With more than 7,000 chateaux, France’s Bordeaux region is the most important wine producing region in the world. As well as being the basis for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot-based wines everywhere, Bordeaux wines are acknowledged to be among the world’s best reds—according to experts and amateurs alike.
The wine region of Bordeaux is comprised of many smaller areas and encompasses both banks of the Gironde estuary in southwest France, as well as the land bordering the Garonne and Dordogne Rivers, which split off from the Gironde in the southern Medoc area. Generally, Bordeaux's best red wines are from seven major (and well-known) appellations: Pauillac, Saint-Estephe, Saint-Julien, and Margaux in the greater Medoc region, Graves to the south of the city of Bordeaux—in the region’s center, and Saint-Emilion and Pomerol toward the east. The large Graves region, as well as being the birthplace of claret, is home to many of the best dry whites. Premium sweet wines are made in Sauternes and Barsac, which are also within the Graves appellation but toward the south.
In understanding the multitude of Bordeaux wines, experts tend to talk about the right and left banks of the Gironde River. Generally, red wines from the river’s left bank, especially from Bordeaux’s Medoc region, are based on Cabernet Sauvignon, mixed with varying amounts of Merlot and Cabernet Franc and, occasionally, a spot of Petit Verdot and Malbec. These reds are known to be firm and dry, with a substantial tannic spine, and are frequently austere in their youth. They are also among the world’s longest-lived. The Graves’ gravel and sand soil content contribute to more texture early and roasted accents of hot stones, smoke and tobacco.
The softer Merlot grape is the foundation for right bank wines, mostly to the town of Libourne’s eastern side. These wines are fleshier in general than wines from the left bank and are more pliant. They are also accessible at an earlier age—though the best of them can improve in bottle for decades.
100 points: (JL98-100 points) Dark and inky colored, the hue is laced with purple accents. On perfume smells like you walked into a flower garden overgrown with wild anise and boysenberry brambles. Dense, rich, opulent and incredibly...
jebdunnuck.com, 91 points: Mostly Merlot blended with 14% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2015 Arbalest was brought up 16 months in tank and 30% new oak. It offers a perfumed, gorgeous bouquet of plums, incense, spice and hints of...
jamessuckling.com, 95 points: The dried-fruit and wet-earth character are eye-catching with some cedar and sandalwood. Full body, tight tannins and super polish and finesse. Velvety. A great second wine of Château Pavie. Try in 2022.
jebdunnuck.com, 94 points: A blockbuster from Saint-Emilion, the 2015 Château Badette (95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, raised in new barrels) is a broad, expansive, opulent beauty that’s loaded with ripe dark fruits, chocolate, smoke, and saddle...
jamessuckling.com, 100 points: This is extraordinary. There has never been a wine like this here since the famous 1990 or underrated 1989. Violets, flowers, stones and limestone. Oyster-shell undertones. Full-bodied, muscular and so structured. A...
jamessuckling.com, 100 points: Blue fruits, minerals, lavender and licorice aromas are wonderful. Full body and ultra-refined tannins with an integration and refinement that make the wines seamless and beautiful. The powerful tannins hide from you at...
jebdunnuck.com, 96 points: I was blown away by the 2015 Château Bellefont Belcier and this knockout red is a blend of 72% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc and the balance Cabernet Sauvignon that was brought up in 80% new barrel. This estate covers 13.5...
jamessuckling.com, 93 points: Very pretty lemon, cherry and plum character with fresh acidity. Medium to full body, firm tannins and a crisp finish. Needs two or three years to soften. Try in 2021.
jamessuckling.com, 97 points: Impressive dark plums and mulberries with nicely intertwined spices and violets. Attractive leafiness and sweet, earthy depth. The palate has suave, flowing tannins that carry a plush, plump core of dark-plum and mulberry...
jamessuckling.com, 99 points: Amazing dark-berry and black-cherry aromas with hints of black truffles and oyster shell. Full-bodied, super layered and rich with amazing density and texture. Like the richest velvet. Last for minutes. Drink in 2024.
jamessuckling.com, 97 points: (96-97 points) Here is a wine with great pedigree near Ausone. Full body, yet fast and agile. The finish lasts for minutes. You see the chalky soil in the wine.
jamessuckling.com, 97 points: (JS96-97 points) Here is a wine with great pedigree near Ausone. Full body, yet fast and agile. The finish lasts for minutes. You see the chalky soil in the wine.
jebdunnuck.com, 95 points: Château Beychevelle covers a full 73.5 hectare of vines in Saint-Julien, with Romain Duclomb (of Château Clinet) functioning as the technical director and Eric Boissenot as oenologue. A true gem in the vintage is the 2015...
Wine Enthusiast, 94 points: (WE92-94 points) Dense tannins mark this wine, partnered with black fruit flavors and woody tones. The palate exhibits a good balance between the excellent acidity and a ripe, full structure, finishing fresh.
Wine Enthusiast, 96 points: This dense, rich wine is firm with solid tannins. Its texture and structure give it an opulent character that brings out tannins as much as the ripe black fruits. Powerful and concentrated it needs time to get its...
jamessuckling.com, 93 points: Plenty of spicy and toasty oak on offer here with underlying plum aromas and flavors. A very fresh palate with great depth and detail. Drink or hold.
jamessuckling.com, 100 points: Seductive. The nose draws you in deep: It’s like staring into a well of pristine dark cherries, dark plums, blackberries and mulberries. All the oak is perfectly subsumed. The palate’s flawless with immense depth and...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 97 points: Composed of 55% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged in French oak, 55% new, for 17 months, the 2015 Canon la Gaffeliere features a deep garnet-purple color and a cedar-laced nose to begin, giving...
jamessuckling.com, 95 points: Impressive richness and clarity of red and dark berries. Lightly spiced-pastry aromas, too. The palate has a very crisp, polished and groomed tannin texture, as well as super fresh flavors that carry long. Great wine. Try...
TheWineCellarInsider.com, 96 points: (JL94-96 points) Deep, rich violet-ruby in color with a complex array of scents ranging from espresso, violets, truffle, boysenberry, cassis and black cherry, this wine is sensuous, concentrated, opulent and balanced with...
jamessuckling.com, 94 points: This has a captivating interplay of depth and elegance. On the nose, it has very pure fresh raspberry and red plums set in a smoothly arranged, plush layered bed of ripe tannins that carry long blackberry and mulberry...
Wine Enthusiast, 94 points: The firm tannins in this wine are dense and concentrated, ripe rather than dry. The fruit and juicy acidity give the wine richness and crispness at the same time. It has a great future. Drink from 2025.
Wine Enthusiast, 96 points: The second wine of Château Ausone, this is a great bottling in its own right. Powerful tannins merge into equally fine black fruits. The tannins and a complex mix between ripe fruit, acidity and spice go together into an...
jamessuckling.com, 94 points: Lots of currants, spices and fresh herbs follow through to a full body that's tight and silky. Hints of cream and vanilla. Savory and salty. Shows structure and intensity as the second wine of La Mission. Try in 2021.
jebdunnuck.com, 92 points: A Jeffrey Davies Selection and a blockbuster that should be snatched up is the 2015 Château Charmail, which comes from a 28.5-hectare vineyard planted in clay and gravel soils. Based on 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot...
jamessuckling.com, 94 points: This delivers a stylish impression from the get-go with a really nicely focused dark berry nose and hints of fresh pastry. The palate has a smooth array of bright blackberry and plum fruits with smoothly cut tannins that...
Antonio Galloni's Vinous, 96 points: (AG93-96 points) A spectacularly rich, hedonistic wine, the 2015 Beau-Séjour-Bécot exudes richness and intensity, with silky, polished tannins that wrap around a huge core of fruit. Dark cherry, plum, mocha, licorice and...
jamessuckling.com, 94 points: Multi-facetted nose of fresh citrus, stone fruits and some candied pineapple. Rich and succulent but with lively acidity and a long, seriously complex finish. Better from 2020 and has a couple of decades of ageing in the...
jamessuckling.com, 100 points: (JS99-100 points) This is an incredible young Yquem that is so vinous like a great vintage of Montrachet but then on the palate it turns to Yquem with spice, dried fruit and mushroom as well as sweet fruit. Last for...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 92 points: The Sauvignon Blanc (75% of the blend) was picked quickly from 25-27 August this year, the Sémillon on 3 and 4 September. It has six grams per liter of residual sugar and the pH, a sizzling 3.20. It has an intriguing...
jamessuckling.com, 94 points: What a gorgeous and supple young wine with ultra-fine tannins and vivid acidity. Medium to full body and direct and driven tannins. Shows such beauty. Better in 2020 but already beautiful.
Antonio Galloni's Vinous, 92 points: The 2015 Grand Village Blanc is terrific. Citrus peel, white flowers, sage and tomato leaf notes abound. The 2015 is the first vintage in which the blend favors Sémillon over Sauvignon, but it is the Sauvignon character –...
jamessuckling.com, 91 points: Bright ripe red berries, tea and bracken lead to a palate that has smoothly rendered tannins and vibrant red-berry flavors. Delicious now. Drink or hold.
jamessuckling.com, 93 points: Love the aromas of currants and black cherries with blackberries and sandalwood. Full body, round and soft tannins and a savory finish. Shows brightness of fruit and intensity. Attractive balance. Drink in 2021.
jamessuckling.com, 96 points: This is sensational, characterized by such purity and beauty and with aromas of blackberries, dark chocolate, walnuts, cedar and lavender. Full-bodied, tight and focused — in part thanks to sensational tannin tension that...
jamessuckling.com, 100 points: I am breathless with the dark-berry, lavender and burnt-orange aromas. Some salt. Just so formidable and deep. Stunningly sexy on the palate with a density and power, yet it leaves things so clean and bright. You want to...
jebdunnuck.com, 97 points: This 17-hectare estate has been rejuvenated by owner Jean-Louis Triaud and is certainly producing some of the top wines from the appellation today. I tasted the deep, inky-colored 2015 Château Saint-Pierre twice and it’s...
jamessuckling.com, 94 points: The level of richness and fruit power captured in this elegant, silky St.-Emilion is impressive. Dark plums, roasted coffee and baking spices are wrapped up in solid, silky tannins. Great depth. Best from 2020.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 100 points: As many readers may know, 2015 was the first year since 1988 that Cheval Blanc did not produce its second wine, Petit Cheval. This said, parts of two of the Cheval Blanc blocks were not used at all—Plot 17A and the north...
jamessuckling.com, 95 points: Extremely floral with blackberry and blueberry character plus hints of violets. Full-bodied yet always in check and reserve with fine tannins and bright acidity that goes on for minutes. Limestone undertones. The finish...
jamessuckling.com, 95 points: Aromas of bark, blackberries, currants and basil leaf, not to mention lavender and sage. Full body, integrated tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Layered and beautiful. Drink in 2022.
jamessuckling.com, 96 points: Wild violets and blueberries meld with earthy, almost truffle-like aromas. The palate is a powerhouse of ripe-plum, dark-cherry and blueberry flavors cast amid sturdy, powerful, long tannins. Finishes fresh and vivid. A...
jamessuckling.com, 95 points: Extremely perfumed with blackberries, plums and bark. Lemon-rind undertones. Full-bodied, creamy, velvety and voluptuous yet focused and pinpointed. Intense dark-berry and chocolate flavors. Really well done. Drink in 2021.
jamessuckling.com, 93 points: (JS92-93 points) This shows finesse and depth with dark berry and dark chocolate character. Full body, integrated tannins. On it.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 92 points: (90-92) The 2015 Clos Floridene offers up luscious redcurrant, wild strawberry and floral scents on the nose, almost Burgundy-like in terms of purity. The palate is well balanced with fine but firm tannin, a little...
jebdunnuck.com, 98 points: An absolute blockbuster is the 2015 Clos Fourtet, which is a blend of 88% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc. It offers a huge nose of black and blue fruits, loads of incense, violets, chocolate, and...
jamessuckling.com, 95 points: This young Sauternes shows beautiful richness and ripeness with mango, pineapple and peach character. Full-bodied, layered and gorgeous. So refined and complex. Love the harmony and depth. Always so refined. Such beauty...
TheWineCellarInsider.com, 94 points: (JL92-94 points) Dark in color with an earthy, dark, red berry, licorice and stone personality, this wine is rich and powerful, yet softly textured, lush and silky on the palate. This is perhaps the best vintage yet for...
jamessuckling.com, 94 points: Wow. Gorgeous aromas of perfume, spices and dark fruits such as bramble berries. Full body, ultra-fine tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Shows strength with finesse. Give it three or four years to come completely...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 92 points: (90-92 points) The 2015 Cuvee Prephylloxerique from Château Clos Saint Emilion Philippe is pure Merlot from vines that obviously predate phylloxera, planted on sand. The nose is clean and pure, quite opulent like the...
jamessuckling.com, 95 points: Some meaty barrel-derived aromas with attractive spices across graphite and deep plum aromas. The palate has very attractive and appealing dark cherry flavors with plush, velvety tannins. Very long. Try from 2022.
jamessuckling.com, 98 points: Aromas of tar, black olive skin and blackberries follow through to a full body. Ultra-fine tannins and a long, linear finish with super intensity. Well-crafted in every sense. A fabulous Pomerol for the future. Try in 2022.
jebdunnuck.com, 93 points: From a 13-hectare estate located north and slightly west of the village of Saint-Emilion, the 2015 Château Corbin is mostly Merlot blended with 17% Cabernet Franc, all of which comes from sandier, clay soils. It offers...
jamessuckling.com, 98 points: Super aromas of nutmeg, cloves and dried flowers with plums and blackberries. Subtle yet so complex. Full-bodied, tight and integrated with ultra-fine tannins and a beautiful finish. Lasts for minutes. Very, very Cos...
Wine Enthusiast, 93 points: Taking its name from the hill or Cos on which the vines are planted, this wine is dense and full of firm tannins. The fruit is there as well, ripe black currants waiting to come through the tannins. Give this wine time...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 94 points: (WA92-94 points) The 2015 Côte de Baleau has a refined and intense bouquet with precise black and red fruit, seamlessly integrated oak and a sense of terroir coming through. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin...
TheWineCellarInsider.com, 94 points: (JL92-94 points) With a touch of espresso bean, licorice, plum and smoke, this wine is fat, succulent, plush and polished like a plump but well-coiffed torch singer ready for a set.
jamessuckling.com, 93 points: Berries and smoke with some wet-earth and leather undertones. Medium to full body, round and velvety tannins and a juicy and delicious finish. Like the walnut and coffee undertone. Drink in 2020.
jamessuckling.com, 95 points: Some spicy wood on offer with attractive, ripe tropical fruits delivered in a smoothly textured palate that has impressive length and focus. Good concentration. One of the best whites from here in a while. 55% sauvignon...
jamessuckling.com, 94 points: Blackberry and plums sit amid violets, earthy notes and gentle, hazelnut oak. The palate delivers attractively smooth, supple tannins that carry long flavors of fresh dark cherries. Try from 2020.
jamessuckling.com, 94 points: Darker, more brambly fruits on offer here. This has impressive depth and detail with a rich chocolate and dark-plum, smooth but powerful palate. Immaculate wine. Try from 2022.
jebdunnuck.com, 93 points: The 2015 Château Desmirail shows how good 2015 was for the appellation of Margaux. Offering classic red fruits (some cassis as well), toasted bread, white chocolate and background oak, this beauty is medium to...
jebdunnuck.com, 92 points: The 2015 Château Destieux (66% Merlot and the balance equal parts Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon) is a ripe, opulent sexy red that gives up lots of red and black fruits, hints of toasty oak, as well as ample...
jamessuckling.com, 96 points: Very complex aromas of currants, blackberries and iodine with hints of dried mushrooms and flowers. Full-bodied, very fine and silky with a very, very long finish. Shows tension and finesse. Structured yet shows an...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 98 points: (WA96-98 points) The 2015 L'Extravagant de Doisy Daene has a powerful, intense but very pure bouquet laden with acacia honey, peach and quince, yet very defined and not at all overwhelming - remarkable given the richness...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 97 points: (WA95-97 points) The 2015 Doisy-Daene has a detailed bouquet, very correct, nothing showy or flamboyant as is typical of Denis Dubourdieu's Barsac. The palate is extremely well balanced and very pure: citrus fruit...
jebdunnuck.com, 98 points: If I had to pick the white of the vintage, it would be the 2015 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc from proprietor Olivier Bernard. Based largely on Sauvignon Blanc (there’s around 30% Sémillon) and from a 6-hectare parcel...
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