Bordeaux 2015
With Easter just around the corner, I thought it might be worth looking at the perfect pairing of Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot blends that should accompany the ‘go-to’ dish of roast spring lamb over the long weekend in early April.
Where better to start this search than in Bordeaux.
The 2015 vintage was exceptional. Although many of the more famous names still need another decade or more before they begin to show their full potential, there are a number of second labels, cru bourgeois, and even cru classes that are just putting their heads over the parapet.
There is a more detailed note on the 2015 vintage in Bordeaux towards the end of this missive.
The wines lined up for this tasting were a selection that are readily available by the bottle from Majestic, Waitrose and Berrys:
Château Cantemerle 2015, Haut-Médoc - 1855 Cru Classé - Berrys - £30.00
Château Clarke 2015, Listrac-Médoc - Cru Bourgeois from the Rothschild stable - Waitrose - £36.00
Clos Sainte Anne 2015, Pomerol - second wine of Château Moulinet - Majestic - £24.99 - mixed case price
Lions de Batailley 2015, Pauillac - second wine of Château Batailley - Majestic - £34.99 - mixed case price
Mondot 2015, Saint-Émilion - second wine of Château Troplong-Mondot - Majestic - £39.99 - mixed case price
All of these wines were very drinkable and ready for immediate consumption. The 15.5% from Mondot caught me a little by surprise when tasting it, but it was still a very good and very enjoyable wine, albeit a tad ‘punchier’ than the rest.
However, there was one clear winner:
Château Clarke 2015, Listrac-Médoc - Cru Bourgeois
Waitrose - £36.00
With a ruby edge to the wine, the nose emerged with excellent blackcurrant and blackberry fragrances. Confident and refined on the palate. Medium-bodied with finely textured tannins, well balanced acidity, touch of tobacco with a hint of dark chocolate. Class act. Drinking well today, but certainly opened up after 30 minutes, and will keep going for another 5 to 8 years. It will sit very comfortably alongside the rosemary-encrusted roasted lamb, accompanied by the Dauphinoise potatoes, mint sauce and broccoli.
Cistercian monks planted the first vines on the site of Château Clarke in the 12th century. The land was purchased in 1818 by the knight, Tobie Clarke. In 1971, having been owned by a series of individuals over the century and a half, it was acquired by Baron Edmond de Rothschild. From this new ownership, a transformation took place in terms of the vineyard management and the resources needed to produce a top-class wine from Listrac. The 2015 wine has been very well reviewed by a number of the world’s wine writers, described as ‘sweet and generous’ by James Suckling, and ‘a classic Listrac that should give 10-12 years of pleasure’ from the Wine Advocate. The vineyard is planted with 70:30 Merlot to Cabernet Sauvignon across approximately 55ha devoted to red vines.
Bordeaux 2015
An outstanding vintage in terms of both quality and quantity. Perhaps just missing the stelar elements of 2009 and 2010, but certainly a great result.
The harvest season saw dry and medium-warm weather making it possible to pick at optimum ripeness without running the risk of dilution or rot: a perfect conclusion to a very balanced growing season, with grapes in excellent health, thick-skinned and uniform in quality.
July, August and September provided excellent ripening conditions with dry and warm months that had followed generous sunshine with less than average rainfall during the period from April to June. Rain at various points during August were varied across the entire Bordeaux region, but boosted the vine's essential functions and making sure that the latter part of véraison - French term for the "change of color of the grape berries”, representing the transition from berry growth to berry ripening - worked superbly
June had been particularly ‘summer-like’ with temperatures reaching the fourth warmest over the last century, creating ideal weather to meet the first two conditions for a good vintage: early, quick, and even flowering and fruit set.
There has been a few question marks earlier in the year with a cold and overcast March, and this impacted bud break that was 10 days later than the 10-year average. However, no concerns about the final result.
The top of the range wines will keep drinking until the mid-2040s, and probably beyond, with the majority comfortably developing into the early 30s.
