Wines (12 View)

This red has focus and depth, in an austere style that remains balanced and fresh. Black cherry fruit lurks beneath espresso, licorice and black pepper flavors, supported by firm, well-integrated tannins and juicy acidity.

Winemaker Notes:
Ruby red with a gold-tinged rim. Deep, vibrant color. A Complex nose. It retains the ripe red-berry fruit aromas of blackberries, blueberries, and block plums extraordinarily well. Gradually it opens up to reveal smoky, toasted wood nuances, with spices and hints of minerals and tobacco. A Smooth mouth-feel, with sweet, polished tannins. A long, elegant, perfumed finish with final hints of coffee with chocolate.

99 points James Suckling
The aromas to this are phenomenal with oyster shell, blackberries, iodine and black truffles. Full-bodied, layered and so refined and intense. Love the texture and intensity. Chalky. Amazing. Goes on for minutes. Try in 2023

97 points Vinous
The 2015 Larcis Ducasse is just as compelling from bottle as it was from barrel. Rose petal, lavender, spice and mint give it an attractive upper register that melds seamlessly into a core of inky red and purplish fruit. Dense, powerful and overt, the 2015 also has quite a bit of freshness to liven up the flavors. Silky tannins and soft contours add to the wine's racy, sensual personality. The 2015 is going to be virtually impossible to resist in its youth.

97 points Vinous
The 2015 Leoville-Poyferre is spectacular. Inky, dense and explosive, possesses off the chart richness, with soft contours, no hard edges and exceptional balance. Inky blue/purplish fruit, chocolate, new leather, blueberry jam, exotic spice and violet notes are all beautifully delineated throughout. Fresh, vibrant and totally sexy,

96 points James Suckling
A rich and intense red with blackberries, tar and spices. Black tea and blueberries. Full-bodied, very layered and multi-dimensional. Very long and flavorful. Such great texture. A dynamic and superb red. Drink in 2023.

94 points Wine Advocate
The 2015 Leoville Poyferre is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc that was harvested between 24 September and 10 October. The IPT comes in at 80 with a pH 3.69. It has a typical Leoville-Poyferre bouquet at this stage: quite bullish and forthright, packed full of dense black cherries, red plum and cassis, the 85% new oak pronounced, but will be subsumed with bottle age. The palate is full-bodied with mouth-coating tannin: layers of graphite-infused black fruit, cedar and mint, almost Pauillac-like in personality with a sustained graphite finish. This is a sophisticated Saint Julien built for long-term ageing, perhaps less flamboyant than recent vintages, but the terroir shows through. Expect it to land at the top of my banded score, possibly higher.

96 points Vinous
One of the finest Pauillacs of 2015, Lynch-Bages is rich, racy and voluptuous. A rush of dark red and purplish stone fruit, mint, new leather, spice and blood orange give the 2015 a very decidedly exotic character that is impossible to miss. Raspberry jam, mocha, new leather and expressive floral notes appear with time in the glass, rounding things out nicely. Even though the 2015 is quite forward and open at this stage, the wine has plenty of stuffing as well as the underlying structure to support many years of exceptional drinking. This is a stellar showing for Lynch-Bages.

96 points Wine Enthusiast
This vintage was ideal for the rich style that this estate has made its own. This wine is full bodied and ripe with black-currant and dark berry fruits. The tannins fall into the cushioned wine with ease and richness. Of course, the wine should be aged, so wait until 2026.

95 points James Suckling
Brambly and attractive ripe blackberries and red-plum aromas with some floral accents, too. The palate has a very plush, polished and regal shape as tannins frame up a core of ripe black fruit. Succulent, impressive finish. Best from 2022

Limited Edition Gift Pack includes two bottles of Gran Reserva Rioja 2015 and a decanter.

93 pts Vinous
Glistening ruby. Expansive red and blue fruit, pipe tobacco, potpourri and baking spice aromas, with vanilla and smoky mineral notes slowly emerging. Sappy and gently chewy on the palate, offering spice-accented black raspberry, bitter cherry and rose pastille flavors that turn sweeter on the back half. Shows sharp focus and repeating florality on the long, subtly tannic finish, which leaves behind notes of candied blue fruits and cola.

85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo o 36 months of age in American & French oak o Hand selected grapes from "Rioja Alta" subzone o 36 additional months of age in bottle

94 points Vinous
Glass-staining ruby. A highly complex bouquet features ripe red berry, cherry liqueur, cured tobacco and mocha scents, and a smoky mineral nuance and a hint of white pepper add urgency. Sweet, mineral-driven blackberry, cherry-vanilla, chewing tobacco and candied rose flavors show impressive depth as well as energy. Blends power and finesse with a steady hand and finishes chewy, sweet and impressively long, with youthfully gripping tannins adding framework.

96 points James Suckling
Fantastic aromas of cappuccino and orange with dark berries. Full-bodied with ultra-fine tannins that are layered and wonderfully polished. The wine has wonderful depth and complexity, as well as super structure. Great Via Real. Drinkable now, but better in two or three years. Will age beautifully.

Organic

98 pts Wine Advocate
Their Gran Reserva style red 2015 Penas Aladas Gran Reserva had a very long aging in barrel a total of 54 months including six months of malolactic fermentation. This comes from a myriad of small plots of some of the oldest vines in the village of La Aguilera in the same zone that names the wine at 870 to 890 meters in altitude. The valley receives very cold winds from the Duero River and the vineyards are surrounded by junipers pines and oak trees which makes it up to three degrees Celsius lower than the rest of the village one of the coldest places in the whole of Ribera del Duero. The soils have a layer of sand that is gradually mixed with clay until around one meter deep and then there's a layer of marl and limestone a textbook soil for the vine. 2015 was a powerful vintage and there was some frost that also delivered a little more concentration. The wine has an old Ribera del Duero style with some rusticity and lots of power energy and concentration but with great balance. It has plenty of fine tannins and lots of chalkiness. This should be very long lived. 2223 bottles and 41 magnums were hand bottled unfiltered and unfined in May 2020.

Drinking in it's sweet spot now. Brilliant ruby. Intense red berry liqueur and violet pastille aromas are complicated by suggestions of smoky minerals and Indian spices. Sappy, incisive and spicy on the palate, offering penetrating raspberry and bitter cherry flavors and an emerging hint of candied rose. The persistent finish is enlivened by a zesty mineral note and a jolt of white pepper.

91 pts Vinous
Deep garnet. Smoke-tinged red and blue fruits, candied flowers, cigar box, musky herb and vanilla qualities on the fragrant nose. In a classic, old-school Rioja style, offering sweet cherry-vanilla, red currant, mocha and chewing tobacco flavors that turn livelier with air. Closes long and spicy, with a repeating cherry note and slowly building tannins that add final grip.

96 points Decanter
Beautiful nose coconut cream, vanilla and mocha nose. Smooth and mellow on the rich and velvety palate with lots of sweet spices, dates and chocolate-covered currants. Long-lasting and utterly delicious.

95 points James Suckling
Aromas of dark plum, raspberry, mocha, mushroom, chocolate, mocha, coconut and cigar box. Full-bodied with ripe, fine tannins and bright acidity. Balanced and supple with a velvety texture. Coffee notes on the long, succulent finish. 95% tempranillo and 5% graciano. Drink or hold

94 points Vinous
Brilliant ruby. Energetic, spice- and smoke-accented black raspberry and candied cherry aromas are complemented by suggestions of rose oil, coconut and cured tobacco. Youthfully chewy and focused on entry, offering concentrated red and dark berry, cherry cola and candied licorice flavors that deepen steadily with air. Floral pastille and oak spice notes linger on the impressively long, smoke-tinged finish, which shows excellent clarity and polished tannins.