#Chateau pichon baron 2015 series

Perhaps the most evocative of all is Château Margaux. The First Growth Estates with their huge financial investments in vineyard and cellar practices, all made impressive wines this year.

Meticulous attention to detail has become the norm within the Grand Cru Classé community. St Emilion’s Ch Cheval Blanc on the other hand comprised 95.1% of the harvest, leaving no reason to make Petit Cheval in 2015.Īttention to detail in the vineyard, especially after the August rains, and huge investment in optical sorting machines (at a cost of around 200,000 Euros each) at harvest ensured the grapes were in good condition before vinification. It is quite incredible how the fruit arrives into the winery these days. Only 35% and 39% (respectively) of the harvest went into their Grand Vin. Château Margaux and Château Cos d’Estournel chose to rigorously defend their first wines by very detailed picking and selection. The hard selection process is particularly evident on the left bank. Château Haut Bailly is particularly refined and beautifully balanced.Īt Château Batailley, the introduction of a second wine and closer attention to differentiation, led to one of the best vintages in its history. Many of the small refinements and decisions in the vineyard and winery allowed several top Châteaux in St Julien, Pauillac and St Estephe to make beautiful wines too. Château Haut Brion and Château La Mission Haut Brion made dense chocolaty styles. Château Margaux and Château Palmer are amazing wines. The success of this variety has been dependent on the sophistication of harvesting and selection at blending. Cabernet Sauvignon, typically ”needing to takes its time”, brought wines of lovely aromaticity, concentration and vitality. The alcoholic strength and tannin ripeness seem to correlate with this impression.

The southern left bank (Margaux and Pessac-Leognan) also stumped up some beautiful concentrated wines. All have a buoyancy and precision that augers well for the future. Ch Vieux Château Certan, described as “La Force Tranquille,”and Château Petrus were my top two right bank wines followed by Château Ausone. Already observers are calling it a right bank (St Emilion & Pomerol) year. Cabernet Franc, its companion in many of the wines, gives an attractive “tannin seam” and structural vigour. Merlot performed particularly well, with many Châteaux picking intermittently over a three-week window to achieve optimal freshness, fleshiness and ripeness. While all the wines are tasted extremely young, it is easy to see the quality and dimension of the vintage. The red wines across the right bank and the left bank are generally impressive in concentration, vigour and freshness. The cooler conditions running up to harvest in September allowed the grapes to conserve their aromatic potential and ripen relatively evenly. The northern Medoc was exposed to heavy rains, but no berry splitting or significant disease pressure was reported. Cooler weather arrived in August with above average rainfall. Light rains refreshed the canopies and hydrated the clusters. Veraison (in which the grape berries turn from green and hard to coloured and fleshy) began towards the end of July. A hot dry and sunny spell during June and July kept the vines in balance the near-drought conditions resulted in excellent cluster development. Weather conditions were generally ideal with perfect flowering and set during Spring. I have tasted through most of the top wines, some on more than a few occasions, and feel confident that this is a vintage worth supporting. More than a few times the phrase “a vintage of the decade” has been mentioned. The Châteaux, across all sub-regions, are excited by the beautiful fragrance, clear fruit flavours and brisk energy of the wines, and believe the vintage to be the best since 2010. Give another year in barrel, the wines should gain more fruit complexity and volume.

#Chateau pichon baron 2015 series

Complete 2015 Bordeaux report by Andrew Caillard MW “Next in line of a great series of vintages 2000, 2005, 2009, 2010 & 2015.”Ģ015 is a wonderful Bordeaux vintage without the hype or hysteria associated with 20. The wines are generally expressive and generous with marvellous concentration and structure.