Château Grand-Puy Ducasse 2015

A touch austere along the edges, with a charcoal frame, but the core of plum and black cherry fruit is solid, showing alluring iron and bay leaf accents. Best from 2019 through 2027. 10,250 cases made.

Feels like a wine from a very different era with a dry character on the palate, combined with pronounced leafy notes. There are certainly dark fruits here but perhaps not the concentration I'd expect in a vintage like 2015. Two bottles were tried with the second bottle showing more fruit than the first. But still not very exciting for this vintage.

Big, black and bold, this is a serious Pauillac with the typical acidity of 2015. With a bit more charm and bright fruit, this would rate more highly. Better from 2019.

The 2015 Grand-Puy Ducasse is a powerful, dense wine. Plump and juicy, with tremendous depth, the 2015 offers loads of palate intensity but far less finesse. This is an especially potent, extracted style. Notes of blackberry jam, licorice, fruit, smoke, and lavender are supported by a healthy dose of new oak. It’s hard to understand where the estate and this wine are headed. Consulting winemaker Hubert de Boüard told me he hopes in the future to pick this fruit later than is the norm today. As it stands, Grand-Puy Ducasse is one of the most extroverted wines readers will encounter in Pauillac. The blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot.

One of the best vintages for Grand Puy Ducasse, the wine is equally luscious and tannic. But the tannins are soft and refined. The cassis and blackberry fruits are ripe, fresh, and vibrant, yet also polished. The complexity is there, as well as the length.

Deep ruby with purple reflections and delicate rim brightening. Distinct roasted aromas, ripe cassis, black cherry, pleasant touch of oak. Juicy, dark nougat, some fig, taut, supporting tannins, salty minerality, chocolatey finish, lingers, has good prospects.

The 2015 Château Grand-Puy Ducasse is certainly impressive, and while it’s not a massive wine (possibly due to harvest rains), it shines for its elegance, purity, and nuance. Its deep ruby/purple-tinged color is followed by a perfumed bouquet of currants, cherries, white flowers, and truffle. With medium-bodied richness, fine tannins, and beautiful balance, it should keep for 15+ years.

Extremely dark purple with lilac and violet highlights. Spicy blueberry bouquet, backed by delicate smoky notes, showing hints of Szechuan pepper in the background. Firm palate, displaying a superb, almost black-berry fruit concentration; the tannins are still quite massive and need some time to integrate. Since Hubert de Boüard (Angélus) became a consultant here, this long-neglected Pauillac Cinquième has finally started to rise. Shown for the first time en primeur with:

Extremely dark purple with lilac and violet highlights. Spicy blueberry bouquet underpinned by delicate smoky notes, revealing Szechuan pepper notes in the background. Firm on the palate, showing a superb, almost black-berried fruit concentration; the tannins are quite massive, but it somehow seems ready to digest them in the future. Since Hubert de Boüard (Angélus) has been consulting here, this long-neglected Pauillac Cinquième has finally been on the rise.

Herbs, classic, dark bouquet, black berries, currants, tobacco, smoke, black truffle, noble woods. Powerful, balanced, aromatic palate with good fruit, fine-sandy tannins, muscular structure, strong, dark aromatics, slightly bitter finish. 17/20 2024 - 2040

Grand-Puy Ducasse 2015 is medium to deep garnet in color. It slips slowly and sensuously out of the glass with notes of blackcurrant preserves, warm plums, and mulberries plus hints of baking spices, potpourri, and bay leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is chock full of juicy black fruits with fine-grained tannins and plenty of balancing freshness, finishing long and mineral-laced.

Continuing its progression, the 2015 here is very dense, powerful and muscular, with a lovely fruit definition. It now lacks a touch more finesse to join the very best.

As the saying goes, “it’s like baby Jesus in velvet pants”! The supple, very velvety texture lends this wine great charm, with an aromatic framework led by black berries and spices, and a round, juicy palate.

The 2015 bouquet is inviting, with generous fruity notes followed by spicy nuances. Well-balanced on the palate, with fine-grained tannins and a structure that ensures both fruit expression and freshness. A wine with character that can already be enjoyed.

Dark, intense colour. Moderately aromatic nose with ripe fruit. A soft, fruity, tasty palate that’s a little light. Medium body and length.

This generous, ripe wine is filled with fine tannins as well as juicy black-currant fruits. It is approachable in the sense that the fruit is so delicious. However, watch for those tannins that are firm and dense and will allow the wine to age. Best to wait until 2024.