2015 La Lagune

The 2015 La Lagune has never really shown as well as it might. However, this bottle, poured blind, suggests that this has suddenly "awoken". It has a well-defined, estuarine-tinged bouquet with blackberry, wild hedgerow and veins of pressed violet. The oak is nicely integrated. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh, sapid and lightly spiced, with fine tannins and a lingering, classy finish. The 2015 is excellent. Tasted blind at the 2015 Bordeaux Ten-Year-On tasting at Farr Vintners.

Tasted blind. Strange spicy note – odd oak? – but rich fruit. Difficult to score this. Could easily seduce but certainly isn’t pure. Very hard. (JR)

The 2015 La Lagune is a wine that I had reservations towards out of barrel and now in bottle, I still feel this was a dropped catch in a benevolent growing season. It has a backward bouquet with blackberry, wild hedgerow and subtle floral scents. It has gained some intensity since I tasted it in barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. This is well balanced but maybe as I remarked during en primeur, it feels as if it lacks weight and density on the mid-palate. It is certainly fresh and full of tension, but feels linear and a tad chewy in texture towards the finish. This is a rare instance where I prefer the excellent 2014 instead of 2015. Tasted at the La Lagune vertical at the château.