Place de la Bourse
By Abigail Firedman
Place de la Bourse

“2015 is an outstanding vintage in terms of both quality and quantity.” Professor Denis Dubourdieu

That 2015 would be a superb Bordeaux vintage seemed almost written in the stars considering the sacred rule of “5s” which has dependably produced iconic vintages such as 1985, 1995, 2005 and soon, if early rumors are to be believed, 2015. So when this highly anticipated year steadily progressed in nearly ideal growing conditions, not only Bordeaux, but greater wine-growing Europe, the building anticipation only left one worry: can they possibly live up the hype?

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"The building anticipation only left one worry: can they possibly live up the hype?"

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A warm and steady spring and summer of even and early flowering and fruit set peaked with a July of drought, forcing a very welcome water stress on the great majority of vines. August and September were cool with intermittent rainfall, allowing the grapes to reach an excellent level of ripeness and plenty of fraicheur. While the somewhat inconsistent weather patterns of the autumn left room for some variance, it also allowed every opportunity for some truly stunning wines to emerge.

The dry white wines are perhaps even more outstanding in 2015 thanks to tremendous amount of freshness instilled from a cool, wet August. It is a Sauvignon Blanc dominant vintage, which promises crisp, ripe wines brimming with concentrated fruit and mouth filling roundness. And finally the Sauternes are as spectacular as ever in 2015, thanks to the early start of botrytis from the August drizzle. They are opulent yet supremely elegant.

The team at Cru will be making their yearly trip down to Bordeaux in early April to assess the wines for ourselves and we will be sharing our thoughts on twitter and instagram @cruworldwine throughout the entire adventure. If sensible prices prevail, we have every indication that this will surely be a vintage to stock up on at every level.