2015 red Bordeaux tasting

[Nicklasss]

On the October 13th, our local tasting group had a tasting of a few 2015 red Bordeaux. It was a good time, and i was interested to know how these 2015 would be at the moment, and where they are heading to in a few years. We did it single blind, and we were voting only for our four favorite wines only. I won't talk about the color, as they all seemed dark red to me!

Wine number 1 was having a good nose of blackberries, rasberries, light cinnamon, little bit warm, and with some beef jerky aromas. The mouth was having a way "darker" profile, with concentrated black fruit, slightly austere oak, minerality, good mass of tannins, long final. I would score it 90-91. It was my third favorite, group first favorite. Sociando-Mallet.

Wine number 2 was a bit more giving, but also sligthly more modern in the making. Nice fruit, ripe and fresh, with violet flowers, little bit candy, and vanilla cookie. Drink well already, nice fruit, again auster oak, and long fruity finish of blackberry. I would score 89. It was my fourth favorite, group fifth favorite. Gazin-Rocquencourt.

Wine number 3 was really closed to me on the nose, delivering not much. In mouth, a bit better, but even the concentrated black and red fruits were not very defined, rounded texture, velvety tannins and a sweet cookie finish. I would rated it like 83. I did not vote for it, group last favorite. Malartic Lagravière.

Wine number 4 was having a medium fresh dark red fruit character on the nose, with a strong smoky wood, tobacco and spicy tone. Rough nose a bit. In mouth, very austere, strong burned wood, light fruit at this moment, and a little bit thin and short. Seemed closed to me. My rating at 88. I did not vote for it, but i might be wrong as it was the group second favorite. Lagrange.

Wine number 5 was a bit weird, with green pepper, blue fruit, graphite minerals, pain grillé and light cookie dough on the nose. Mouth was ok, with good ripe burn fruit, spiçes, peanuts, and kinda funky in mouth. Very ripe, but very dry on final. I would rate it 87-88. I did not vote for it, but was group second favorite, ex-aquo with wine 4. Lynch Moussas.

Wine number 6 was probably the most interesting and enjoyable to me. Nose of creamy black currants, dark rasberries, light spices and minerals, nice nose of medium intensity and classic. Mouth was melted, balanced, perfumed, with dense black red fruits, light minerals, cherries flavors, with nice integrated classy oak. Long and sense of elegance. I would rate it 91. My second favorite, group fifth favorite, ex-aquo with wine number 2. Malescasse.

Wine number 7 was my favorite, as giving something very nice today and is balanced and concentrated enough to be better in 15 years. Nose closed at first, opened on dark blackcherries, blackcurrants, rasberries, with stylish firm oak and some lavender. Perfumed. Mouth with nice concentrated red fruit, half sweet cherries, blackberries, well integrated oak, medium tannins, perfumed in mouth too, some red flowers, light black chocolate. Excellent. I would rate it 92-93. Group fourth favorite. Giscours.

It was a very instructive tasting, and bizarrely i was very proud when discovering that my three favorite wines were a Margaux, and two Haut-Médoc made near Saint Estèphe aoc, as i really liked the 2015 Tronquoy Lalande Saint Estèphe. But sadly, i did not understand the other wines, especially Lagrange and Malartic that were maybe closed. From that sample, i also had a sense that 2015 is again a concentrated and ripe vintage, that the aoc more resistant with heat had better results.

[JimHow]

Wow! What to make of these results.
Interesting how your picks differed from the group's.
2015 Sociando the group favorite, that's an upset in a sense.
Your first three picks, not much surprise there.
Not sure what happened with the Malartic, I've enjoyed the 2015 and 2016.
Did you decant these puppies at all?

[Nicklasss]

Hi Jim.

No decanting, pop n pour, tasted over 3.5-4 hours. I was not that upsetbthat Sociando was the favorite of the group, and maybe the bottle of Malartic was not a representative one.

I'm not a fan of oak, while many in that group like more oak than me, maybe that explains the difference between the group and me. I can't remember JeanFred four picks, but i guess he will jump in here!

[DavidG]

Nice report Nic!

I like the 2015 Giscours and have most of a case still resting in the cellar. My last try with it was 2 years ago. I think it’s still on the upswing.

[jal]

Thank you Nicolas
I have been disappointed with the few 2015s I have, and I also don't understand Lagrange. Giscours seems like a wine I would enjoy

[stefan]

The modest Malescasse looks like the real winner. Maybe the results would be very different in 5-10 years.

[Blanquito]

I had a young Malartic rouge recently blind, the 14 or 15, and it was one of the most spoofed wines I’ve had in a long while. Revolting.

[Musigny 151]

Not a great fan of the vintage. Prefer 2014.

[AlexR]

Thanks for the notes Nic.
I think that the rather low price of Gazin-Rocquencourt needs to be considered when evaluating it. It’s owned by the Bonnies of Malartic and often drinks well young.

Sociando-Mallet’s good showing does not surprise me. And, once again, when you consider the price and their enormous production, that’s a pretty good showing.

I’m surprised by Malartic Lagravière, often a “pretty” wine, but one of substance.

Lagrange seems a controversial wine. I’m rarely disappointed, but then I don’t equate it with the likes of Ducru, the Léovilles, etc.
For me, Lynch Moussas is a sleeper that has got better with the passing years. A solid wine not for label drinkers.
Quite a surprise with Malescasse, a wine I need to revisit.

Giscours has its share of detractors, but it’s consistently good, rather than execellent, in my book
AR

[AKR]

Nice lineup. Almost never see Gazin Rocquencourt.

[barsacpinci]

Well of course! Giscours! One of my favorites. I’m planning a deep vertical from ‘78 sometime

[Ianjaig]

Thanks for the notes.

I had a 15 Malartic about a year ago and enjoyed it - I remember that it did benefit from a decant though.