Tasted blind, the 2015 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru reprised its excellent showing in February, offering up a rich and distinctive bouquet of cherries, peony, dark chocolate, grilled squab and cinnamon. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, rich and dramatic, with a layered mid-palate, juicy acids and considerable underlying substance and concentration. The de Vogüé Bonnes Mares can be quite a stern, firm wine in its youth but this bottle of the 2015 was almost lavish.

Full ruby-red. Intense aromas of blueberry liqueur and chocolate mint; this smells thick and deep in a way that reminded me of the estate's 1990 version at the same stage. Densely packed and very ripe, with a chocolatey quality leavened by strong acidity and complex menthol and herb terroir nuances. Conveys a strong impression of sucrosité without loss of freshness. The big, tongue-coating tannins arrive late, allowing the blueberry and blackberry fruit to mount on the aftertaste.

The 2015 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has a noticeably refulgent, deeper color than its peers (especially compared to the Bonnes-Mares from Domaine de la Vougeraie). It offers high-toned dark cherry and cassis fruit on the nose, along with developing hints of violet and a veneer of new oak that has yet to be subsumed. The palate is sweet and very fruit-driven on the entry, with grippy tannin, but overall, it is missing the charm and sophistication of the four other Bonnes-Mares tasted blind. It is trying too hard to impress. I was more positive when I tasted this from barrel, and at the moment, I prefer the Les Amoureuses. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting.