Bordeaux 2015 hype backed by negociant

Reports that Bordeaux may be on the cusp of a great vintage in 2015 have been strongly supported by one of the region’s leading negociants.

Renaud Ruer (Photo: Twitter)

Renaud Ruer, himself a winemaker in the past, concedes, however, that some appellations had better weather conditions than others and likens the harvest to a north-south divide rather than a Left or Right Bank year.

“I prefer to talk about north-south,” he said. “All the Sauternes had almost perfect conditions to welcome noble rot. Talking to Yquem, Sigalas-Rabaud, Coutet and Rayne Vigneau, they have all harvested fantastic rotten grapes. A good sign was the period of harvest – very early and consistently week after week.”

Further north in Graves, Ruer said he saw “perfect berries” at Pape-Clement, Malartic-Lagravieres abd Smith Haut Lafitte. “Haut Brion is very, very promising, and I can’t wait to taste their whites.”

In the Medoc, Margaux, the most southerly of the communes, could be the appellation that makes the best wine on the Left Bank in Ruer’s view. “What I heard from Palmer, Rauzan-Segla and Margaux itself sounds magic,” he declared.

“But St-Julien, Pauillac and St-Estephe, for once, could be the unlucky ones. Periods of rain were heavier there. Montrose, Calon Segur and Cos d’Estournel have something good but they know the conditions were not optimal.”

Ruer declared that St-Emilion and Pomerol may be the winners in 2015. Predicting that chateaux like Troplong Mondot could produce one of their best vintages, he added that Angelus, Pavie and Cheval Blanc “looked amazing” as well. He concluded: “As for prices, it’s far too early to imagine the percentage of increase or decrease from last year.”