A Vintage in Waiting: The Surprising Silence of 2015 Bordeaux
Ten years after the vintage, a blind tasting of 2015 Bordeaux delivered a few unexpected insights. Despite high hopes – largely fueled by an impressive showing at the five-year mark in 2020 – many wines under-performed, with the overall average falling short even of the 2012s tasted in 2022 (see full list of all horizontals at the end of this article). This result came as a surprise and suggests that many of these wines may currently be in a closed or awkward phase of their evolution. Tasted without decanting, a number of them likely needed extended aeration to show their full potential. While some wines may struggle to recover, many seem to simply require more patience and time in the cellar.
A Tale of Two Banks: Left Bank Precision vs. Right Bank Struggles
A clear divergence emerged between Left and Right Bank wines. The Right Bank continues to show signs of stylistic issues reminiscent of the 2000’s era: overripe fruit, heavy extraction, and oak-driven profiles. As the youthful fruit fades, the hard wood tannins become more pronounced, often leaving a dry impression. In contrast, the Left Bank largely delivered on its promise. With ripeness better handled than in 2009 (and 2010), the wines came across as fresh, balanced, and consistent – often fresher than more recent vintages like 2018, 2019, and 2020. While Merlot-heavy Pessacs showed some inconsistencies, the best examples from both banks suggest that 2015 still holds considerable promise for those willing to wait.
Tasting Notes
Flight 1
2015 Clos Manou, 83 points
The nose is medium expressive, showing undefined dark fruit and minerality, with a slight heat. The palate is astringent, with harsh wood tannins overshadowing the ripe dark red and dark fruit underneath. The structure is already drying out, making this not a success. I’ve had great Clos Manou vintages before, sadly, this bottle did not sing.
2015 Guinaudeau “G” Acte 7, 93 points
The nose is expressive and inviting, filled with fine dark red and blue fruit, herbs, and minerality, creating a luxurious impression. The palate follows with superb freshness from start to finish, featuring elegant satin-like tannins, a fine texture, and great aromatic weight. The fruit profile is dark red, red, and blue, supported by herbs, minerality, and a hint of tobacco. The wine is well-rounded and refined, with only a slight dryness on the finish. Given that Lafleur was one of the standouts of the tasting, there is no surprise that this “second wine” delivered as well.
2015 Dubois Grimons, 85 points
The nose is medium expressive, displaying shy red fruit and a touch of minerality. The palate is more open, showing red fruit, but the acidity is high and not well integrated, while the tannins feel slightly drying. The wine lacks expression and balance, making it not a success.
2015 Troplong Mondot, 88 points
The nose is medium expressive, presenting ripe dark red and blue berries, spices, and herbs, with a touch of heat. The palate starts with a beautiful attack of blue and red fruit, balanced by minerality, but the tannins turn drying, especially toward the finish. The wine has a noticeable astringency, throwing the balance off. No surprise here, when revealed: Troplong (at least before the wine maker change) consistently had problems with extraction and tannin management. A bottle in a vertical tasting 3 years ago showed the same weakness (rated 89pts). I doubt this wine will have a long life. Drink up.
Flight 2
2015 Valandraud, 91 points
The nose is beautifully expressive, filled with ripe dark fruit, toasted notes, herbs, and minerality, reminiscent of a 2009 Bordeaux with its ripeness and luxurious oak influence. Not my favorite style but still on the good side of things. The palate follows with fine red berries, some dark berries, herbs, and minerality. The tannins lack a satin-like quality and are slightly drying toward the finish, but only marginally. A good wine and on par with a bottle a year ago (rated 92/93pts). Rather drink it earlier than later, as I fear that the wine might dry out.
2015 Canon, 94 points
The nose is beautifully expressive, featuring fine blue fruit and dark red fruit, giving an inviting and luxurious impression. The palate is open and vibrant, offering fresh red berries, blue fruit, minerality, herbs, and a touch of tobacco. The tannins are fairly fine, with just a slight drying sensation, but still on the right side of things. The high freshness and light, airy texture make it a very pleasant wine, though the drying tannins on the finish raise a minor concern. I’ve had this wine a few times before and consistently rated it between 95 and 97 pts. One of the great things about Canon these days is its tannin management as there is hardly a more finesse-driven wine on the right bank. This is the first bottle of the “new” era that didn’t fully convinced me. Still, this was one of the best wines in the tasting with its infinite complexity and purity.
2015 Cheval Blanc, 97 points
The nose is luxurious and coffee-driven, with a broad spectrum of dark to red berries, minerality, and a touch of opulence. The palate is layered and complex, with blue fruit, fine red berries, well-measured coffee, minerality, herbs, and a touch of tobacco. The fine tannins and melting texture contribute to its weightless elegance, while the great freshness and balance carry it from start to finish. A truly outstanding wine with lots of expression, intense aromatic, tons of aromatic depth, all delivered in HD, impeccably structured and with a superb balance. This is 100% Cheval with all the telltale signs (and was easy to call blind). Together with the Lafleur and Mouton (both rated 97pts as well) my top wine in this tasting and consistent with previous bottles (rated 98/99pts).
2015 Angelus, 88 points
The nose starts muted, lacking clear expression and definition, with the alcohol showing through. But with time and air, it improves substantially, revealing strawberries and brighter red fruit. Very seductive and inviting. The palate is more open right from the go, showcasing plenty of red fruit, minerality, and herbs. Intense aromatics. Sadly, the structural frame is weak. Another right bank that is marred by drying tannins, bitterness and heat, throwing off the balance. Might it be a phase? Would a lot of decanting have helped here? Likely, but I fear that bringing more aromas forward would have only covered the problematic tannin structure. These right banks are a minefield.
Flight 3
2015 L’Eglise Clinet, 89 pts
The nose is dominated by smoke and minerality, with very little fruit showing, unsual for a right bank in this vintage. The palate starts with a good attack, offering fine red berries and some blue fruit, but from there. The high acidity feels disjointed, and the structure lacks harmony. Not a good showing. Contrary to other right banks this evening, I think this might be just in an awkward phase and not on its path to death.
2015 La Conseillante, 93 points
The nose is not overly expressive, with ripe blue fruit and some candied red and blue berries, though it leans a bit too ripe and warm for my taste. On the palate, the wine is all about candied red and blue fruit, with a singular fruit profile that leans toward over-ripeness. The tannins are fine. The freshness is there, and there is no excess weight, but the candied fruit profile holds it back. This will need more time in the cellar to shed some of its baby fat.
2015 Lafleur, 97 points
The nose is expressive, showing fine blue and red fruit, though mostly blue, ranging from fresh to candied. The palate is superb, packed with layers of blue and red fruit, fresh and candied, minerality, herbs, tobacco, caramel, and toast. Elegant, luxurious, and perfectly fresh, with flawless balance and depth. Seductive, borderline hedonistic, but utterly irresistible. Wow, this is good. When revealed I was surprised as Lafleur isn’t known for its approachability when young.
2015 Petrus, 85 points
The nose is very ripe and alcoholic, lacking refinement. The palate has good freshness and some herbal notes, but also slight green hints and a lack of clear definition. The wine dries out quickly, with a noticeable astringency. Others enjoyed it much more, but this was not convincing at all. It’s not the first time Petrus is not doing well in these horizontal tastings.
Chateau Lafleur and Cheval Blanc took home the trophy for the Right Bank
Flight 4
2015 Haut-Bailly, 95 points
The nose is expressive but lacks definition, showing dark berries and minerality. The palate is open but not particularly complex, offering dark red and blue fruit, with a pronounced coffee note emerging. There is a slightly slutty richness, yet the structure remains very fine, with polished tannins, good freshness, and excellent balance. I’m usually not the biggest fan of this estate, but this was a fantastic bottle and ahead of the Haut-Brion/Mission duo.
2015 Carmes Haut-Brion, 89 points
The nose is slightly muted, failing to make much of an impression. The palate is a bit simple, the fruit in the background and this brings the structure to the foreground and it’s not that pretty, a bit angular and slightly disjointed. With time and air, the wine gets better but it never fully comes together. This 2015 is not on the same level as the wines produces in the past few vintages at this estate.
2015 Mission Haut-Brion, 91 points
The nose shows no real expression, feeling closed and neutral. The palate is much more open, revealing fine dark red, red, and blue fruit, fresh to slightly candied, with some minerality and toffee notes. The tannins start out fairly fine, but the wine dries toward the finish, which slightly disrupts the otherwise good freshness.
2015 Haut-Brion, 90 points
The nose is muted and lacks expression, never really opening up. The palate is better, showing ripe red berries, some blue fruit, herbs, and minerality, quite high complexity and very good precision. However, the tannins are not well integrated – fine on the attack but quickly drying toward the finish. The freshness is there, the depth is there, but the drying sensation holds it back. I’m not sure, this is on the dark side and had better bottles before.
Flight 5
2015 Palmer Alter Ego, 93 points
The nose is very ripe, carrying a touch of heat, with dark fruit but not overly expressive. The palate is more open, offering blue and black fruit, toast, and minerality, with fine delineation and good freshness. The tannins are fine and polished, with no dryness, though the slightly candied edge holds it back from being truly complex. Not the most intricate wine, but very fine. Not that far away from the Palmer in the next glass, which shows how successful the appellation was in 2015.
2015 Palmer, 94 points
The nose is not very expressive, staying somewhat closed. The palate, however, is much better, featuring ripe blue fruit, some red and dark fruit, minerality, and herbs. The fine structure and satin-like tannins create an airy and balanced texture, with good freshness. Over time, beautiful fresh red berries emerge, making the wine feel quite complete, though there is a slight touch of heat. I’ve had good and bad bottles of this wine in the past. Most of them are on the very high ripeness/slutty side of things, more so than I like and one was partially oxidized. This was quite good.
2015 Brane Cantenac, 94 points
The nose is muted and does not reveal much. The palate, however, is more open, showing toast, blue and dark red fruit, minerality, and fine tannins. The structure is slightly coarse but still fresh and well-balanced, though not particularly complex. A pleasant and enjoyable wine from start to finish. Brane is never the most complex and elegant wine, but it consistently punches above it’s weight and this bottle was no exception.
2015 Margaux, 93 points
The nose is not very expressive, though some dark candied fruit starts to emerge. The palate is more impressive, with toast, toffee, blue fruit, red berries, minerality, and herbs, showing good poise and weight. However, the tannins are angular, holding it back from reaching the top of the flight. The aromatic density was outstanding, but the structure kept it from shining at its full potential. I’ve had this wine in its youth and it consistently was close to perfection. At this point, it’s no longer in this gorgeous place and I would wait at least 10 years before opening another bottle.
Flight 6
2015 Lafite Rothschild, 94 points
The nose is a bit muted, holding back some of its potential. The palate is better, with fine red berries at its core, herbs, minerality, and a slight touch of chocolate. The complexity is medium but well-defined, with a finely structured, fresh, and airy texture. Complete, balanced, and faultless. Over time, it becomes more elegant and round, with an unmatched finesse for Pauillac, driven by fine red fruit. Typical Lafite – the most elegant, but not most complex or exciting 1er (for me often the least exciting one too).
2015 Latour, 93 points
The nose is slightly alcoholic, carrying a ripe, bold profile. The palate is rich and intense, with loads of candied fruit, herbs, and minerality, though it remains fresh and well-structured, with fine tannins and an airy texture. The long finish and overall package are strong, though the wine feels slightly simple at first. Over time, it gains more complexity, though it is not as towering or structured as expected from Latour. When revealed I was quite puzzled as it didn’t (m)any Latour markers for me.
2015 Mouton Rothschild, 97 points
The nose is not fully expressive, some debate TCA, I ignore it as the wine is sooo spectacular on the palate and finish: . The palate is flawless, with deep coffee notes, dark and red fruit, toast, minerality, and herbs. Wonderfully complex, round, elegant, and luxurious, with superb freshness and a perfect balance between sweetness and minerality. Superb from start to finish, an exceptional showing. 97pts in its best moments.
2015 Pontet Canet, 93 points
The nose is slightly muted, not giving much at first. The palate, however, is fine and well-balanced, offering blue and dark fruit, fine tannins, and good minerality. The freshness is excellent, with an elegant, refined structure, complemented by a touch of coffee. The wine is quite polished (will be too polished for many old school lovers) and highly elegant, though still carrying some edges that need time to smooth out.
Mouton Rothschild, Grand-Puy-Lacoste und Pichon Lalande came on top on the Left Bank
Flight 7
2015 Lynch Bages, not rated
Unfortunately corked.
2015 Grand Puy Lacoste, 96 points
The nose is super expressive, bursting with fine, ripe red fruit. Sexy, round, and refined. The palate delivers the same energy, with intense, expressive ripe red berries, blue berries, herbs, and toast. The structure is exceptional, with very fine tannins and great freshness. Superb in every way. An excellent wine. The superstar quality of GPL usually is its openness and seductive profile, delivering early drinking pleasure with crowd favorite vibes – this 2015 was no exception. Many others will be better in the future, but today this was among the top wines
2015 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, 96 points
The nose is somewhat closed, with not much expression at first. With time, blue fruit emerges, deep and pure. The palate is very fine, showing blue fruit, red fruit, minerality, and herbs. The wine is not overly complex but you sense that there is more depth there than is showing today. It’s incredibly refined, with superb tannins, outstanding freshness, and perfect balance. Rounded, elegant, and complete without excess in any category. From 2014 on, Pichon is just on another level. Wow.
2015 Belle-Vue, 88 points
The nose is slightly off, with a hint of brett and something bouillon-like. The palate is ripe, slightly alcoholic, and unbalanced, never fully coming together. Likely not a good bottle. To be fair, we tasted this wine late in the tasting and the palate was already tired. So take this note with a grain of salt.
Flight 8
2015 Montrose, 90 points
The nose is slightly muted, with some blue fruit and tea-like aromas, giving it a mysterious and alluring quality. The palate is intense, with dark and blue fruit, minerality, and tobacco, showing a classic Montrose profile. However, the structure is not as round or luxurious as the best wines, and the balance feels slightly off. The finish leans dry, preventing it from truly shining. To be fair, we tasted this wine late in the tasting and the palate was already tired. So take this note with a grain of salt.
2015 Leoville Las Cases, 90 points
The nose is slightly muted, showing a strong mineral-driven character. The palate is more expressive, with red berries, minerality, and spice. The intensity is high, though slightly overpowering, making the structure feel a bit out of balance. The acidity is noticeable but not fully harmonious. To be fair, we tasted this wine late in the tasting and the palate was already tired. So take this note with a grain of salt.
2015 Leoville Barton, 85 points
The palate is brutally astringent and drying, making for a difficult, unbalanced experience. Not enjoyable. To be fair, we tasted this wine late in the tasting and the palate was already tired. So take this note with a grain of salt.
2015 vs Other Vintage Retrospectives
Average Group Score
1) 2009 93.9 (Tasted in 2019)
2) 2010 93.0 (2020)
3) 2000 92.7 (2021)
4) 2012 92.1 (2022)
5) 2015 91.8 (2025)
6) 2011 91.3 (2021)
7) 2003 91.1 (2023)
8) 2004 91.0 (2024)
9) 2014 90.6 (2024)
10) 1994 86.4 (2024)
Number of Wines with an Average Score >95 points
1) 2009 17x (47 red wines tasted)
2) 2010 13x (61)
3) 2000 4x (48)
3) 2012 4x (33)
3) 2015 4x (31)
6) 2011 3x (30)
7) 2014 2x (28)
8) 2003 1x (29)
9) 2004 1x (33)
10) 1994 0x (25)
Number of Wines with an Average Score >97 points
1) 2010 5x
2) 2009 4x
3) 2015 1x
4) 1994, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2011, 2012, 2014 0x
Author: Andy Schnyder
March 2025