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‘En Primeur’

Cos d’Estournel is the first property you come to as you leave Pauillac, with its vineyards bordering those of Chateau Lafite Rothschild. The quality of the terroir has never been in doubt and the quality of the wines in recent vintages, including the Parker 100 point 2009, has been very impressive.

One of the great names of Saint-Estèphe, Château Cos d’Estournel has released their 2015 @ £1,270.00 IB per case. We cannot think of one compelling argument as to why anyone should buy this wine!

The wine has received mixed reviews from Suckling’s glowing 97-98, Jancis Robinson’s 18.5 and then with a less impressive 92-94 from Neal Martin. 

Those looking for a “top-tier” Cos might note that the 2005 has a Market Price of £1,295 and a score of 97 from Robert Parker. Buyers seeking a Cos with a similar score to the new release may also find the 2012 compelling: with 93+ from Parker, it is priced 38% below the 2015. (Liv-ex Blog)

One of the best Pessac-Léognan wines of 2015, Château Haut Bailly was bought @ £720.00 IB per case. Only very small quantities were available.

James Suckling awards 98-99 placing this above the First Growth Château Haut Brion, whereas Neal Martin scores 95-97, placing it on-par with Domaine Chevalier ‘Rouge (A ‘must buy’) and Smith Haut Lafitte ‘Rouge’.

98-99 James Suckling “This is a vivid and powerful red with lots of bright fruit and spice character. Full body, chewy tannins and loads of fruit on the finish. Firm and focused tannins. Lots of energy and vibrance. Spice and violet leaf undertone. Pure fruit. Pure structure.”

95-97 Neil Martin “The 2015 Haut Bailly is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot (Véronique Sanders told me that the latter was planted three years ago.) My sample included 80% new oak, but there will be 50% in the final blend. Deep in color, the bouquet is very intense with multilayered blackberry, blueberry, crème de cassis and subtle black olive aromas, introverted at first but soon racing out of the blocks with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe, quite firm tannin. This is an Haut-Bailly with real backbone, real sense of purpose. It could have tipped over into being overpowering due to that intense Merlot, but the acidity keeps everything in check and the finish demonstrates wonderful tension. In particular, the aftertaste is incredibly long in the mouth. This Haut Bailly is up there with the 2009 and 2010 – a bravura Pessac-Léognan destined for long-term ageing. Do yourself (and the wine) a favor and cellar it for 12 years, drinking the 2012 or 2013 before reaching for this”.

95-97 Antonio Galloni “The 2015 Haut-Bailly is remarkably vivid for such a big wine. Firm beams of tannin give the 2015 much of its shape and overall energy, both of which the 2015 needs to balance its superb concentration. Sweet floral and spice notes give lift to the unctuous red cherry jam, pomegranate and blueberry flavors. The 2015 is likely to need quite a bit of time to come together, but it is already a very special wine. Even with all of its obvious depth, the 2015 retains gorgeous freshness. In 2015, the blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, the first time Petit Verdot has appeared in the blend”.

We are expecting another incredibly busy week with many of the ‘top’ Châteaux yet to release however, Pichon Baron’s release this morning may put a stop to the flood whilst they reconsider their pricing strategies.

Sadly, 2015 Château Pichon Baron @ £995.00 IB per case is quite simply daft and perhaps based on Neal Martin’s comments “If you want to know whether this 2015 is up there with the 2009 or 2010, the answer is unquestionably yes”.

For interest, the ’09 is available @ £1,150.00 and the 2010 @ £1,200.00…

There are a number of UK merchants pumping this information out as a good buy, however the majority are being more ambivalent.

Domaine de Chevalier has released their ‘Rouge’ @ £460.00 IB per case. This is clearly the ‘best’ buy from the Graves and so we have taken a position on this fantastic wine.

Neal Martin awards 95-97, the same scores as Pape Clement and Smith Haut Lafitte, which sold incredibly well @ £625.00 IB per case.

95-97 Neal Martin “The 2015 Domaine de Chevalier is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot picked from 23 September until 15 October at just 35 hl/ha, matured in 35% new oak. It has a sophisticated bouquet that is more reserved than its peers. It possesses one of the most precise, detailed aromatic profiles that I have encountered from this estate, wonderfully poised with black fruit, incense and cold stone. It has wonderful focus and class. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin, very complex with lightly peppered black fruit. What marks this Domaine de Chevalier is the reserve and precision on the finish, a wine that is holding something back for its secondary evolution, a salinity that beckons you back for another sip. What a fabulous, intellectual wine from Olivier Bernard. Expect four decades of drinking pleasure – probably more – given my experience of ancient vintages. Tasted three times with consistent notes”.

96-97 James Suckling “This shows class and finesse with ultra-fine tannins and succulent fruit. Full body yet elegant and long. Gorgeous wine. Such length. Vibrant and focused”.

18.0 Jancis Robinson “Great tension and subtlety. Extremely savoury – almost salty – with freshness and ripeness. Not one of the deepest colours. Lovely appetising low-key classicism. Bravissimo à tous! Drink 2024-2045”.

Château Smith Haut Lafitte ‘Rouge’ is offered and highly recommended @ £625.00 IB per case and is clearly one of the ‘wines of the vintage’

95-97 Neal Martin “The 2015 Smith-Haut-Lafitte is adorned with a special label to celebrate the 650th anniversary of the château and the 25th vintage made under the ownership of Daniel and Florence Cathiard. It is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, picked between 23 September until 12 October with the Cabernet Franc. Matured in 65% new oak (although technical director Fabien Teitgen mentioned that he could have added more if he felt it would benefit), it has a very intense, blueberry and crème de cassis scented bouquet, a touch more opulent than its peers with hints of freshly shucked oyster shell developing with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannin couched in gorgeous, satin-textured black cherry and cassis fruit, tinged with cedar and pencil shavings. It lingers very long and sensually in the mouth, completing a sophisticated and powerful Smith Haut-Lafitte that should age in splendid fashion”

97-98 James Suckling “This is a very polished and precise young wine with beautiful depth and intensity. Full and sexy. It shows blueberry and black currant character with walnut and chocolate undertones. The tannins have a lovely texture. Joy to taste”

18.0 Jancis Robinson “New black label to celebrate the Cathiards’ anniversary and that of the property. Very dark. Comfortable base and lots of perfume. Round and sweet. Tense and tight. An excitingly taut package that promises well”

Now, to one of the wines of the vintage, Château Canon, which was offered on allocation only and has already sold-out… we were pleased to have picked up a parcel of 10 cases at @ £650.00 IB per case. THIS IS A 100 POINTS WINE!

100 Points James Suckling “This is the greatest red ever produced here, even better than the great wines of the 1950s and 1960s. Full body yet tight and reserved. Superbly refined tannins. Yet rich and flamboyant. Fruity yet salty and minerally. Electric finish. Stone and chalk undertones. A wonder of a young wine”.

98-100 Neal Martin “The 2015 Canon is going to be a benchmark for this historic estate. A blend of 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc, it was cropped at 42 hl/ha between 14-25 September and 30 September until 2 October respectively. The alcohol level is an average 14.5% with a pH 3.78, matured for 18 months in 70% new barrels (except for one barrel of Cabernet Franc that they will bottle separately – just to see). Lucid in color, it has an intense bouquet that exudes extraordinary purity with scents of raspberry, wild strawberry, limestone and violets. It makes a huge impression. The palate is medium-bodied and multilayered with vivacious red and black fruit infused with minerals. The acidity lends the tension here from start to finish, but what this Canon possesses unlike the dozens of other vintages that I have tasted, is an overarching structure that will see it age in similar fashion to past classics such as the 1929, 1947 and 1964. It lingers very long in the mouth, the oak just surfacing a little on the aftertaste, although that will be subsumed with time. This estate has been in the ascendant in recent vintages under winemaker John Kolasa and now Nicolas Audebert, together with a benevolent growing season, has elevated Canon to a level that few could have predicted.”

Château Rauzan Segla is simply one of the best left-bank wines to buy this year and we were very pleased to pick up a 20 case parcel at £560.00 IB per case.

96-98 Neal Martin “The 2015 Rauzan-Segla is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc cropped at 40 hl/ha between 10 September with the young Merlot vines and finishing with the Cabernet Sauvignon, which was picked between 22 September and 9 October. It is matured in 65% new oak for around 18 months. It has a very intense, almost crystalline bouquet with blackberry, briary, flint and just a touch of violet petal. There is incredible delineation here and the new wood is seamlessly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with extremely fine tannin, perfectly judged acidity, otherworldly purity and a mineralité rarely seen in this Margaux estate. This is a brilliant Rauzan-Ségla, not necessarily more powerful than previous vintages, though enhanced by its precision, frisson and energy, perhaps longer on the finish. Winemaker Nicolas Audebert has conspired with the benevolent growing season to produce a benchmark wine for the estate. Drink 2027-2060”

97-98 James Suckling “This is so sexy with superbly polished tannins that gives the wine super length and definition. Compacted and tight. Full body, tight yet flamboyant at the same time. Loving it.”

Just released and without doubt one of the must-buy wines of the campaign so far: 2015 Chateau Giscours. This is especially exciting given how well the wines of the Margaux appellation performed in 2015. The critics were lining up to heap praise on this particular effort, with Neal Martin giving it the highest potential score in Wine Advocate history and telling readers it is “Time to fall back in love with this great Margaux property.” 

Waud Investment Wines are pleased to have purchased a small parcel of 2015 Château Giscours @ £390.00 IB per case

96-98 POINTS, JAMES SUCKLING
“This sets a new level for Giscours with blackberry, black truffle and blackberry. So much walnut and cedar. Full body, dense and incredibly long and powerful. Clearly the best Giscour since 1970 and 1975.” (Mar 2016)

94-96 POINTS, NEAL MARTIN
“The 2015 Giscours is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. That is in stark comparison to older vintages, for example the 2000 Giscours that was 50/50 Cabernet and Merlot. This vintage is matured in 50% new oak. Winemaker Alexandre Van Beek told me that the 2015 “…reflects the true terroir at Giscours that created the great wines of the 1960s and 1970s.” That is something to live up to with fresh memories of the 1961 in my brain. The bouquet is very intense and almost “untamed” at first, but it calms down in the glass, revealing attractive scents of blackberry, raspberry, cedar and graphite. This is a Giscours determined to make a good impression…and it does. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, very pure, a little spicier than recent vintages, adorned with a gentle crescendo in the mouth towards a really quite fantastic, tensile, complex and compelling finish. Having tasted the 1961 and 1970 Giscours just a few months ago, I wager that the 2015 will be the best since the 1961. Time to fall back in love with this great Margaux property.” (Apr 2016) www.erobertparker.com, Drink: 2025-2060

91-94 POINTS, ANTONIO GALLONI
“The 2015 Giscours is terrific. In fact, this may be one of the very best recent vintages I have tasted here. Ample and quite broad in its first impression, the 2015 possesses magnificent depth from start to finish. Even with all of its intensity, the 2015 retains striking freshness and delineation. Succulent dark cherry, plum, blood orange and sweet spice notes all flesh out in the glass. Creamy, silky tannins add to the wine’s considerable appeal. The purity of the fruit here is striking. The blend is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, with no Cabernet Franc this year. The 2015 is a terrific Giscours.” (Apr 2016)

After the big release of Pontet Canet yesterday, I am sure you have seen the enthusiasm around Château Leoville Barton, which we have taken a position on 30 cases @ £580.00 IB per case. Every UK wine merchant is highly recommending it.

Score: 94/96 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (224), April 2016

The 2015 Leoville Barton is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot picked between 19-22 September and 28 September until 5 October for the Merlot and Cabernet respectively. Matured in 60% new oak, it has a more compelling and intense bouquet than the 2015 Langoa Barton at this early stage, whereas in other years I have found the siblings closer together. It delivers some lovely blackberry, sage and cigar box scents. The palate is very refined with edgy tannin, beautifully balanced with seamlessly integrated oak. It is the classic Léoville-Barton style, full of energy and showing more breeding than the Langoa on the finish. This is just an outstanding, classic, drop-dead gorgeous Léoville Barton that is destined to give immense pleasure over the coming years. Bravo Anthony, Lilian et al. Drink 2025 -2050.

Score: 94/95 James Suckling

A very savory and fruity red with red currant and plum aromas and flavors. Full body, firm backbone of tannins and a fresh finish. A generous and fruity young red. Fruity forward in a reserved way.

Score: 93/96 Antonio Galloni

The 2015 Léoville-Barton is superb. Vivid and wonderfully nuanced in the glass, the 2015 offers exceptional purity in its aromas and flavors. As always, the house style favors finesse over pure power, but in 2015 there is a good bit of both. Graphite, pencil shavings and crème de cassis, herbs and mocha meld into a rich, textured, beautifully persistent finish. The tannins are there, but they are nearly buried. Léoville-Barton is not the most powerful or showy Saint-Julien in 2015, but it is class personified. Don’t miss it. Tasted two times.

The busiest day of the campaign for us so far – as we start with some of the big boys.

BIG NEWS, Château Pontet Canet, which has been on meteoric form since 2005 and firmly stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Châteaux Leoville Las Cases, Cos d’Estournel and Ducru Beaucaillou year-in-year-out and in some vintages competing with the First Growths…

Alfred Tesseron and his team have produced a superb wine in 2015, which we are delighted to have been highly recommended and therefore snapped up 50 cases @ £795.00 IB per case…

The critics’ scores are huge:

95-98 Antonio Galloni  “One of the wines of the vintage” & “A hypothetical combination of the 2010 and the 2009”.
97-98 James Suckling “Very classic Bordeaux. Superb depth and length. Real Bordeaux”
94-96 Neal Martin
96 Decanter
95-97 The Wine Cellar Insider (Jeff Leve)
96-98 Wine Enthusiast  

95-98 Antonio Galloni “One of the wines of the vintage, the 2015 Pontet-Canet oozes class, finesse and pure pedigree. A hypothetical combination of the 2010 (for its dark fruit and tannic structure) and the 2009 (for its voluptuous fruit), the 2015 offers remarkable intensity, power and grace. A host of exotic floral and spice notes wrap around the dark, racy finish. In a word: magnificent! The 2015 is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, aged 50% in new oak, 35% in terra cotta amphora and 15% in one year-old barrels”.

97-98 James Suckling “This is very fine and silky with a beautiful vivid blackberry and blueberry character. Super polished tannins. Refined and very, very long. Fabulous harmony to this young wine. Very classic Bordeaux. Superb depth and length. Real Bordeaux”.

94-96 Neal Martin “The 2015 Pontet Canet was tasted on two occasions around two weeks apart and I noticed a superior showing the second time around. This year is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot that was picked from 18 September apropos the Merlot and from 28 September for the Cabernet, finishing on 3 October. It is matured in 50% new oak, 35% concrete and 15% one-year-old barrels. It has a pure and perfumed bouquet with small dark cherries, red plum and subtle violet scents, perhaps a little Margaux-like in style, the second showing demonstrating a little more red fruit character. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly grainy texture on the entry. There is nicely judged acidity here, moderate depth, very supple tannin that lend this a silky texture. There is modest weight towards the second half, perhaps spicier than some of its Pauillac peers with an edgy, lightly peppered finish. It is an intriguing and complex, almost mercurial Pontet-Canet, a wine that I suspect will gain more weight during its élevage. Afford this 5-8 years in bottle and you should have a delicious, intellectual Pontet-Canet on your hands. Drink 2022-2045”

96 Decanter “Deep, velvety texture on the palate and wild flowers on the nose; unctuous yet firm with pristine clarity. A great wine by any standards – and the standards of Alfred Tesseron for his biodynamic vineyards and amphora-matured wine are magnificently evident”.