All 12 reds tasted blind. I thought that many of these 2015s might be in a sleepy phase but that‘s not the case. The large majority of the wines are open and singing. Expressive, ripe but seldom too ripe (probably Palmer & VCC only), very layered, focused, smooth tannin structure and with a good freshness. The complete package and not one wine with noticeable alcohol. These 2015s are more exuberant than the 2016s but still full of elegance and finesse. Group Top 5: 1) Cheval Blanc, 2) Haut Brion, 3) Yquem, 4) Palmer, 5) Margaux with generally very high scores (on average 96.9 for the group, 95.8 for me) for this group of - to be fair - mostly superstar wines.

TN: I still have to find a young Haut Bailly which I truly enjoy. Non of the vintages (09, 10, 14, 16, 17) I‘ve tasted so far was open for business and ready. This 2015 is no exception, however our group was much more bullish than I was (see average score below). Too many hard edges, slightly astringent, just not very harmonious. Ripe dark fruit, lots of herbs, slight green hints on the medium- expressive nose. More open on the palate with additional notes of spices, powdered sugar and more red berries. As mentioned above the wine is not balanced with too much acidity.

Decanting: Quickly double decanted 7 hours before consumption. Would have needed several hours in the decanter.

Group rank: 12 out of 13 wines
Group score: 95.1

All 12 reds tasted blind. I thought that many of these 2015s might be in a sleepy phase but that‘s not the case. The large majority of the wines are open and singing. Expressive, ripe but seldom too ripe (probably Palmer & VCC only), very layered, focused, smooth tannin structure and with a good freshness. The complete package and not one wine with noticeable alcohol. These 2015s are more exuberant than the 2016s but still full of elegance and finesse. Group Top 5: 1) Cheval Blanc, 2) Haut Brion, 3) Yquem, 4) Palmer, 5) Margaux with generally very high scores (on average 96.9 for the group, 95.8 for me) for this group of - to be fair - mostly superstar wines.

TN: This wine was not ready to drink. Logistics didn’t allow for a long decant which would have helped a lot, so it’s difficult to judge here. Muted nose with fresh dark and red fruit peaking through along more dominant herbal notes. On the palate mostly herbs and mineral at the core with some more dark fruit. The structure is marked by soft tannins and a good freshness. Overall quite closed but for sure has more potential than these 92 points from me and the group.

Decanting: Not decanted. This needs at least 5-6 hours in a decanter.

Group rank: 13 out of 13 wines
Group score: 92.4

All 12 reds tasted blind. I thought that many of these 2015s might be in a sleepy phase but that‘s not the case. The large majority of the wines are open and singing. Expressive, ripe but seldom too ripe (probably Palmer & VCC only), very layered, focused, smooth tannin structure and with a good freshness. The complete package and not one wine with noticeable alcohol. These 2015s are more exuberant than the 2016s but still full of elegance and finesse. Group Top 5: 1) Cheval Blanc, 2) Haut Brion, 3) Yquem, 4) Palmer, 5) Margaux with generally very high scores (on average 96.9 for the group, 95.8 for me) for this group of - to be fair - mostly superstar wines.

TN: Right after opening the bottle this wine showed very bad. Loads and loads of cheap, unintegrated oak completely dominating. I was sure that this will be the weakest wine of the evening. A quick double decant and 7 hours later the big surprise in the blind tasting. No cheap oak detectable, everything well integrated. The nose shines with ripe but not too ripe dark fruit, lots of crushed rocks and hints of baking spices. Good intensity and precision. Far more impressive on the palate displaying lots of dark and brighter red berries, mineral and herbal notes to balance the sweet fruit, just hints of fine oak. Wonderful cloudy texture, no excess weight, superbly fine tannins and a good freshness. A very positive surprise with an almost perfect structure. For an even higher rating it would have needed a few more layers.

Decanting: Quickly double decanted 7 hours before consumption. That seemed enough but highly necessary.

Group rank: 9 out of 13 wines
Group score: 96.4

All 12 reds tasted blind. I thought that many of these 2015s might be in a sleepy phase but that‘s not the case. The large majority of the wines are open and singing. Expressive, ripe but seldom too ripe (probably Palmer & VCC only), very layered, focused, smooth tannin structure and with a good freshness. The complete package and not one wine with noticeable alcohol. These 2015s are more exuberant than the 2016s but still full of elegance and finesse. Group Top 5: 1) Cheval Blanc, 2) Haut Brion, 3) Yquem, 4) Palmer, 5) Margaux with generally very high scores (on average 96.9 for the group, 95.8 for me) for this group of - to be fair - mostly superstar wines.

TN: This will not be a wine for every Bordeaux lover. While the complexity, precision and structure are quite perfect, the level of ripeness, the style or definitely more Napa Valley than Bordeaux. In this group, the wine performed well but wine lovers with a more narrow style preference will not like this wine – at least not that young. If you belong to the latter group I would suggest to lay your Palmers down for at least 20 more years so that it can shed all of its baby fat. This Bordeaux Napa Valley is at least in the top 5 young Napa Valley wines I’ve had to date. Very expressive nose with very ripe yet pure red fruit, lots of baking spices and other spice, herbs, tobacco and coffee. Same array of aromas on the palate with a tad too sweet fruit but at least a stronger mineral component to balance it out. Very layered and everything delivered in HD, good concentration, no excess weight and with good length. Superb structure with ultra fine tannins and a perfect acidity.

Decanting: Not decanted. Good from the go but given the experience with the VCC I suspect that this could have been even better with a few hours of air.

Group rank: 4 out of 13 wines
Group score: 98.0

All 12 reds tasted blind. I thought that many of these 2015s might be in a sleepy phase but that‘s not the case. The large majority of the wines are open and singing. Expressive, ripe but seldom too ripe (probably Palmer & VCC only), very layered, focused, smooth tannin structure and with a good freshness. The complete package and not one wine with noticeable alcohol. These 2015s are more exuberant than the 2016s but still full of elegance and finesse. Group Top 5: 1) Cheval Blanc, 2) Haut Brion, 3) Yquem, 4) Palmer, 5) Margaux with generally very high scores (on average 96.9 for the group, 95.8 for me) for this group of - to be fair - mostly superstar wines.

TN: A little bit muted on the nose. Not overly expressive or interesting. A bit more open on the palate with ripe mostly red fruit with some darker berries in the mix, strawberry candy and wet stone. Clearly not as open and complex as the other two Margaux in this flight (Palmer, Margaux). Maybe it could have shown better with a lot of air because the structure was quite good with a luxurious texture, fine tannins and a good freshness. I guess this will not reach the heights of the 2018 but it has the signature weightless structure and finesse Rauzan is famous for these days.

Decanting: Not decanted, this would for sure have been more expressive with 4+ hours in the decanter.

Group rank: 11 out of 13 wines
Group score: 96.0

All 12 reds tasted blind. I thought that many of these 2015s might be in a sleepy phase but that‘s not the case. The large majority of the wines are open and singing. Expressive, ripe but seldom too ripe (probably Palmer & VCC only), very layered, focused, smooth tannin structure and with a good freshness. The complete package and not one wine with noticeable alcohol. These 2015s are more exuberant than the 2016s but still full of elegance and finesse. Group Top 5: 1) Cheval Blanc, 2) Haut Brion, 3) Yquem, 4) Palmer, 5) Margaux with generally very high scores (on average 96.9 for the group, 95.8 for me) for this group of - to be fair - mostly superstar wines.

TN: This was my WOTN. Right upon opening the bottle at noon the wine shows like a bottle back in February. Hyper singular with ultra fine, pure expressive red fruit, floral, perfumed with lots of intriguing pine tree notes. Ultra precision and in the most luxurious structure possible. Wow. In the evening and 8 hours after a quick double decant, it is more typical Margaux along the lines of the Margaux 2009: Expressive nose with lots of coffee, toffee, caramel, floral, dark and red berries. Super precise and very harmonious. The same aromas on the palate with complementing notes herbal and mineral notes. The complete spectrum of aromas and laser sharp. On the palate it could even be a tad more expressive but that’s just a question of time. Ultra fine structure with soft and silky tannins and a perfect acidity. So balanced and harmonious with good length. The complete package.

Decanting: Quickly double decanted 8 hours before consumption. Ethereal without decanting, different, more layered and great 8 hours later, would have probably even been better with more air.

Group rank: 5 out of 13 wines (shared with Canon, Figeac)
Group score: 97.7

All 12 reds tasted blind. I thought that many of these 2015s might be in a sleepy phase but that‘s not the case. The large majority of the wines are open and singing. Expressive, ripe but seldom too ripe (probably Palmer & VCC only), very layered, focused, smooth tannin structure and with a good freshness. The complete package and not one wine with noticeable alcohol. These 2015s are more exuberant than the 2016s but still full of elegance and finesse. Group Top 5: 1) Cheval Blanc, 2) Haut Brion, 3) Yquem, 4) Palmer, 5) Margaux with generally very high scores (on average 96.9 for the group, 95.8 for me) for this group of - to be fair - mostly superstar wines.

TN: This is no wine a classic old school Bordeaux palate would love (this young). While this bottle of VCC is not like Palmer “more Napa than Bordeaux”, it’s still distinctively sweet and with a high level of ripeness. I had this wine back in February (rated 97 points) and was blown away, despite hints of alcohol on the nose which were not detectable this time. What makes this wine so special is the incredible weightless structure, the cloudy feel with highly intense aromatic expression on the nose and palate (lots of different red berries, more dark fruit, loads of VCC’s signature spiciness, notes of herbs and minerality). Two points lower than the last bottle as this bottle didn’t show that complex and layered as the last one (while the structure was again great).

Decanting: Right upon opening at noon it was a wild animal, too wild and ripe. Decanted for 7 hours and it needed that.

Group rank: 8 out of 13 wines
Group score: 97.3

All 12 reds tasted blind. I thought that many of these 2015s might be in a sleepy phase but that‘s not the case. The large majority of the wines are open and singing. Expressive, ripe but seldom too ripe (probably Palmer & VCC only), very layered, focused, smooth tannin structure and with a good freshness. The complete package and not one wine with noticeable alcohol. These 2015s are more exuberant than the 2016s but still full of elegance and finesse. Group Top 5: 1) Cheval Blanc, 2) Haut Brion, 3) Yquem, 4) Palmer, 5) Margaux with generally very high scores (on average 96.9 for the group, 95.8 for me) for this group of - to be fair - mostly superstar wines.

TN: When we opened the bottle at noon and tasted it, this was clearly the most finely layered, elegant, luxurious wine (more so than Margaux, Cheval or any other wine). Mind-boggling purity, airy creaminess, heaven! Goosebumps. A quick double decant and 8 hours later, the wine shows expressive on the nose with a rainbow of pure, fresh, sweet red fruit, from fresh strawberries, to rhubarb, to rosehip. Remains completely in the red fruit spectrum on the palate with lots of herbal and mineral aromas to complement the picture. Not as layered as the best wines that night but so incredibly pure and elegant with its airy texture and soft tannin structure and perfectly integrated acidity. No longer the same level of finesse and creaminess as right after the opening but still world class. I think this could come close to a perfect wine once it hits maturity and shows a tad more layered.

Decanting: Quickly double decanted 8 hours before consumption. Great before the decant, less luxurious but more layered 8 hours later. You can drink this with or without a decant at this point.

Group rank: 5 out of 13 wines (shared with Margaux, Figeac)
Group score: 97.7

All 12 reds tasted blind. I thought that many of these 2015s might be in a sleepy phase but that‘s not the case. The large majority of the wines are open and singing. Expressive, ripe but seldomly too ripe (probably Palmer & VCC only), very layered, focused, smooth tannin structure and with a good freshness. The complete package and not one wine with noticeable alcohol. These 2015s are more exuberant than the 2016s but still full of elegance and finesse. Group Top 5: 1) Cheval Blanc, 2) Haut Brion, 3) Yquem, 4) Palmer, 5) Margaux with generally very high scores (on average 96.9 for the group, 95.8 for me) for this group of - to be fair - mostly superstar wines.

TN: Another amazing wine in this tasting with a very high complexity (despite its youth) and precision as the main highlights. I love the combination of the right bank sweetness with a touch of left bank structure thanks to the Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a winner and on par with the stunning 2016 and 2018 (both rated 97 points). Expressive and complex nose with lots of red fruit, burnt sugar, coffee. Many more layers on the palate with red fruit, some darker berries, spices, lots of herbs, tobacco. Intense, precise and superbly balanced. A wall of very fine tannins and superb freshness. A winner worth easily 96 points but able to reach the 98-100 point category.

Decanting: Not decanted. Good from the go but would have probably even been better with one or the other hour in the decanter.

Group rank: 5 out of 13 wines (shared with Margaux, Canon)
Group score: 97.7

All 12 reds tasted blind. I thought that many of these 2015s might be in a sleepy phase but that‘s not the case. The large majority of the wines are open and singing. Expressive, ripe but seldom too ripe (probably Palmer & VCC only), very layered, focused, smooth tannin structure and with a good freshness. The complete package and not one wine with noticeable alcohol. These 2015s are more exuberant than the 2016s but still full of elegance and finesse. Group Top 5: 1) Cheval Blanc, 2) Haut Brion, 3) Yquem, 4) Palmer, 5) Margaux with generally very high scores (on average 96.9 for the group, 95.8 for me) for this group of - to be fair - mostly superstar wines.

TN: This is the second time I’ve tasted this wine and it was again an unbelievable experience worth easily 98 points (last time 99 points). For many it was the wine of the night with 3 perfect scores out among the 7 of us. It shines bright with the broadest aromatic spectrum (on par with Margaux) and a wonderful finesse and airiness despite being packed and intense. For me, the Margaux was a tad better thanks to slightly more finesse but it’s splitting hairs here. Very intense bouquet with lots of red and dark fruit, coffee, burnt sugar, cola and even some meaty notes. Same aromas on the palate where not the toffee/coffee aromas but the fruit takes the centre stage. Very intense and precise. Incredibly soft structure with ultra fine tannins and a super freshness (although the Figeac next to it was a tad fresher). Great length, great balance and harmony. The complete package.

Decanting: Quickly double decanted 9 hours before consumption. Superb right after opening the bottle, even more layered 9 hours later. You can drink this with or without a decant at this point.

Group rank: 1 out of 13 wines
Group score: 98.7

All 12 reds tasted blind. I thought that many of these 2015s might be in a sleepy phase but that‘s not the case. The large majority of the wines are open and singing. Expressive, ripe but seldom too ripe (probably Palmer & VCC only), very layered, focused, smooth tannin structure and with a good freshness. The complete package and not one wine with noticeable alcohol. These 2015s are more exuberant than the 2016s but still full of elegance and finesse. Group Top 5: 1) Cheval Blanc, 2) Haut Brion, 3) Yquem, 4) Palmer, 5) Margaux with generally very high scores (on average 96.9 for the group, 95.8 for me) for this group of - to be fair - mostly superstar wines.

TN: When opening the bottle at noon, this wine was completely locked. Not much expression, just dark and brooding. 7 hours in the decanter and 3 more hours back in the bottle helped a lot to open it up, although it still felt slightly muted. Nevertheless, it was able to show so much depth and a profile no other wine had. Lots of dark forest berries, a broad array of herbs, curshed rocks, black olives, lots of meaty notes, tobacco. With every sip something new popped up and yet you still got the feeling that there is more. Very soft structure, no hard edges, superb balance and freshness. This is in a hard shutdown mode and currently needs a lot of time but will be fantastic once mature. An epitome of left bank finesse.

Decanting: Decanted for 7 hours and it really needed that. Right after opening the bottle, the wine was completely closed. I guess it would have been even better if we would have decanted the wine for these 7 hours the day before.

Group rank: 2 out of 13 wines
Group score: 98.6

All 12 reds tasted blind. I thought that many of these 2015s might be in a sleepy phase but that‘s not the case. The large majority of the wines are open and singing. Expressive, ripe but seldom too ripe (probably Palmer & VCC only), very layered, focused, smooth tannin structure and with a good freshness. The complete package and not one wine with noticeable alcohol. These 2015s are more exuberant than the 2016s but still full of elegance and finesse. Group Top 5: 1) Cheval Blanc, 2) Haut Brion, 3) Yquem, 4) Palmer, 5) Margaux with generally very high scores (on average 96.9 for the group, 95.8 for me) for this group of - to be fair - mostly superstar wines.

TN: Being served as the last wine in a tasting with so many amazing wines, this Pontet Canet surprised positively. Don’t let you fool by the 10th rank out of 13 wines. It is so, so Pauillac, so classic with pure cassis, pure dark fruit, tobacco, lots of graphite but not missing that extra kick and sweetness on the palate to make it extremely inviting and charming at the same time. To close the gap to the very best wines it would have probably needed just a tad more concentration and just a little bit more complexity. Great wine.

Decanting: Not decanted. Good from the go but I guess one or the other hour would have improved the experience further.

Group rank: 10 out of 13 wines
Group score: 96.1

All 12 reds tasted blind. I thought that many of these 2015s might be in a sleepy phase but that‘s not the case. The large majority of the wines are open and singing. Expressive, ripe but seldom too ripe (probably Palmer & VCC only), very layered, focused, smooth tannin structure and with a good freshness. The complete package and not one wine with noticeable alcohol. These 2015s are more exuberant than the 2016s but still full of elegance and finesse. Group Top 5: 1) Cheval Blanc, 2) Haut Brion, 3) Yquem, 4) Palmer, 5) Margaux with generally very high scores (on average 96.9 for the group, 95.8 for me) for this group of - to be fair - mostly superstar wines.

TN: My best experience with this vintage yet. Incredibly concentrated, yet without excess weight this wine displays a broad array of aromas with lots of tropical fruits, fresh orchard fruit, citrus, spices all wrapped around an intense and wonderful saffron note. Despite its youthful exuberance, it’s highly enjoyable, fresh and light. And from here on it will only get better. It ended up being the 3rd best wine for the group with a high average rating and 2 perfect scores among the 7 of us.

Decanting: Not decanted, no decant needed.

Group rank: 3 out of 13 wines
Group score: 98.1