Bordeaux 2015: notes from the Left Bank

The second day of the Union des Grands Crus tasting focused on the Left Bank, where the claims that 2015 is a great vintage were put to the test.

With the Right Bank and Graves and Pessac looking strong, there were some concerns that heavy rains in August and September particularly in the north of the Médoc might have spoiled the party on the Left.

Margaux

Many commentators have remarked that this seems to be the most consistent of the Left Bank communes and occasionally more brazenly the ‘best’.

It was the one commune in the Médoc not seriously hit by the August and September rains which, said Château Giscours’ Laure Bastard, “allowed us to get full maturity especially for the Cabernet Sauvignon. We didn’t need any Cabernet Franc this year we just added a little Petit Verdot

The Margaux samples were certainly consistent and often with that lovely softness and suppleness the appellation is known for.

Purity to the fruit, even a little fatness at times, but all in balance with ripe tannins and good freshness.

Will likely turn out to be perfectly charming.

Saint Julien

Fairly robust for sure but another appellation that should perhaps be viewed with interest to see what comes out on the other side after élévage.

Like Margaux the wines appeared very true to their place and type, with red fruit and some pleasant green pepper aromas – Cabernet Sauvignon levels were very high in some blends such as Lagrange where it’s a record 70% – firm tannins but with freshness and certain juicy quality to the fruit in the very best examples.

Pauillac

From Pauillac northwards is where quality becomes somewhat more inconsistent. There are some very good wines (Lynch Bages and Pichon Comtesse for example and there have been enthusiastic reports for Pichon Baron and others as well) but there are also some lean, rather hard wines too.

None are faulty or dirty; rot was not a problem in 2015 but quite a few of the northern Médocain wines will likely take some time to come round and soften.

On the other hand, as Anne-Françoise Quié of Château Croizet-Bages, pointed out the results are undoubtedly preferable to the hugely alcoholic wines they would otherwise have made if the rains hadn’t come.

Saint Estèphe

Hardest hit by the late season rainfall, St Estèphe is much like Pauillac in that there are said to be some superstar wines – Montrose, Cos d’Estournel and Calon Ségur for example – but elsewhere it can be a hard, tannic slog.

Again the wines look well made and clean and élévage may do wonders but there was little real ‘joy’ in some of the samples.

They were just a little stern.

Next: 2015 in a nutshell – is it a ‘great’ vintage?