'Buy Now' is a new series on JamesSuckling.com geared toward helping our readers choose from wines currently available on the market that we rated 93 points or higher. Although they're usually a step up in price from our 'Great Value' picks, they should still fit handily within any modest wine budget. The various categories are neatly bundled by vintage, but we're choosing these vintages and categories with great care. First up: Bordeaux 2015.
The 2015 vintage in Bordeaux had producers, wine lovers and critics across the world excitedly on edge when it was first introduced from barrel. It was hailed as the next great modern vintage, following the compelling 2000, 2005, 2009 and 2010.
Right bank appellations shined in 2015, particularly Pomerol and St. Emilion. After tasting the wines en primeur, James found that the wines possessed a “unique ripe fruit character that remains cool and fresh.” This character remained consistent in the bottled versions of the wines when James tasted nearly 1,300 of them in Bordeaux a couple of years later. “It was clearly a great Right Bank year,” James said. Wines from the Left Bank with a significant proportion of merlot also excelled.
The wines took on a structure and seriousness through aging in barrel, with a notably positive effect on Left Bank wines. Pessac-Léognan and Margaux especially impressed. Wineries to the north of Margaux faced difficulties with interspersed rains in August, September and October, although many of the top wineries still made excellent wines.
