2015 Château Raymond-Lafon

The 2015 Raymond Lafon has a Germanic bouquet that's more petrolly than its peers, which masks some terroir expression. The palate is well balanced with ample viscosity on the entry, but it does not have the bandwidth or complexity of the best Sauternes. Tasted blind at the 2015 Bordeaux Ten-Year-On tasting.

The 2015 Raymond-Lafon has a pure and honeyed bouquet with traces of white flowers, apricot and saffron. The palate is well balanced with commendable depth and fine acidity, if just missing the complexity and terroir expression of the superlative 2016. Quite linear and poised on the finish, this shows impressive mineralité and should drink well for many years.

80% Sémillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc. Harvested from 21 September to 22 October. Fermentation in stainless steel. Aged for 20 months in oak barrels. Bottled from 29 to 31 May 2017. RS 135 g/l, TA 5.23 g/l, pH 3.86. Total SO 2 258 mg/l, free SO 2 42 mg/l. Full bottle and very sweet. Maybe just not quite enough acidity but a fantastic price for such a wine, as I have pointed out before ! GV (JR)