{"id":24602,"date":"2016-05-10T11:37:17","date_gmt":"2016-05-10T10:37:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.leaandsandeman.co.uk\/blog\/?p=24602"},"modified":"2016-05-10T17:59:51","modified_gmt":"2016-05-10T16:59:51","slug":"2015-bordeaux-getting-proper-stuff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.leaandsandeman.co.uk\/blog\/2016\/05\/2015-bordeaux-getting-proper-stuff\/","title":{"rendered":"2015 Bordeaux – getting into the proper stuff"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"2015-LS-Bordeaux-En-Primeur-Email\"<\/p>\n

Yesterday and this morning have seen a few of the more serious crus class\u00e9s<\/em> being released – the primeur season is getting into gear.<\/p>\n

2015 CH\u00c2TEAU PAPE CLEMENT<\/a> (\u00a3625) is a big wine with a mass of rich dark concentration. For us it seems a little forced, but Neal Martin (95-97) and James Suckling (96-97) clearly loved it. In terms of being a primeur buy, it is certainly significantly cheaper than any comparably-rated vintage, and if you like the style it has to be said it looks a solid proposition.<\/p>\n

2015 CH\u00c2TEAU MALESCOT SAINT EXUP\u00c9RY<\/a> (\u00a3370) is another wine which, if points win prizes, looks a potentially good buy. 93-95 from Neal Martin, and 97-98 from James Suckling represent excellent scores for a wine that is offered under \u00a3400 a case. We have to be honest and say that we too find the style of this wine rather forced, but if you like them big, it’s worth considering.<\/p>\n

2015 CH\u00c2TEAU LANGOA BARTON<\/a> is a wine we just loved. It may not be the biggest or the most long-lived of the Saint Juliens, and to be frank we’d have preferred it a little bit cheaper (it is at \u00a3340), but this is a wine that has improved dramatically in the last ten years, and as a drink it’s one we’d look forward to having in our cellars – it’s just delicious.<\/p>\n

2015 CH\u00c2TEAU D’ARMAILHAC<\/a> the first of the releases from the Mouton Rothschild stable, and although slightly put in the shade by others tasted here, especially Clerc-Milon, which was one of the few properties which seemed genuinely to have matched or beaten its 2010, this represents solid value at a perfectly sensible price.<\/p>\n

2015 CH\u00c2TEAU PETIT VILLAGE<\/a> is a Pomerol with a great terroir which was in a bit of a parlous state when taken over by AXA Mill\u00e9simes (putting it in the same stable as Pichon Baron and co.), and a lot of work has gone on here to replant and improve – work which has paid off with the best Petit Village for ages. Worth a look, but the price of \u00a3500 feels a bit toppy to us.<\/p>\n

Also on the market are the three properties owned by the n\u00e9gociant<\/em> Dourthe, 2015 CH\u00c2TEAU BELGRAVE<\/a>, (\u00a3195) 2015 CH\u00c2TEAU LA GARDE<\/a> (\u00a3145) and 2015 CH\u00c2TEAU LE BOSCQ<\/a>, (\u00a3160) all of which represent great value, having had significant investment to raise quality over the last decade. Our favourite the year was the sappy, seamless La Garde, a wine that seemed to have taken all that was best from a great vintage in the Graves.<\/p>\n