Leading American wine critic, James Suckling, published almost 600 wine scores and tasting notes last week for Bordeaux En Primeur 2015.
He declared that the vintage was extremely exciting, remarking that the wines showed exuberant fruit whilst possessing plenty of tannin backbone. In particular singling out Merlot-based wines which he believed were of amazing quality.
Suckling will certainly have put the cat amongst the pigeons with his declaration that he couldn’t think of another vintage from barrel he had tasted in his 33 vintage career which had produced similar wines.
With many anticipating the 2015’s to rub shoulders with the great modern vintages of 2000, 2005, 2009 and 2010 – not many had expected the 2015 to draw such superlatives lavished by Suckling. It will therefore be interesting to see how the other critics and wine publications judge the vintage especially in comparison to other ‘great’ years.
Being more specific about where he found the greatest success, Suckling pointed out that in his opinion the appellations of Pomerol, St. Emilion, Pessac-Léognan and Chateau Margaux had produced the best wines of the vintage. Mainly due to the fact that these areas avoided some heavy showers experienced in the northern medoc during the harvest.
Given the high praise from Suckling it was of no surprise to see equally high en primeur scores accompany his extensive tasting notes on the vintage.
In total Suckling gave 13 wines a potential 100 point score, with 6 wines receiving a 100-100 score:
Canon, Chateau Lafleur, La Mission Haut Brion, Margaux, Pétrus, and Chateau Trotanoy. You can read the tasting notes for these wines below.
1. CHÂTEAU CANON ST.-EMILION
SCORE: 100
TASTING NOTES
This is the greatest red ever produced here, even better than the great wines of the 1950s and 1960s. Full body yet tight and reserved. Superbly refined tannins. Yet rich and flamboyant. Fruity yet salty and minerally. Electric finish. Stone and chalk undertones. A wonder of a young wine.
2. CHÂTEAU LA MISSION HAUT-BRION PESSAC-LÉOGNAN
SCORE: 100
TASTING NOTES
The purity in this wine is really mindblowing. So perfect. Liquorice. Stone. Blackberry, blueberry. Full body. The power is amazing. But then it finishes ethereal and so agile and beautiful. I am lost for words. This will rank with the best ever from here including 1975 and 1929. 58% merlot, 35% cabernet sauvignon, and cabernet franc.
3. CHÂTEAU LAFLEUR POMEROL
SCORE: 100
TASTING NOTES
It’s hard to describe perfection. It’s not just power and depth. It’s something mystical and ethereal. The wine just floats on your palate with incredible density yet precise. Taste it and you want it forever. So creamy and textured. Glorious.
4. CHÂTEAU MARGAUX MARGAUX
SCORE: 100
TASTING NOTES
The greatest Margaux ever made. More than perfection. Full body, firm and ultra-silky tannins. Black currant, mineral and floral character. It starts slowly and seems almost endless on the palate. Seamless. I want to sing! This is the wine that Margaux never made in some of the classics vintages like 1961, 1959 and 1945. May be its the 1900 all over again? Breathtaking.
5. CHÂTEAU PÉTRUS POMEROL
SCORE: 100
TASTING NOTES
A wine that makes me dream and touches my soul. Such amazing purity and density yet the tannins and acidity are in perfect balance. The freshness and quality tannins is second to none. It’s a redefinition of some of the great Petrus such as 1971 and 1961 that didn’t have the precision or clarity of today.
6. CHÂTEAU TROTANOY POMEROL
SCORE: 100
TASTING NOTES
The depth of fruit and length to this is spectacular with blackberry, wet earth, dark bitter chocolate and blueberry character. It’s full and powerful and absolutely seamless. Perhaps the greatest wine ever made here. 93% merlot and 7% cabernet franc.
7. CHÂTEAU ANGÉLUS ST.-EMILION
SCORE: 99-100
TASTING NOTES
This shows the purity of Angelus. I have never tasted a wine from here with such incredible clarity. Full body, full fruit and full beauty. Super silky tannins. A joy to taste. Makes you want to drink it. 62% merlot and 38% cabernet franc.
8. CHÂTEAU CLINET POMEROL
SCORE: 99-100
TASTING NOTES
OMG. This is really dense and rich with velvety tannins and so much fruit and length. Super concentration and structure. Greatest Chateau Clinet ever. No jam. Just class.
9. CHÂTEAU D'YQUEM SAUTERNES
SCORE: 99-100
TASTING NOTES
This is an incredible young Yquem that is so vinous like a great vintage of Montrachet but then on the palate it turns to Yquem with spice, dried fruit and mushroom as well as sweet fruit. Last for minutes. Acidity is all there giving it a dynamic vibrance that jolts your senses. Special wine. It has a little more than than 140 grams of residual sugar, less than the legendary of 2001. But is very close in greatness. Let’s wait and see.
10. CHÂTEAU L'EVANGILE POMEROL
SCORE: 99-100
TASTING NOTES
What a wine here. Chateau L'Evangile is so traditional and powerful with super depth of fruit and chewy tannins. Full body, incredible concentration and length. It’s so muscular and powerful. So minerally and nutty (walnuts). Marvellous.
11. CHÂTEAU LA FLEUR-PÉTRUS POMEROL
SCORE: 99-100
TASTING NOTES
The power and depth of fruit here is extraordinary with incredible phenolic texture and caressing mouthf eel. Full and enticing. It’s a wine that shows power with finesse. Such contrast and greatness. 92% merlot, 7.5% cabernet franc and 0.5% petit verdot.
12. CHÂTEAU PALMER MARGAUX
SCORE: 99-100
TASTING NOTES
A wine with incredible character and style with black ink and blueberry aromas and flavors. Full body, extremely fresh and structured with riffing tannins. It is muscular and powerful. White pepper, sea salt, mineral, stone character. A wine built for the long term. The making of the new 1961.
13. LA MONDOTTE ST.-EMILION
SCORE: 99-100
TASTING NOTES
A phenomenal La Mondotte. The purity and intensity is so amazing. Full body, super fine and creamy tannins. The clarity is great. You can see that they have pulled back on the new wood and went for transparency. Wow.
