No rest from Bordeaux today, in addition to the now sold out Rauzan Segla, a pair of highly prestigious St Julien estates have released two terrific wines today: Léoville Poyferré and Gruaud Larose.
Ch Léoville Poyferré £570 IB
With wonderful dark fruit, this 2015 is rich and concentrated with a lovely fresh mineral finish. Ch Leoville Poyferre’s brilliant terroir is reflected in the quality of this wine, it really shows the true characteristics and essence of great St. Julien. This wine always gives immense pleasure and this is certainly true in 2015. Highly recommended.
“simply magnificent. Rich, creamy and voluptuous in the glass, the 2015 captures all the best qualities of the vintage in spades” 93-96 Antonio Galloni
“a sophisticated Saint Julien built for long-term ageing. Expect it to land at the top of my banded score, possibly higher.” 92-94 Neal Martin
Ch Gruaud Larose £485 IB
In our opinion Gruaud Larose is one of the unsung heroes in the fine list of 2nd growth estates from this famous appellation. It is always superbly consistent in quality with its fine Cabernet Sauvignon structure and sensibly price positioned below some of its more recognised neighbours. The 2015 very much continues in this mould and will show real personality from 2025 onwards.
“a dramatic Gruaud… simply stunning” 18.5 Matthew Jukes
“classic, yet modern at the same time. Polished and well defined” 95 Tim Atkin MW
Please let us know if you would like more information or to order either of these wines.
Ch Gruaud Larose 2ème Grand Cru Classé St Julien 2015
£485 per 12 bottles IB
£495 per 6 magnums (150cl) IB
Smoked tea and iodine perfume the nose, which is followed by a satisfying succulence of juicy fruit on the palate. There are complex layers of raspberries, violets and soy sauce in the tapering finish. Very good. Drink 2022-2032. Goedhuis, Score: 91-93
A dramatic Gruaud with aromatic attack and much noise initially which quietens to a long, beautifully gentle finish. The aroma of my empty glass was heavenly with the perfect amount of oak remaining over a vibrant red and black cherry melange. Simply stunning and disconcertingly forward. Matthew Jukes, Score: 18.5
Gone are the bad old days of farmyardy aromas and flavours, to be replaced by something that is classic, yet modern at the same time. Polished and well defined, this carries its 100% new oak with ease, such is the structure and depth of the wine. Drink: 2022-32 Tim Atkin MW, Score: 95
Ch Léoville Poyferré 2ème Grand Cru Classé St Julien 2015
£570 per 12 bottles IB
£580 per 6 magnums (150cl) IB
Radiant purple colour, with delicious aromas of violets and jasmine. This is an exquisitely rewarding wine, full of harmony with its velvety almost voluptuous fruit texture. A total pleasure to taste, and wonderfully long. Drink 2022-2037 Goedhuis, Score: 94-96
It has a typical Léoville-Poyferré bouquet at this stage: quite bullish and forthright, packed full of dense black cherries, red plum and cassis, the 85% new oak pronounced, but will be subsumed with bottle age. The palate is full-bodied with mouth-coating tannin: layers of graphite-infused black fruit, cedar and mint, almost Pauillac-like in personality with a sustained graphite finish. This is a sophisticated Saint Julien built for long-term ageing, perhaps less flamboyant than recent vintages, but the terroir shows through. Expect it to land at the top of my banded score, possibly higher. Neal Martin, Score: 92-94
The 2015 Léoville-Poyferré is simply magnificent. Rich, creamy and voluptuous in the glass, the 2015 captures all the best qualities of the vintage in spades. Layers of flavor blossom in the glass as the wine fill out its broad-shouldered frame with impeccable grace. A host of floral notes, including violet, lavender and rose petal grace the utterly exquisite finish. There is so much to like here. Specifically, the interplay of ripeness, texture and freshness is compelling. Antonio Galloni, Score: 93-96
They champion Merlot here and while they will have to replace the rootstocks on two plots in the future, this is a wine which benefits from a stunning Merlot component. The ripeness is superb with Cabernet at 12.5% and Merlot at 14.5% but the amalgamation of these two with Petit Verdot for spice is delicious. The tannins are fantastic and very evolved and this wine is very true to the classy ‘house style’, which I adore. Matthew Jukes, Score: 18.5+
