2015
2015
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rhone | 2 | 95 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£559.49 |
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Wine Advocate (95)I was blown away by the 100% Roussanne 2015 Châteauneuf du Pape Pure Roussanne Blanc, and unfortunately, there’s only 600 cases made. Vibrant, taunt and mineral-driven, with the same mouthwatering salinity found in the base white cuvée, this beauty is medium to full-bodied, impeccably balanced and layered, with vibrant, yet perfectly integrated acidity. It needs 6-12 months in bottle and will drink nicely for 2-4 years, and can keep for decades if you’re so inclined. |
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|
Rhone | 2 | 94 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£511.24 |
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Wine Advocate (94)Bottled in July, the 2015 Cote Rotie Ampodium is fairly full-bodied and quite rich. The black olive and raspberry notes verge on being jammy but are balanced by peppery spice and firm, savory tannins. Give it 5 years in the cellar to settle down, and drink it over the next decade and a half or more. For an entry-level wine, it's remarkable. |
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|
Rhone | 1 | 94 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£923.09 |
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Wine Advocate (94)The 2015 Gigondas Valbelle is 90% Grenache, blended from five parcels planted more than 80 years ago. Like all of the Saint Cosme Gigondas, it's classically built, with enough tannin to support a decade or more of aging. Plummy yet fresh, it's dark and velvety, with a sexy, silky finish. |
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|
Rhone | 2 | 94-97 (JD) |
Inc. VAT
£383.09 |
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Jeb Dunnuck (94-97)Lastly, the 2015 Gigondas Hautes Garrigues (60/40 Grenache and Mourvèdre) is a beauty boasting killer notes of dark fruits, crushed rocks, pepper, garrigue and scorched earth. This seriously good 2015 has building richness, a stacked mid-palate and a huge finish, all suggesting short-term cellaring will be your friend. It will keep for two decades of more. |
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|
Rhone | 1 | 92-94 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£497.09 |
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Wine Advocate (92-94)From one of the prime terroirs in the appellation, the 2015 Côte Rôtie Lancement is another full-bodied, modern-styled beauty from this team. Violets, plums, incense and exotics spices all emerge from the glass and it has ripe, sweet tannin and a great finish. Made from 100% Syrah aged two years in new Burgundy barrels, it should have two decades of longevity. |
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|
Rhone | 1 | 98 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£2,584.84 |
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Vinous (98)Brilliant violet. An expansive bouquet evokes dark berry liqueur, Indian spices, violet candy and incense, brightened by a smoky mineral nuance that builds in the glass. Sappy, sweet and penetrating on the palate, offering pliant black raspberry, cherry liqueur and floral pastille flavors complemented by exotic five-spice powder and white pepper accents. Spicy, sweet and seamless on the remarkably persistent finish, which displays velvety, harmonious tannins and resonating floral and blue fruit notes. |
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|
Rhone | 1 | 96 (JS) |
Inc. VAT
£405.64 |
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James Suckling (96)A wine with playful, attractive character. An array of red, blue and purple fruits. Gently spicy, chalky and fragrant, it has a very supple, fleshy and layered palate with a web of fine, smooth and supple tannins. Extremely elegant and composed. A long draw on the finish. Great depth and drive. This will live super long. Try after 2020. |
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|
Rhone | 1 | 96 (TA) |
Inc. VAT
£492.04 |
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Tim Atkin MW (96)Lieux-dits Patou, Mazard and Sauman, 70% destemmed, aged for 15 months in old barriques. A nose that draws you in and pulls you under; it’s very tightly wound for now, but contains fresh, ripe black fruits, Asian spices, soy and some woodland aromas. Full-bodied, but not massive or overly thick, it coats the palate in super-fresh fruit and very fine tannins. There is ample acidity too to help shape the wine. This is very powerful, but what hits you is the extraordinary aromatic and textural refinement of what can be an untameable terroir. Very, very long, saline finish. |
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|
Rhone | 1 | 93 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£686.44 |
|||||
Vinous (93)Deep bright-rimmed ruby. Ripe black and blue fruit and floral scents, accompanied by olive and exotic spice and incense notes. Fleshy and concentrated yet lively as well, offering sweet, smoke-tinged cassis and blackberry flavors and a touch of candied violet. The spice and floral notes come back on a very long, penetrating finish framed by smooth, harmonious tannins. |
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|
Rhone | 5 | 94 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£246.04 |
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Wine Advocate (94)The NV Côtes du Rhône S.M. is thrilling stuff. Made from equal parts Grenache and Syrah and aged half in concrete and half in barrel, it offers a full-bodied, voluptuous and decadent style to go with overflowing notes of plum and darker fruits, licorice and violets. Gorgeous on all counts, it’s a shockingly good Côtes du Rhône to drink over the coming 4-6 years, although I wouldn’t be surprised to see it last even longer. |
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rhone | 2 | 95 (WA) |
In Bond
£447.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (95)I was blown away by the 100% Roussanne 2015 Châteauneuf du Pape Pure Roussanne Blanc, and unfortunately, there’s only 600 cases made. Vibrant, taunt and mineral-driven, with the same mouthwatering salinity found in the base white cuvée, this beauty is medium to full-bodied, impeccably balanced and layered, with vibrant, yet perfectly integrated acidity. It needs 6-12 months in bottle and will drink nicely for 2-4 years, and can keep for decades if you’re so inclined. |
|||||||||
|
Rhone | 2 | 94 (WA) |
In Bond
£410.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (94)Bottled in July, the 2015 Cote Rotie Ampodium is fairly full-bodied and quite rich. The black olive and raspberry notes verge on being jammy but are balanced by peppery spice and firm, savory tannins. Give it 5 years in the cellar to settle down, and drink it over the next decade and a half or more. For an entry-level wine, it's remarkable. |
|||||||||
|
Rhone | 1 | 94 (WA) |
In Bond
£750.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (94)The 2015 Gigondas Valbelle is 90% Grenache, blended from five parcels planted more than 80 years ago. Like all of the Saint Cosme Gigondas, it's classically built, with enough tannin to support a decade or more of aging. Plummy yet fresh, it's dark and velvety, with a sexy, silky finish. |
|||||||||
|
Rhone | 2 | 94-97 (JD) |
In Bond
£300.00 |
|||||
Jeb Dunnuck (94-97)Lastly, the 2015 Gigondas Hautes Garrigues (60/40 Grenache and Mourvèdre) is a beauty boasting killer notes of dark fruits, crushed rocks, pepper, garrigue and scorched earth. This seriously good 2015 has building richness, a stacked mid-palate and a huge finish, all suggesting short-term cellaring will be your friend. It will keep for two decades of more. |
|||||||||
|
Rhone | 1 | 92-94 (WA) |
In Bond
£395.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (92-94)From one of the prime terroirs in the appellation, the 2015 Côte Rôtie Lancement is another full-bodied, modern-styled beauty from this team. Violets, plums, incense and exotics spices all emerge from the glass and it has ripe, sweet tannin and a great finish. Made from 100% Syrah aged two years in new Burgundy barrels, it should have two decades of longevity. |
|||||||||
|
Rhone | 1 | 98 (VN) |
In Bond
£2,138.00 |
|||||
Vinous (98)Brilliant violet. An expansive bouquet evokes dark berry liqueur, Indian spices, violet candy and incense, brightened by a smoky mineral nuance that builds in the glass. Sappy, sweet and penetrating on the palate, offering pliant black raspberry, cherry liqueur and floral pastille flavors complemented by exotic five-spice powder and white pepper accents. Spicy, sweet and seamless on the remarkably persistent finish, which displays velvety, harmonious tannins and resonating floral and blue fruit notes. |
|||||||||
|
Rhone | 1 | 96 (JS) |
In Bond
£322.00 |
|||||
James Suckling (96)A wine with playful, attractive character. An array of red, blue and purple fruits. Gently spicy, chalky and fragrant, it has a very supple, fleshy and layered palate with a web of fine, smooth and supple tannins. Extremely elegant and composed. A long draw on the finish. Great depth and drive. This will live super long. Try after 2020. |
|||||||||
|
Rhone | 1 | 96 (TA) |
In Bond
£394.00 |
|||||
Tim Atkin MW (96)Lieux-dits Patou, Mazard and Sauman, 70% destemmed, aged for 15 months in old barriques. A nose that draws you in and pulls you under; it’s very tightly wound for now, but contains fresh, ripe black fruits, Asian spices, soy and some woodland aromas. Full-bodied, but not massive or overly thick, it coats the palate in super-fresh fruit and very fine tannins. There is ample acidity too to help shape the wine. This is very powerful, but what hits you is the extraordinary aromatic and textural refinement of what can be an untameable terroir. Very, very long, saline finish. |
|||||||||
|
Rhone | 1 | 93 (VN) |
In Bond
£556.00 |
|||||
Vinous (93)Deep bright-rimmed ruby. Ripe black and blue fruit and floral scents, accompanied by olive and exotic spice and incense notes. Fleshy and concentrated yet lively as well, offering sweet, smoke-tinged cassis and blackberry flavors and a touch of candied violet. The spice and floral notes come back on a very long, penetrating finish framed by smooth, harmonious tannins. |
|||||||||
|
Rhone | 5 | 94 (WA) |
In Bond
£189.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (94)The NV Côtes du Rhône S.M. is thrilling stuff. Made from equal parts Grenache and Syrah and aged half in concrete and half in barrel, it offers a full-bodied, voluptuous and decadent style to go with overflowing notes of plum and darker fruits, licorice and violets. Gorgeous on all counts, it’s a shockingly good Côtes du Rhône to drink over the coming 4-6 years, although I wouldn’t be surprised to see it last even longer. |
2015 in the Rhône benefited from the same trend of weather which gave Bordeaux its best vintage since 2010. A long, warm, balanced growing season with perfect August weather leading up to harvest has made this the most eagerly anticipated vintage in years. Some have gone so far as to declare it to be the best vintage in memory!
The Rhône is not prone to the hype and overstatement that marks Bordeaux each year so when the region is this excited about a given year, it is worth taking notice. Easily among the ranks of the recent great years of 2009, 2007 and 2005, 2015 is one for the long term and one which will reward patience.
Look to top producers such as Vieux Telegraphe, Beaucastel and Clos des Papes to impress and for value domaines such as Saint Cosme and others to over-perform for their price.