No quiet start today – plenty of releases to get your teeth into.
Two superb estates in Pessac-Léognan have released both their reds and whites.
Domaine de Chevalier has long been a BI favourite; one of the picks of the vintage, their Rouge it is now available at £460. This is a truly stunning effort in 2015 with immense ratings across the board – and it’s hardly surprising given the run of quality this estate is currently on, not to mention the sheer perfection of the harvest south of Bordeaux. Very limited quantities of the also superb Domaine de Chevalier Blanc are available at £685.
One of the surprise packages of 2015 was Malartic-Lagravière. The Rouge is available at just £360, underneath the top of our spread, and a small quantity of the Blanc is available at £390. Since being purchased by the Bonnie family in 1997, Malartic has undergone the kind of investment which really drives quality and banished the demons of mediocrity which had dogged the estate prior to the 1990s. They were setting the wheels in motion for a vintage just like 2015 where the benevolent growing conditions could show what this terroir was really made of. The best way to make an unpronounceable wine unforgettable is to make sure what’s in the bottle moves heaven and earth – and in 2015 Malartic-Lagravière have done exactly that.
Also available is the much improved Les Carmes Haut-Brion at £480.
With a stunning wine in 2015 and a collection of huge scores to match, Clinet was always expected to be heavily oversubscribed and this has proven to be the case; as such this wine is sold out.
Other releases include a very fine Margaux in the form of Brane-Cantenac – an excellent wine highly rated, available at £460. D’Issan is slightly cheaper at £420.
Potensac always delivers good quality – don’t forget this is owned and managed by Jean-Hubert Delon of none other than Léoville-Las Cases fame – and at £180 it’s a very well-priced drinking wine.