Whites
Outstanding
Ch Haut-Brion GCC 96 69% Sauvignon Blanc, 31% Semillon. Focused and aromatic, even though JeanPhilippe Delmas calls this a red wine year. But this is beautiful: textured, taut and pointedly searching, with great structure and integrity to the citrus fruit and vertical lift on the finish. 2018-2030 Ch Smith Haut Lafitte 96 Incredible intensity, length, sweetness, tension and density; it gives you a lovely salinity on the finish, and always that Smith Haut Lafitte flourish. This truly stands out among the 2015 whites. 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris 5% Semillon. 2018-2030 Ch La Mission Haut-Brion 95 Delicate but powerful, this has beautiful aromatics, the bite of a fresh peach and wonderful sense of roundness without being heavy. Gorgeous 67% Semillon, 33% Sauvignon Blanc. Will age beautifully thanks to its clear vibrancy and welldefined flavours. 2018-2030 Domaine de Chevalier GCC 95 Emphasises a lovely sense of precision. Mouthwatering, watermelon juiciness, with round citrus. A seam of freshness runs through, and the palate builds from start to finish with a note of wet stones. Yet another superb vintage; one of the very best whites in Bordeaux. 2017-2028
Highly Recommended
Ch Olivier GCC 94 Flying since its move to 75% Sauvignon Blanc. Great grip, shape and aromatics but also subtle minerality on the finish that gives a lemon peel and wet stone persistency. 2017-2027 Ch Malartic-Lagravière GCC 93 One of the stealth wines of the vintage.
Lime zest acidity builds, along with good tension and savoury herbs. Retains the freshness in the grapes. A lovely wine that will develop. 2017-2027 Ch Pape Clément 93 Achieves difficult balance of keeping to the exotic and rich house style while still ploughing a seam of freshness. A very good wine. 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Semillon, 10% Sauvignon Gris. 2017-2028 Ch Carbonnieux GCC 92 Great definition, with soft white flowers and a graphite kick on the finish. Floral aromatics add a lift – one of the fresher whites of the vintage. 2017-2027 Ch Couhins GCC 92 Exotic fruit and maintaining tension. 85% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Sauvignon Gris aged in a mix of barrels and stainless steel vats, with lees stirring to fatten things up. Savoury, saline finish; lovely. 2017-2027 Ch Couhins-Lurton GCC 92 Apricot stones with fleshy nectarines and citrus zest – a weighty yet restrained feel that could just do with a bit more grip on the finish to really take off. But still a very lovely full, persistent wine. 2017-2025 Ch de Cruzeau 91 Delicate but with plenty of weight and depth that carries right through the palate. A little soft on the finish, but very enjoyable all the same. 100% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% new oak barrels. 2017-2025 Ch de Fieuzal 91 Attractive citrus with rich apricot – one of the 2015s that has managed to scoop up some acidity from the ripe grapes. 55% Sauvignon Blanc and 45% Semillon, aged in 30% new oak barrels. 2018-2028 Ch de Rouillac 91 Richer and more weighty in style than some, this is full of apricots, toast and citrus marmalade. It’s fairly full but has lovely grip through the finish. Excellent wine with a sexy, rich dash. 2017 2025 Ch Brown 90 65% Sauvignon Blanc and 35% Semillon. Good weight of lemon and rich apricot with touches of spark – a bit too soft to really grip through the palate. Still an extremely pretty wine. 2017-2025 Ch Gazin-Rocquencourt 90 Sleek modern cellars have finessed this 100% Sauvignon Blanc. 35% new oak gives fatness to an already ripe year without adding too much flesh. From the owners of Malartic-Lagravière. 2017-2025 Ch La Louvière 90 Weighty apricot fruit and 30% new oak with lees stirring certainly fattens up the palate. Upfront impact and full expression. A contemporary spin without going over the top. Enjoyable. 2016-2023 Ch Larrivet Haut-Brion 90 A full expression of the vintage, with ripe fruit aromas. Very nicely handled, with a sense of weight but a lovely focus on the finish. This is a wine that develops over the palate; sneaks up on you. 2017-2025 Domaine de la Solitude 90 A great-value white from the Olivier Bernard team. Lovely tension between exotic and citrus fruits. Mouthwatering lift. One to enjoy for young- to mediumterm drinking. 2017-2025 Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte 2L 90 80% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Semillon. Only 3,000 bottles made compared to 30,000 for the grand vin. Rushes of lime at first then pauses before coming back in with a lovely burst of acidity. 2017-2021
Recommended
■ Ch Bouscaut GCC 89 ■ Ch Cantelys ■ Ch de France 89 ■ Ch de Rochemorin ■ Ch Ferran 89 ■ Ch Lamothe-Bouscaut 89 ■ La Clarté de Haut-Brion 2L 89 ■ Les Hauts de Smith 89 ■ Ch Haut Bergey 88 ■ Ch La Garde 88 ■ Ch La Tour Martillac GCC 88 ■ Ch Lafont-Menaut 88 ■ Ch le Sartre 88 ■ Ch Lespault-Martillac 88 ■ Ch Picque-Caillou 88 ■ Clos Marsalette 88 ■ Domaine de Grandmaison 88 ■ Ch Luchey-Halde 87 ■ Ch Pontac-Monplaisir 87 ■ Ch d’Alix 86 ■ Ch d’Eck 86