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Lettres de Châteaux Marie-Stéphane Malbec [email protected] +33 (0) 5 56 44 63 50 Press Pack V INTAGE 2015

2015 Vintage

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Page 1: 2015 Vintage

Lettres de ChâteauxMarie-Stéphane Malbec

[email protected]+33 (0) 5 56 44 63 50

P r e s s P a c k

Vintage 2015

Page 2: 2015 Vintage

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THE 2015 VINTAGE IN BORDEAUX « Portrait of a vintage »............................................................................ 3 - 4

Château Castera, Cru Bourgeois, Médoc.................................................. 5

Château Talbot, Grand Cru Classé en 1855, Saint-Julien ......................... 6 - 9

Château Paveil de Luze, Cru Bourgeois, Margaux.................................... 10 - 12

Château Belle-Vue, Château de Gironville, Crus Bourgeois, Haut-Médoc et Château Bolaire, Bordeaux Supérieur.................................................. 13 - 14

Château Cantemerle, Grand Cru Classé en 1855, Haut-Médoc............... 15

Château Sénéjac, Cru Bourgeois, Haut-Médoc ....................................... 16 - 17

Château Malleret, Cru Bourgeois, Haut-Médoc ...................................... 18

Château Carbonnieux, Grand Cru Classé, Graves ................................... 19 - 20

Château de Pressac, Grand Cru Classé, Saint-Emilion ............................. 21

Château Fonplégade, Grand Cru Classé, Saint-Emilion ........................... 22 - 23

Château Chauvin, Grand Cru Classé, Saint-Emilion ................................ 24 - 27

Château Grand Corbin, Grand Cru Classé, Saint-Emilion......................... 28

Château Rouget, Pomerol ........................................................................ 29 - 30

THE 2015 VINTAGE IN SAUTERNES AND BARSAC« 2015 : dense, taut, classy... A very great vintage marked by exceptionnal botrytis » ............................................................................ 31 - 32

Château Guiraud, Grand Cru Classé en 1855, Sauternes ......................... 33

THE 2015 VINTAGE IN BERGERACChâteau Monestier-La-Tour, Bergerac....................................................... 34 - 35

THE 2015 VINTAGE IN LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLONVignobles Lorgeril, Languedoc-Roussillon ............................................... 36 - 37

Château de Caraguilhes, Corbières .......................................................... 38 - 39

THE 2015 VINTAGE IN BANDOLDomaine de La Bégude, Bandol .............................................................. 40 - 41

THE 2015 VINTAGE IN BOURGOGNE« The 2015 Bourgogne vintage : simply sublime ! » ................................. 42 - 43

Maison Louis Jadot, Bourgogne ................................................................ 44 - 45

THE 2015 VINTAGE IN CHAMPAGNEChampagne Philipponnat.......................................................................... 46 - 47

THE 2015 VINTAGE IN LEBANONChâteau Marsyas ...................................................................................... 48

Contents

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Portrait of a vintage

The 2015 vintage, throughout the vineyards of the Gironde, has given wines of very good quality, well structured, with good alcohol degrees and fruity aromas. The entire sector is satisfied and everyone suggests that the vintage will be the best in Bordeaux since the excellent 2010. Let’s look at the detail.

First of all the weather. The fine spring favoured a rapid and mostly regular flowering. As from the start of July, some minor heatwaves introduced a hot summer, which was offset by the cool nights. August was typically summery, though sometimes humid, and preceded a very fine month of September. Sometimes heavy rain hit some terroirs around mid-September, then the fine weather returned up until October. The harvest took place under excellent conditions, even if it was very spread out and among the longest-lasting of the past twenty years.

And then the wines. With satisfactory yields almost everywhere, the cellars in Bordeaux are filled with volumes in line with the usual average. So it is a vintage of good quantity and it is also a vintage of very good quality. This is true for all the colours. The dry whites are concentrated, aromatic, lively, and the dessert wines show a good balance between smoothness and liveliness. Both are excellent.

Red wines saw equal success for the Merlot and the Cabernet. For the latter, the Médoc has produced consistent and complex wines thanks to the excellent ripeness of the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Petit Verdot.

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux

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These two rather late-ripening varieties benefited from the good end to the season, which played a decisive role here. On the right bank, the Merlot and Cabernet France show great potential, with very ripe tannins. The only risk is too much alcohol in certain tanks. But we have to get used to that... Otherwise, the cellars contain a rich vintage, quite classic, not always easy to vinify, but of a quality that we would like to see every year.

It is notable that vintages ending in 5 have a great tradition in Bordeaux : from 1945, if we leave out 1965, all the others have given magnificent wines, and the most recent, the 2015, is no exception to the rule.

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux

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The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Castera

Château CasteraCru Bourgeois, Haut MédocJean-Pierre Darmuzey - Sales Director

The mild weather in the spring allowed for flowering under ideal conditions. The summer with its intense heat resulted in almost perfect ripeness. The rain at the start of September filled out the berries and provided the volume that had been lacking in the grapes.

So everything seemed to have come together to allow us to be “relaxed” during the harvest.

However it wasn’t as simple as that: even if there was no particular pressure, the tactical choices turned out to be very important, in particular concerning the order of picking the plots, which proved to be decisive.The first tastings indicate a promising vintage : the Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot are surprising, an advantage in this vintage which is turning out to be a vintage of character.

November 2015

http://www.chateau-castera.com

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Some impressions of the 2015 vintage

A vintage for long ageing and precise in its definition of the grand vin, a reflection of its terroir.

Rainfall in 2015 January : 87 mmFebruary : 90 mm

March : 42 mmApril : 19 mmMay : 67 mm

June : 26.5 mm July : 10 mm

August : 65 mm September : 97.5 mm

October : 59 mmNovember : 51 mm December : 5 mm

Or 616 mm over 12 months

End of August : wind, stormy rain : 34 mm

Harvest : Caillou BlancTuesday 8 SeptemberWednesday 9 SeptemberThursday 10 September

September rain :Saturday 12 : 38 mm in the night, stormSunday 13 : 20 mm in the nightMonday 14 : 8 mm

Château talbot Grand Cru Classé en 1855, Saint JulienChristian Hostein - Technical Director

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Talbot

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Tuesday 15 : 7 mm Wednesday 16 : 5 mmFriday 18 : 6 mmSaturday 19 : 8 mm 78 mm / 7 days of rain

Red harvest:Monday 21 September : Small team : young MerlotTuesday 22 September : Small team Wednesday 23 September : Small team : Lalande MerlotThursday 24 September : Large team : fine Merlot from the plateauFriday 25 September : Large teamMonday 28 September : Large teamTuesday 29 September : Large team — end of the Merlot

Wednesday 30 SeptemberThursday 1 October : Cabernet Sauvignon from the Talbot and Lalande beltFriday 2 OctoberSaturday 3 October

Monday 5 OctoberTuesday 6 October : We picked the Talbot plateau, the heart of the first wine Wednesday 7 October : We finished at mid-dayThursday 8 October

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Talbot

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The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Talbot

Silhouettes cut across the deep purple sunset, the sky is starry, the night is quiet and rather mild as the end of the year approaches.Ages of work has come to an end and our architects are here to perfect the lighting, the stage design and all our working installations, as well as the entirely renewed surrounding areas, so that we can open for visits and to the world.In the great cathedral cellar, the part of this enchanted 2015 vintage indisputably destined for the grand vin is already in noble French oak barrels.We have crafted this vintage, which was born of nature, by combining sufficient water reserves (we recall the cumulative rainfall of the past 2 years, each g i v i n g m o r e t h a n 1 0 0 0 m m ) with a summer that was prematurely dry and resulted in a marked halt to growth. July was finally triumphant, with its power and its direct sunlight, and gave us resistant grapes, with sufficiently compact bunches after the almost simultaneous flowering around 2 June. The skins, already thick, coped with the moderate rainfall in August and above all in September. The rainy spell in mid-September did not result in dilution or splitting, but just contributed to swelling the bunches with good juice. The grapes thus accumulated richness in sugar and phenolic compounds, comparable to 2010.Maybe the variable was in the acidity, which fluctuated from one plot to another and resulted in different tannin profiles. The more filtering soils of Lalande have given more slender wines, quite lively and vigorous ; on the plateau, we picked remarkable old Merlot with powerful tannin and rich in taste ; the Cabernet Sauvignon is sappy and has a “gamey” flavour that this grape variety develops when it ripens on our gravel soils. The Petit Verdot, of a venerable age, gave a record crop. Everything is there : the degree (> 15%), the acidity, the power of the tannins and the “wild” taste of this traditional Médoc grape variety.The new oak fermentation vats were baptised with great ceremony with these classic grapes.

Tuesday 1 December 2015, 9p.m. at Talbot

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The malolactic started without problem and the filling of the barrels is therefore complete for the grand vin. Now patience must take the place of the work of man, and in a few weeks we can start to taste how this great year will turn out. The first trial blends are scheduled for January 2016 and we will attempt to get closer to the mysterious synergy that takes place between these grape varieties when they come together to support one another. The richness of the press fractions is notable this year, real concentrates of great wine that will reinforce the long ageing potential of the 2015s.The Caillou Blanc already seems to be developing towards a very high level of quality, with a clear balance between alcohol and acidity highlighting the exotic fragrances : mango, passion fruit, lychee.

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Talbot

http://chateau-talbot.com

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“Another vintage that has thrilled us”

2015, a year ending in “5” which has the weight on its shoulders of some great past successes: 2005, 1995, 1985, 1975, 1955, 1945... A true law of series. Wine has its share of superstition, we don’t hide it, and we were secretly expecting a great year; we were not disappointed!

A mainly hot summer, sufficient rainfall, and a great end to the season ; no need to perform Indian dances and invoke the sky gods ; we were spoilt in 2015 by ideal weather conditions.

A fabulous bit of help from nature

A little help from nature allowed us, at Château Paveil de Luze, to cope with the stressful harvest period in a calm and positive manner, and to obtain good volumes of grapes of a remarkable quality.

At the beginning of September, a little rain helped to swell the bunches! We therefore saw an increased volume of Merlot, ideally situated on a deep gravel terroir.

On 22 September, Stéphane Derenoncourt and Simon Blanchard came to assess the ripeness of the grapes. After discussion, we decided to start to pick certain parcels, little by little, day by day, so as to be able to react as quickly as possible. An almost “made-to-measure” harvest, so as to be able to pick the fruit at its peak.

There was thick fog in the mornings, the last traces of the cool nights that demanded patience from our teams. We progressed slowly with the La Coste parcel, protected by organic treatment, then we sped up to take advantage of the perfect ripeness of the Merlot in plots 75 and 78. All the Merlot was picked under the magnificent sun of the weekend of 28 September.

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Paveil de Luze

Château Paveil de luze Cru Bourgeois, MargauxFrédéric de Luze - Owner

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Concentration with quantity

With the heat in the day, the Cabernet Sauvignon became concentrated while still keeping a good volume. A light cool east/north-east wind in the morning led us to wait a little longer before picking these particularly large bunches.There remained 8 days of harvest, of which one was entirely manual on a parcel which had been grafted from Cabernet Franc to Cabernet Sauvignon. The countdown started! All the family, with cousins, nephews, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters came to swell the ranks of the pickers and lend a helping hand to our team. This occasion brought together all the family, for the vintage and to make a film about the property.

The final sprint

Monday 5 October : start of the Cabernet Sauvignon. Development was very quick, there was not a moment to lose. Stéphane Fort, not without stress, managed this home straight with calm and prudence and rallied the final efforts from a team that had been ready to go into battle for more than a month. We ended up by receiving a very good crop in our cellars with natural alcohol degrees of around 13-13.5%.Once calm descended on our cellars, the final sprint of the harvest being over, the vinification could begin. The naturally high density levels led to very soft extraction.The first tastings show very rich varietal wines with dense expression. The very deep colours, and the powerful and subtle aromas, will surprise you during the forthcoming tastings.

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Paveil de Luze

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The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Paveil de Luze

The quality of a great wine leads us to the glass.

2015 should keep its promise and fulfil our hopes. The shortest route to a great vintage is not always a straight line, but once in the glass our Château Paveil de Luze 2015 will without doubt be precise, fine, straight, long and intense.Whatever the route, only the destination is important.

Harvest dates

Merlot : from 23 to 28 September.Cabernet sauvignon : from 5 to 14 October.

http://www.chateaupaveildeluze.com

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Vineyard cycle in 2015

Despite a start to the season interrupted by showers, followed by a hot and sunny period at the time of flowering, the growth cycle followed a classic path, with the flowering and véraison neither particularly early or late.

The strong and difficult points

The pressure from disease at the start of the season, and the management of botrytis and ripeness in parallel with the strong rains in September, did not give much room for manoeuvre in deciding the date for the start of harvest.

The dates and progress of the harvest

The harvest started on 17 September for the Merlot and lasted until 26/09, then a 6-day break during which strong rains lashed down on the vineyard. We started again on 2/10 with the Cabernet Sauvignon followed by the Petit Verdot, not stopping until 9/10.

The characteristics of the year

A two-speed year: a start to the season without respite until flowering, a calm summer and harvest at full speed and in the rain.

Château Belle-vue & Château de gironville Crus Bourgeois, Haut Médoc

Château BolaireBordeaux Supérieur Jérôme Pineau - Manager

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Belle-Vue, Gironville et Bolaire

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The special character of 2015

Despite the rain, the vintage is characterised by good concentration of aromas and tannins.

With which other vintage would you compare the 2015?

The 2015 vintage can be compared to the 2010, as much for the power of its tannins as for its aromatic concentration.

“ A vintage saved from the floods. Above all, the vintage was made in the vineyard, with the management of disease, the rain and the weeds, the vintage seemed promising once flowering was complete under a fine summer’s sun. A magnificent summer followed until just before the harvest when the strong rain showers fell. Luckily the most difficult part had been done, and ripeness had been achieved. The grapes, once in tank, showed all the aromatic palette worthy of a 2010 vintage.”

February 2016

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Belle-Vue, Gironville et Bolaire

http://www.chateau-belle-vue.com/fr

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The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Cantemerle

Château Cantemerle Grand Cru Classé en 1855, Haut MédocPhilippe Dambrine - Director

A new arrival in the “Club of 5”

No one can have missed noticing that the weather conditions for the 2015 vintage were the best for the past five years. The records prove it and, at the same time, put the efforts of the winegrowers a bit into the background.So 2015 was not a winegrowers’ year but rather a great vintage given by Mother Nature !

Neither was it a “ Burgundian ” vintage, as we have heard in the recent past to describe one of its deserving predecessors. It was a totally Bordeaux vintage, and will be no doubt for many years !At Cantemerle, we lived the vintage with the passion that drives us, but also with some anxiety that gripped us, especially when the sun was intensely hot and threatened to burn the still-green fruit in July, and also when the skies darkened as the harvest approached, with several showers, but finally we were saved.

This was how this superb vintage has made its mark: in our cellars where it is quietly maturing and in our minds, to tell the story when the time is right. This adds ten years to these special vintages ending in “ 5 ” : 1975, 1985, 1995, 2005 and now 2015 ! Enough to stimulate discussion on each finger of this fine hand !

March 2016

http://www.cantemerle.com

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2015 was a sunny vintage and therefore a little less stressful than the last few, throughout the growing period. Weed growth was minimal and fungal diseases remained harmless as a result of the low rainfall. The latter affected some of the young vines during summer, and we will be sure not to overload them during the winter pruning.

But in the end, we find ourselves with a 2015 vintage of very high quality and with a volume that corresponds to our expectations. It will be a vintage with good ageing potential, certainly one of the best at Sénéjac since 2005.The end-of-year celebrations are over, the new wine is in barrel, and the vineyard workers are pruning the vines, and waxing them at the same time...

The start of the year has been rainy, and the soil needs it...

Hoping that 2016 will turn out as well as the 2015.

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Sénéjac

Château SénéjaC Cru Bourgeois, Haut MédocDamien Hostein - Technical Director

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2015 harvest

From 21 to 25 September : we picked the Merlot.29 September : we picked the Cabernet Franc.From 30 September to 8 October : we calmly harvested the Cabernet Sauvignon.On 3 October : we picked the Petit Verdot, of very high quality this year.

Some figures (rainfall)

January : 62 mmFebruary : 70 mm

March : 42 mmApril : 18.5 mmMay : 32 mmJune : 39 mmJuly : 19.5 mmAugust : 89 mm

September : 47 mmOctober : 41 mm

November : 61 mmDecember : 13.5 mm

January 2016

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Sénéjac

http://www.chateau-senejac.com

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2015 : a great vintage at Malleret

Ideal climatic conditions : flowering was marvellous, July and August were hot and dry, and the few showers at the end of August were welcome to alleviate some of the water stress. The vines were perfectly healthy, with leaf removal on both sides and disbudding. Green harvest when required. Since 2014, with the arrival of Stéphane Derenoncourt, picking has been by hand.

The 2015 harvest started on 17 September, early, as for the great vintages: magnificent Merlot, good sugar levels, intense colours and moderate yields. A rainy spell on the weekend of 3-4 October, just what was needed to help the ripening of the Cabernet Sauvignon. Each plot was harvested at optimum ripeness, with the last bunches picked on 9 October. So the harvest was spread over 3 weeks.

At the end of November, on tasting, we have very good tanks, the quality gap is narrowed and for the first time we can appreciate the different expressions of our terroirs, which I would say are equal.

In 2015 Paul Bordes did his 40th vintage, and he had never seen that before. All the Gods contrived to help us create a divine beverage : Château de Malleret 2015 !

December 2015

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Malleret

Château de Malleret Cru Bourgeois, Haut MédocAymar du Vivier - Communications Consultant

http://www.chateau-malleret.fr

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2015, The magic of “ 5 ” ?

The growth cycle of the vines has progressed magnificently thanks to almost perfect weather at the right time. The generally sunny spring resulted in a very even flowering around 2 June. This was followed by a warm and dry July, ideal for the early summer tasks (though tiring for the vineyard workers). Just as the plants could have started to show signs of stress, a good quantity of rain at the beginning of August replenished the vines and resulted in véraison between 7 and 10 August.

Beginning of the harvest on 27 August for the Sauvignon Blanc, made more exciting by the surprise visit of Economy Minister Mr Emmanuel Macron, followed immediately after by the Sémillon. Continuation with the red varieties from 17 September for the Merlot interrupted by some breaks to wait for the best possible maturity of each plot.

In the words of Eric Perrin: “ 2015 puts smiles on our faces, it is the dream vintage in terms of quality and weather, white and red batches, in barrels today, confirm the promise we had already predicted during the harvest. However, the heat of July prevented the growth of certain berries and the yields are lower than expected. The tastings of the blends we have just finished suggest a beautiful vintage worthy of the best years finishing in 5 : 2005, 95, 85, 75... As for the structure of the reds, they are also reminiscent of the 2010s ”.

Château CarbonnieuxCru Classé de GravesEric et Philibert Perrin - Owners

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Carbonnieux

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In Philibert Perrin’s words : “ Since the death of our father Antony, we are tripling our efforts with my brother and my sister to bring a new impetus to Carbonnieux. We are very proud because 2015 has been the result of this work in all areas. In addition to this very promising vintage, we received two great rewards: we have been accepted in the first ISO 14001 certified Bordeaux EMS (Environmental Management System) association. This integration officially confirms our will to practise the most accurate and sustainable possible agriculture while ensuring the safety of our employees and confirming the identity of our wines. And on a completely different level, we have also been winners of the Best of Wine Tourism and even won gold in the ‘architecture and landscape’ category. It is a bit like an Oscar for wine and it is also a way to tell our visitors how much we enjoy welcoming them at Carbonnieux.”

Technical news in 2015 :• During the winter, training of the pruners and setting up a new pruning system (GUYOT POUSSART) for the cabernet sauvignon and sauvignon blanc varieties to make the vines more durable, reduce mortality (from esca disease) and improve production quality.• Installation of a weather station in the château vineyards so as to refine analyses and forecasts and put in place even more integrated and personalised agriculture for each parcel. • A third new press using inert gas for the processing of the white grapes.

December 2015

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Carbonnieux

http://www.carbonnieux.com

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The 2015 vintage was marked by very favourable conditions, in particular a quick and even flowering, a dry month of July, and a hot month of August with satisfactory rainfall.Apart from some major black rot and mildew in spring, which required great vigilance, the weather conditions were excellent.

At the end of summer, the grapes seemed to be ripe. The skins however were still thick and hard. Everyone made the same observation, but did not necessarily draw the same conclusions. Each had their own point of view : - Some maintained that this was due to the weather conditions in July, that the skins would not develop further, that there would be no point in waiting longer to harvest, and this would just result in flabby, jammy musts. There was a risk of losing the fruit. - Others thought, on the other hand, that picking these thick-skinned grapes too early would give hard, tannic wines, lacking in charm.

This was the dilemma. The discussions went on forever, but no side could convince the other.

At Château de Pressac we waited, but not too long, and finally dragged out the harvest a little.

The limestone soils gave us wines which have good acidity and quite low pH, so good freshness and balance, without any hardness.In the end, everyone was right but the answer was in the soil!

2015 at Pressac has turned out to be a great vintage !

January 2016

Château de PressaCGrand Cru Classé, Saint-EmilionJean-François Quenin - Owner

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Pressac

http://chateaudepressac.com/fr/

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Vineyard cycle in 2015

Spring, summer and autumn were very dry.Flowering is the vital stage, and it took place under exceptional conditions (hot and sunny weather).Fruit set followed under the same very fine conditions.Véraison was very even thanks to the rain at the beginning of August.The fine weather in August, September and October allowed for harvesting of each plot when ripe and under optimum conditions.

The strong and difficult points

The strong points : optimum weather conditions for flowering, ripening and harvesting. The very even character of the harvest.The difficult points : pressure from black rot at the start of the season, but finally it was very well controlled.

The dates and progress of the harvest

From 18 September (for young vines in the first year of production) to 6 October (for the Cabernet Franc).These were optimum conditions for the harvest, as were had the privilege of being able to harvest on the days we wanted.

The characteristics of the year

A sunny, dry and calm year.

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Fonplégade

Château FonplégadeGrand Cru Classé, Saint-EmilionEloi Jacob - Director

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The special character of 2015

Optimum ripeness, very good balance in the wine because there is both power from the tannins and also finesse and elegance with very good freshness on the finish from the clay and clay-limestone soils

With which other vintage would you compare the 2015 ?

2010 for the power, finesse and balance.

It is the sort of vintage we would like to see every year, as there was complete calm throughout the season.As the weather conditions were so fine, we were able to take our time to go deeper into plot selection for the harvest.

February 2016

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Fonplégade

http://www.fonplegade.com

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Château Chauvin 2015 – the promise of a great wine

Sylvie Cazes and her children took over the fine property of Château Chauvin at the beginning of May 2014. 2015 is the second vintage under their management.Since taking over the vineyard, Philippe Moureau and his team have performed soil studies and changed growing methods, including working the soil under the rows and controlled grassing, which allow each bunch of grapes to give of its best while still preserving the environment. Special and meticulous care has been given to each plant, as a function of its growth. Vinification has also been improved, both at the technical level and regarding equipment. A new state-of-the-art destemmer allows for optimal separation of the berries and the stems, and a cold room is used to better control the temperature of the grapes before fermentation.With precision and rigour, with respect for the terroir of Saint-Emilion and the conditions specific to each vintage, Sylvie Cazes and her team are now creating elegant, balanced, feminine and classy wines with the potential for ageing.This 2015 vintage bears witness to the exceptional work by the team at Château Chauvin. The optimal climatic conditions allowed for a calm approach to the harvest, with each parcel brought to ripeness. The result in this context is a great vintage, with good ageing potential.

Ideal climatic conditions

Bordeaux winegrowers will remember the weather in 2015 as being historically hot and dry from May to July, bringing ideal conditions for the development of the berries but also certain challenges. After a cold and dry winter, the mild weather in spring allowed for early and regular bud burst at the beginning of April, and then a rapid and even flowering at the end of May under hot and dry conditions. The water stress caused by this weather slowed down vegetative growth at the end of July, then some welcome rainfall allowed for a rapid véraison

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Chauvin

Château ChauvinGrand Cru Classé, Saint-EmilionSylvie Cazes - Owner

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at the beginning of August. September and October were warm and dry, with rainfall well below average (616 mm compared with the average 932 mm) but sufficient. The sunny days and cool nights allowed for optimum conditions up to the full ripening of the berries, and with a high phenolic potential and therefore promising levels of anthocyanins and tannins.The vineyard was managed with great prudence, in particular with controlled leaf removal and thinning adapted to each vine so as to optimise the microclimate of the bunches, taking account of the summer heat and the great water stress which needed to be managed to avoid excess. The height of the canopy was significantly increased so as to better absorb the water from the soil and to allow optimum ripening of the grapes.These unique weather conditions allowed for an even growth cycle and a calm approach to the harvest, though always with careful attention being paid.

A calm harvest

The harvest took place under exceptional conditions. Picking at Château Chauvin is by hand, with small-capacity holed crates, to save the crop from crushing, optimise sorting in the vineyard, accurately weigh the quantity from each parcel and equally to drain the grapes. Comprehensive plot selection was put in place to refine the quality of the macerations. Each plot was harvested at optimum ripeness, to reveal the best expression of the terroir and the specific characters of each grape variety.At Chauvin the Merlot was exceptionally rich in phenolic compounds (tannins and anthocyanins), and in a perfect state of health. This foretold the richness of the grapes, which were picked from 28 September to 2 October.The Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon were picked at the peak of maturity, from 5 to 8 October. The perfect state of health allowed ripening of the berries to go all the way; they were small in size, with greater concentration and therefore better aromatic potential.The grapes this year had very good balance between sugar and acidity, with alcohol levels of the order of 13.5% to 14% as well as exceptional phenolic ripeness.

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Chauvin

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Vinification and ageing

The bunches were sorted in the vineyard, and double sorting was performed at grape reception (before and after destemming) so as to keep only the perfect berries. Because of the summery temperatures during harvest, a cold room was used to reduce the temperature of the grapes and allow for cold soaking before gently starting the fermentation. The resulting berries were put in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks, according to the plot selection. This procedure allowed for individual management of the production of each plot, which had seen different conditions of development and therefore required individual vinification.The must was left in contact with the skins, for a pre-fermentation cold soaking in tank for 2 to 5 days at around 8°C, before the start of the alcoholic fermentations. The extraction of anthocyanins and tannins was therefore softer and slower, resulting in wines that are more elegant while still being concentrated. The good ripeness allowed us to make fruity wines without any green character, with notes of fresh and ripe fruit. The vinifications took place under very good conditions. The grapes were left in tank sufficiently long to attain the best balance for each tank (around 25 days).The highest-quality lots were put in barrel early, to carry out the malolactic fermentation and give good balance, bringing suppleness and roundness to the wine. As from December, ageing proceeded on the lees, so that the wine has preserved all its fruit. The wine from this 2015 vintage is being aged in 60% new barrels, allowing for balance between the oak influence and respect for the fruit.In January 2016, Jérémie Gravier, a young agricultural engineer, took over the technical management of the property, following on from Philippe Moureau. Now he is taking the greatest care over the ageing of this magnificent vintage.

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Chauvin

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2015 : tasting

2015 allowed us to obtain a wine with very good maturity and great concentration. The Merlot is fleshy, powerful and indulgent. The Cabernet Franc expresses itself marvellously, a sign of the property’s great terroir, with lots of elegance, fruit and depth. The Cabernet Sauvignon has played its cards right, to give its spicy notes and subtlety to the blend for the First Wine.

2015 : visual identity

2015 will be the second vintage to feature the new visual identity of Château Chauvin, expressing the commitment and values dear to Sylvie Cazes, her children and their team. Working from a 1929 label found in the cellars of the property, a new label has been created. The meaning of the word “ chauvin ” led to the creation of an emblem expressing love and pride for the land : Cupid, the symbol of love, is represented with a lion, present on the coat of arms of Saint-Emilion. As from the 2014 vintage, this emblem features on the label of Château Chauvin, to represent the attachment of the château to the land of Saint-Emilion.

February 2016

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Chauvin

http://www.chateauchauvin.com

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2015 vintage : warm and welcome

With an even and complete bud burst, the 2015 vintage started well at Château Grand-Corbin. Despite that, the perpetual battle against mildew began early and required the utmost vigilance from when the first shoots appeared.

The particularly fine spring, with high temperatures, was beneficial for the vine and favoured a good flowering while considerably limiting the intensity of the mildew. This long hot and dry period favoured the build-up of tannins in the skins and the breakdown of the green aromas. Some young vines planted on well-filtered parcels suffered the effect of this strong, early heat. It was only as from August that the temperatures became cooler than normal, during the grape ripening phase. This low temperature variation allowed all the freshness of the aromas to be preserved.

The harvest took place under excellent climatic conditions, allowing the picking date to be adapted to each parcel... A tailor-made harvest !Finally in tank, the vintage is showing all its complexity and expresses generous notes of ripe fruits.

Since November, barrel ageing is slowly but surely providing support to the structure of this vintage, which remains without any doubt a great success at Château Grand-Corbin.

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Grand Corbin

Château Grand Corbin Grand Cru Classé, Saint-EmilionAntoine Couthures - Stage Manager

http://grand-corbin.com

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Château Rouget 2015 : And if this vintage has reached a form of perfection?

Behind this eye-catching title, there is a reality that has brought us out of our traditional reserve at Rouget.After the abundant winter rains, which allowed the soil to store sufficient water for the entire growth cycle, we had one of the driest and hottest springs in recent decades. The vine was therefore able to grow without incident, flowering went smoothly, and there was little or even no disease. In the memory of Pomerol, it is very long since the stars have been so well aligned.There was concern from the end of July up to mid-August, because the heat and the absence of rain subjected our vineyard to important water stress.Luckily we took a gamble at Rouget, by limiting the leaf removal in a hot year so as to protect the grapes from the sun’s intense rays.Blessed from the start, this vintage saw fine and effective rain rehydrate our vineyard as from mid-August up to mid-September. Growth got going again, the natural sugar in our Merlot rose smoothly up to 14 degrees while preserving perfect balance between acidity and ripeness. We saw that our pH levels were better balanced than in 2009, and even than in 2010 ! As from 18 September, we picked our first grapes, with thick skins, flavourful juice but without excess, and colours that were just asking to come out.Because we have a treasure in our hands, we wanted to be even more precise than usual in our harvesting. Now at Rouget we do not talk about harvesting by plot but rather within plots, and even within rows. This has been made possible by our new policy of complete vinification in barrel.

Château RougetPomerolEdouard Labruyère - Owner

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Rouget

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We place our grapes (sometimes with a few stems, because we are caught up with our Burgundian origins) directly in the barrels selected for their oak and their light toast. The marriage between the oak and the wine is therefore more harmonious and allows for extraction that is more respectful of the tannins.

Ageing has started in our cellars and will continue for at least 18 months, so as to highlight the freshness, the delicate tannic structure and the aromatic complexity of a vintage that we, at Rouget, don’t hesitate to classify as exceptional.

February 2016

The 2015 Vintage in Bordeaux - Rouget

http://www.chateau-rouget.com

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The 2015 Vintage in Sauternes and Barsac

2015 : dense, taut, classy...A very great vintage marked by exceptional botrytis

On Wednesday 9 March, most of the owners and technical managers of the CCSB met at Château Climens for a first internal tasting of the 2015 vintage.As is often the case, the atmosphere was contemplative and studious. It is always a serious business to discover, together, the personality of the vintage that for 12 months has carried everyone’s hopes, doubts, stress and passion...So here more than elsewhere, when the wine producers can finally relax because they are especially proud of their wines, their neighbours and their appellation, we are happy for them.It is certainly the case this year.

The 2015 is undoubtedly to be ranked among the great vintages.The quality is very regular, something that should be emphasised in such a demanding appellation, even if it has increasingly been the case over the past decade. The wines are dense but taut, particularly classy, marked by clean and pure botrytis which brings very good aromatic definition, and sweetness of great elegance supported by a delicate liveliness.

The harvest took place between the first week of September and the last week of October.

On average, four passes through the vineyard were needed, the noble rot developing easily and regularly, allowing for a smooth harvest and a crop with young and fresh botrytis, which is without doubt one of the keys to the success of this vintage.

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The 2015 Vintage in Sauternes and Barsac

Despite some heatwaves at the beginning of summer, freshness was retained and the wines have remarkable balance. A hallmark of great years, all producers have expressed their terroir in a very natural way ; the wines are easily identifiable, each one marked by its own style.The average yield is 17hl/ha, which is largely adequate for Sauternes, and good news because it will allow for greater selection and more possibilities.

On tasting, the wines show notes of candied fruit and roasted apricot, a sign of the strong influence of botrytis, completed with citrus and floral aromas bringing great elegance, a bit like in 2005.This vintage shows all the signs of wines with great ageing potential: fullness, purity, length and class.It should delight serious lovers of Sauternes and Barsac, and be added to the 2001, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011 vintages in the cellars of these demanding collectors.

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2015, the magic year

After three years of relatively cold temperatures, the heat finally arrived in 2015 ! From springtime onwards, we had a beautiful run of weather, with higher than average temperatures allowing the vines to blossom week early, at the end of May.

Temperatures in June and July peaked at over 40°C, meaning that grapes could ripen early. Slightly cooler weather and sporadic rain provided the perfect conditions for « liquid gold ». Our organic methods allowed us to begin harvesting botrytis-affected grapes from the 7th September ! Wind, humidity provided by the Ciron, and afternoon heat… A perfect cocktail of conditions allowing for optimal, even concentration. At the beginning of October, just as the first rains began to fall, the last of the grapes were harvested… Everything went perfectly smoothly. This vintage is one for the history books.

February 2016

The 2015 Vintage in Sauternes - Guiraud

Château GuiraudGrand Cru Classé en 1855, SauternesXavier Planty - Director

http://www.chateauguiraud.fr

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2015 left a lasting mark on the recent history of Château Monestier-la-Tour ; it was as if many factors came together at the same time, resulting in a major change.

The most important element was certainly the application of biodynamic viticulture to the entire estate, and for the first time to the whole growing season. This new direction was deliberate on the part of the owners. But it was a renewed team that was responsible for applying this new approach in the field. In such human adventures there is always a moment of doubt when the stakes are so high. Motivation won through, because it was a question of bringing out the potential of the vineyard while respecting the environment and the rhythm of nature.

On a day-to-day basis, each terroir needed to be discovered through long and meticulous work of observation and understanding. Only a sensitive link with the land allows such knowledge to be acquired. Each plant must be cared for so that it can give a balanced expression of the very essence of the terroir in which it is planted. This work on the land also allowed for changes in the proportions of each grape variety, for a better expression of the different terroirs. This long-term desire for perfection, the real hallmark of the owners, will speak with all its strength and relevance in the future. But already this year it allowed for a real and positive impact on the wines.

The estate team quickly adopted the biodynamic preparations and herbal infusions. The vines remained fine and strong throughout the season, to everyone’s pride.

The 2015 Vintage in Bergerac - Monestier la Tour

Château Monestier la tour BergeracCorinne Comme - Technical Director

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The arrival of the first flowers on 21 May saw the beginning of a hot and dry period of two consecutive months. This is rare in our region, and also the first step in the production of a great vintage. The only doubt came on 11 June, when we had a worrying storm, but luckily it was of no consequence.The clay-limestone soils played their role perfectly in gently and continuously providing water for the vines.

After such a fine summer, early ripening allowed harvest of the white grapes as from 8 September.Then on 21 September it was the turn of the Merlot. The other red grape varieties followed, benefiting from the lasting fine sunny weather in this fortunate region.

Our fine harvest was delivered to a brand new tank room, built with absolute respect for local architectural traditions. It is fitted with winemaking tanks that are sized to allow for the full expression of this magnificent terroir.

A new barrel cellar furthers the attention given to the wine by offering optimum ageing conditions. So the wines of Monestier-la-Tour now benefit from a setting worthy of their quality.

Balance is the watchword of this project, as it seems dedicated to the well-being of the wine and its integration into the landscape. In this last perspective, and from a wider point of view, the year also saw the introduction of numerous plants destined to improve biodiversity on the estate.

It only remains now to appreciate the wines of this year, which bring with them the wishes of a family and the daily work of a motivated team.

Today, while the work in the cellar continues, the vine has already started on a new cycle.

November 2015

The 2015 Vintage in Bergerac - Monestier la Tour

http://www.chateaumonestierlatour.com

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An end to a harvest with record early ripening, and for which the quality promises to be exceptional !

Nicolas de Lorgeril, who with the teams of the various Lorgeril family properties (Château de Pennautier in Cabardès, Château de Ciffre in Faugères and Saint-Chinian, Domaine de la Borie Blanche in Minervois and Livinière, Mas des Montagnes in Côtes du Roussillon Villages), celebrated his 29th harvest, tells of a vintage remarkable for its evenness and its early ripening.

The conditions were perfectly adapted to very even ripening, the result of an early and regular flowering ; the temperatures in July maintained the 10-day lead that marked the entire season and the latest-ripening Mediterranean varieties benefited from the rains in August.

• The harvest was quick : 28 days without interruption between 7 September and 2 October 2015, a record since it usually lasts for 5 weeks. • Healthy grapes and a remarkable quality of mechanical and manual sorting allowed for vatting of a real “caviar” of perfectly ripe berries (skins, pulp, tannin and pips) without any damage. • Temperatures remained cool (5 to 10°C at night) on the family estates which are all located at altitude, in the search for a balance between coolness and the sun’s heat. This slowed down the ripening to give remarkably elegant tannins and aromas. • The quantity is somewhat below average, due to the drought in July.

The 2015 Vintage in Languedoc-Roussillon - Lorgeril

vignobles LorgeriilLanguedoc-RoussillonMiren de Lorgeril - Owner

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2015 is a balanced vintage benefiting from the Atlantic grape varieties (Cabernet, Merlot) and the Chardonnay in their aromatic expression and their structure, and allowing the Mediterranean varieties (Grenache, Syrah) to ripen perfectly and express spicy and peppery aromas that are very promising.

February 2016

The 2015 Vintage in Languedoc-Roussillon - Lorgeril

http://www.lorgeril.com

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Here you are immersed in the Mediterranean, with this enchanting nose of black olives, ripe raspberries, pepper and the garrique. It is a treat on the palate, with generous fruitiness, supple tannins and a long liquorice finish. A fine Corbières wine... The 2015 vintage keeps up the Mediterranean personality of our wines, with Carignan, Grenache and Mourvèdre expressing themselves with all their class. The Syrah, picked before in this rather early vintage, brings a nice touch of charm to the blends. Otherwise, the whites are starting to give real personality to our site at Caraguilhes, as the vintage seems to have had little influence over the past 4 years.

2015 was therefore a vintage characterised by a hot and dry summer, but the vines never suffered under these conditions. The winter and spring, with plenty of rain, allowed for the build up of good quantities of water in the soils, which allowed the vineyard to easily survive the lack of water linked to the intense heat between early June and early August. This good performance by the vines, associated with rather higher temperatures, encouraged earlier picking dates, and at the very least a greater concentration in the harvest. While the harvest usually takes almost a month, this year we picked the large majority of the grapes over a fortnight : it required vigilance, and we needed to be prepared to take in the grapes without them becoming over-ripe. We have learnt from previous vintages that there is nothing to be gained from waiting too long. We prefer to keep maximum freshness in our wines and avoid unnecessary over-ripeness...

The 2015 Vintage in Languedoc-Roussillon - Caraguilhes

Château de CaraguilhesCorbièresEtienne Besancenot - Technical Director

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By 1 October everything was in the cellar, including the Mourvèdre, with ripeness that had never been seen before.

The soft “ northerly ” character of the 2014s was appealing and we are equally charmed by the Mediterranean ardour, without heaviness, of the 2015s.

February 2015

The 2015 Vintage in Languedoc-Roussillon - Caraguilhes

http://www.caraguilhes.fr

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This 2015 vintage proved to be “ providential ”. It all started well and we feared that the end of the season might let us down again, like in 2014, but it didn’t happen.

Dry and very healthy grapes, ripeness achieved for all the grape varieties and the different parcels. The increase in sugar levels was briefly interrupted by some slight dilution at the middle of September, but the sun continued to shine, the phenols to increase and the tannins to become finer, allowing us to pick at the end of September 2015.

At La Bégude, harvesting ripe Mourvèdre allowed it to be used for both our reds and our rosés.Light sorting took place on the table, to salve our conscience, but we couldn’t help noticing that Nature had really spoilt us.

2015 has broken a cycle of three cold and rainy years, 2012, 2013 and 2014, which were certainly favourable for the whites and the rosés, although those that we will bottle at the beginning of March are fleshy and have a pleasant freshness which makes them aromatic and easy to drink. The mineral content of the soils and the favourable temperature variations resulting from the altitude of our vineyard make all the difference here, especially in hot years like 2015. The reds will now stay in cask until spring-summer 2018. This year it is certain that they will be able to face up to oak ageing without any problem. The tannins are powerful and fine.

The balance is there. Good character which gives aromatic intensity. Of course, like all the wines made at la Bégude, it needs at least a year in bottle for them to settle down and regain their strength.

domaine de la BégudeBandolGuillaume Tari - Owner

The 2015 Vintage in Bandol - Bégude

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It is always difficult to judge a red or rosé from la Bégude when the proportion of Mourvèdre is so high (90% for the reds and 95% for the rosés). Bottling, while giving an important dose of oxygen, pandering to those who are impatient and want to taste the wine as from the first summer, shakes up and disturbs the wine to a certain extent. One should therefore be patient and let the wine find its place in the bottle.

We wrote last year that natural factors remain unpredictable and uncontrollable. This is still true, but this time round it worked to our advantage.

Let us be humble, and know that while one vintage follows another, they are probably not going to be similar... We have to adapt.

February 2016

The 2015 Vintage in Bandol - Bégude

http://www.domainedelabegude.fr

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millesime 2015 en bourgogneBureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne

The 2015 Vintage in Bourgogne

The 2015 Bourgogne vintage : simply sublime !

The grapes harvested in the Bourgogne wine region in 2015 were simply perfect. They were in tip-top health, and at optimal ripeness, a double whammy that will make this year one to remember. The wines have wonderful balance, and the vintage is characterized by abundant aromatic depth. The upbeat mood felt across the region during harvesting has been transformed into pure delight as vinification progressed and the first tastings revealed the promise of the future wines. The overall quality and exceptional concentration observed from the north of the region to the south suggest this may well go down as a legendary vintage.

Flowering started in early June, with veraison occuring in mid-July and the first grapes picked in late August, meaning everything went at quite a lick as the hot, dry weather dictated the tempo. Winemakers managed to adapt to this sustained pace and unusual conditions, bringing in some magnificient fruit which promises a great vintage. This idyllic picture is, however, tempered by the relatively low volumes of red harvested which, at times, fell below expectations.

White wines

The white wines are already very expressive, with lovely notes of summer fruits, and great aromatic purity, balanced by an impressive crispness and richness in the mouth. This harmony will please those who don’t want to wait too long before uncorking, but will undoubtely improve with ageing.

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http://www.vins-bourgogne.fr

The 2015 Vintage in Bourgogne

Red wines

These are showing some intense, bright colors. The wines are bursting with aromas of incomparable complexity, with notes of red berries, and are ripe and full-flavored. The tannins are silky and rounded, a reflection of perfect maturity, giving the wines balance and elegance. 2015 promises to be an outstanding vintage that is already delicious, but which will reveal its full splendor in years to come.

November 2015

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2015 Vintage Report

A cold, damp end to winter hardly hastened budbreak, which took place towards the end of March/beginning of April.

The first fortnight in April saw lots of bright sunshine, but the cool weather retarded growth somewhat. At this stage, we were looking at an annual cycle that appeared to be more or less average, possibly with a bit of delay.

The second half of April and all of May were warm and dry, and growth accelerated as a result. The first flowers put in an appearance around the end of May and start of June. The soil held plenty of water reserves thanks to the rainy winter.

In certain areas, particularly those that had suffered hail damage in recent years, it was already apparent that yields were going to be low.

June was very hot and the growth cycle accelerated further. Flowering only took a week, and it only took three weeks to go from the end of flowering to bunch closure (half the time that this process usually takes in an average vintage).

At this stage we began to talk about the possibility of an early harvest because some of the vineyards with reduced yields were ripening so fast that it looked as if they would be ready to pick before September.

At the end of June rain fell copiously on the Côte d’Or, and this helped swell the grapes. The start of July saw temperatures that were 4°C higher than usual, bright sunshine and rainfall that was down 60 mm on the July average.

maison louis jadotBourgogneFrédéric Barnier - Technical Director

The 2015 Vintage in Bourgogne - Louis Jadot

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Growth slowed as the plants protected themselves from the hot, dry climate, and some bunches got a little hot. In Beaujolais and the south of the Mâconnais, vines suffered some hydric stress as they hadn’t had any water since winter. Some vines lost a few leaves and véraison was delayed due to the lack of rainfall. Come the end of July, come the rainclouds, and the vineyards got between 5 and 30 mm of rain (the level varied area by area).

It was hot in August but there was also some rainfall (notably on 8 August), which was more than welcome. The grapes began to ripen and the ideal climatic conditions persisted right up to the end of the growing season: the speed of ripening varied hugely depending on yield and the availability of water in each parcel. We started picking some of the whites in August, as well as some of the riper Gamay parcels (some of which achieved potential alcohol levels of 15%!).

At Louis Jadot, we began picking our white grapes on 1 September, then the red harvest started on the 7th.

Yields are about average for whites but rather low for the reds.

The hail that hit Chablis on the eve of picking had little impact on overall yields in the region, and the fact that harvest was early and fast helped to ensure that quality was maintained.

We have been pleasantly surprised by the balance of the grapes, particularly in terms of the extraordinary levels of acidity seen in the whites. The warm wind that swept through the vineyards towards the end of August may well have concentrated the levels of acidity in the grapes.

2015 is set to be a great vintage for both reds and whites.

November, 14th 2015

The 2015 Vintage in Bourgogne - Louis Jadot

http://www.louisjadot.com/fr/

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The 2015 Vintage in Champagne - Philipponnat

It was already clear in the summer that 2015 was going to be an exceptional vintage, in the sense that it would be different from classic vintages. The spring, relatively cool, indicated a harvest at the usual time, in the third week of September, and this in fact turned out to be the case.However nothing predicted an extremely dry summer, the driest in decades, accompanied by sunshine which was itself exceptional.The average temperatures were certainly high, but without the spells of extreme heat experienced in 2003, for example. Somewhat unusually for Champagne, the vines were in severe water stress up to the start of September, when some welcome rains revived the metabolism of the plants and ensured good ripening.In Mareuil sur Ay, Ay and Avenay, the harvest then took place under completely dry conditions, with the rain at the end of September affecting only the evening of the last day. In our hillside vineyards, mostly with southern exposure, the yields were moderate to low, ensuring optimum concentration.The ripeness of the grapes was considerably higher than the usual average, but without reaching excessive extremes: between 11 and 12% potential alcohol in the Clos des Goisses, and 10.5 to 11% elsewhere. Outside of our own vineyards, the ripeness was also excellent though with lower figures for the later-ripening growths affected by the rain at the end of harvest, especially when the yields were higher. On tasting, the prominent character of the vintage is one of great density, in particular a tannic but supple character, which coats the cheeks, rarely experienced in Champagne.

Champagne philipponnat Charles Philipponnat - Director

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The fear that this character might give slightly bitter or green notes, especially where the ripeness is a bit less in the Chardonnay, totally disappeared during the natural racking of the “vins clairs”, which we only started to taste and evaluate at the beginning of March.

The wines are brilliant, with not much colour despite the ripeness, aromatic but without a tendency to oxidise, and above all showing an additional silky character on the palate which promises an unusual vintage, but one of high quality and good ageing potential.They are taking up the oak very well, when they have been fermented and aged in cask. The acidity is average but good for a ripe vintage, and mostly made up of malic acid. This is an advantage for a House like Philipponnat, which blends its wines with and without malolactic fermentation, to preserve the freshness.For this vintage we decided to avoid the malo, not only for Clos des Goisses as usual but also for all our premiers crus and grands crus, in other words most of our supply, and in particular that destined for our vintage cuvées. The analytical criteria, as witnessed by our oldest winegrowers and cellar masters, tell us that we have to look back to vintages like 1959 (still hotter) or even 1947 to find similar balance, and convince us that the exceptional character of this year will be not only in its style but also in its high quality.We will find out in the future, and we will have to wait 10 years before enjoying Clos des Goisses 2015, but we have great confidence that we will be able to create some magnificent cuvées.

March 2016

The 2015 Vintage in Champagne - Philipponnat

http://www.philipponnat.com/fr/

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The growth cycle of the vine was disturbed by spring frosts, with production reduced by 30% as a result. The remainder of the season was normal with rather cool temperatures, even in summer. There was no intense heat until mid-August. From then on there was a minor heatwave, which was worsened by a sand storm that hit the region for 1 week. There was a halt to ripening and a slight dehydration of the berries. The harvest started on 19 August with the Chardonnay and finished 1 October with the Mourvèdre. In spite of a very difficult year, the quality of the wines is good.

November 2015

The 2015 Vintage in Lebanon - Marsyas

Château marsyas LibanKarim et Sandro Saade - Owners

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http://chateaumarsyas.com