint of passion fruit lead to a refreshing long palate with silky smooth tannins. A seasoning of spice on the finish adds further complexity. A wine which will be approachable in a few years, it will also age extremely well. Drink 2018 – 2030.18/20, Armit Wines.
Château Calon-Ségur, 3ème Cru Classé, St-Estèphe
£570 Per 12 Bottles En Primeur
The Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the aromatics with blackberry, cedar and graphite aromas: quite linear, nicely focused and reserved compared to the 2014 last year. The palate is understated on the entry, the tannin very fine and the acidity very well judged. Like the nose, the Cabernet drives this wine forward: structured and a little "brittle" in the mouth, perhaps the most Pauillac-like Calon-Segur that I have encountered over many years of tasting. Afford this several years in bottle.Drink 2022 - 2040. 91-93/100, Neal Martin
The 2015 Calon Ségur is super-polished, silky and exceptionally beautiful, especially for the vintage and appellation. Creamy, expressive and inviting, the 2015 possesses striking nuance and delineation throughout. Dark blue and purplish fruits, lavender, herbs, menthol and licorice add the closing shades of nuance. I don't think the 2015 will match the superb 2014, but it is a very pretty, if somewhat smaller-scaled, wine. 90-93/100, Antonio Galloni
Deep and dark, with a greater proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (82%) than normal in the blend this year, the nose on 2015 is rich and spicy with hints of savoury spice. The palate is finely structured with juicy cassis and plum fruits at the core leading to a long mineral finish. Medium to full bodied, the 2015 is less showy than the 2014 but has plenty of ageing potential. Drink 2022 - 2040. 17.5/20, Armit Wines
Château Léoville Poyferré, 2ème Cru Classé, St-Julien
£590 Per 12 Bottles En Primeur
It has a typical Léoville-Poyferré bouquet at this stage: quite bullish and forthright, packed full of dense black cherries, red plum and cassis, the 85% new oak pronounced, but will be subsumed with bottle age. The palate is full-bodied with mouth-coating tannin: layers of graphite-infused black fruit, cedar and mint, almost Pauillac-like in personality with a sustained graphite finish. This is a sophisticated Saint Julien built for long-term ageing, perhaps less flamboyant than recent vintages, but the terroir shows through. Expect it to land at the top of my banded score, possibly higher. Drink 2027 - 2050. 92-94/100, Neal Martin
The 2015 Léoville-Poyferré is simply magnificent. Rich, creamy and voluptuous in the glass, the 2015 captures all the best qualities of the vintage in spades. Layers of flavor blossom in the glass as the wine fill out its broad-shouldered frame with impeccable grace. A host of floral notes, including violet, lavender and rose petal grace the utterly exquisite finish. There is so much to like here. Specifically, the interplay of ripeness, texture and freshness is compelling.93-96/100, Antonio Galloni
A full bodied and firmly structured wine with plenty of ageing potential, the 2015 is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. On the nose, black cherry and cassis aromas mingle with exotic savoury notes. On the palate, rich plum and deep bramble fruit characters lead to a long finish with notes of smoke and cedar spice. A classically defined Léoville-Poyferré with great depth, this wine will need time to come through. Drink 2022 – 2030. 18/20, Armit Wines
Château Gruaud Larose, 2ème Cru Classé, St-Julien
£480 Per 12 Bottles En Primeur
It has a rather conservative bouquet, reticent at first, gradually unfolding with truffle-tinged black fruit, the oak nicely integrated but perhaps needing a little more energy. The palate is ripe and rounded on the entry, fleshier than many of its Saint Julien counterparts, quite sumptuous in terms of mouthfeel with a suave texture. There is a sense of linearity here, a strictness that particularly comes through on the finish. The purity is commendable and the tannin, fine, but what it needs is that final flourish. It just misses that killer blow on the finish and saunters to its conclusion. I hope that it gains more in barrel.Drink 2025- 2055.90-92/100, Neal Martin
The 2015 is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc and has a bouquet of fresh redcurrants and sweet plums. The palate is bright and attractive with some elegant red fruits and a fine structure balanced by lively acidity. A medium bodied wines with a hint of smoke on the finish, the 2015 will be approachable in a few years.Drink 2018 – 2025.16/20, Armit Wines
