Bordeaux 2015 Primeurs: Pauillac Tasting Notes
Before my tasting notes, a mention must be made of the very worthy Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, which I visited midway through my Pauillac day. This is a vintage where well-drained terroirs next to the Gironde seem to have done well, but success is clearly not limited to those châteaux. Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste lies in the more westerly parts of the appellation, and yet in 2015 they have turned out an excellent wine. They were not favoured by the weather, having taken 100 mm of rain during the month of September. Nevertheless, something about the drainage of the vineyards here, the work in the vines or in the cellar, or both, has produced an admirable result.
The wine this year is 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, picked between September 18th and October 4th. The fact that Cabernet Franc makes an appearance in the wine is an indicator for how content the team are here with the ripeness of the fruit this year, the last time this variety appeared outside the second wine being the 2009 vintage. Of the harvested fruit 62% went into the grand vin, and 38% in the second wine, so the grand vin is no micro-selection. The fruit ripeness is lovely, the fruit dark and sweet, the overall effect succulent and very moreish. The main indicator of the vintage is a rather taut, sucking-a-cherry-stone feel to the texture of the midpalate, so there is a little flesh missing, but the wine is no less delicious and approachable for that. This is one of the more successful wines of the appellation in 2015.
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