Chateau du Tertre 5eme Cru Classe, Margaux 2015

A rich and layered red with dark-berry and chocolate character. Full-bodied, round and juicy with supple tannins. Delicious finish of spices and walnuts. Generous yet fresh. So approachable now but better in 2021.

Full of a late summer evening feel, where the sense of exuberance fits the sheer languid sexiness of the thing. This has smoky oak, rich blueberries and charcoal. The ripe fruit is not precise so much as enticing; it's an unhurried and extremely beguiling wine.

Drink 2023 - 2038

The 2015 du Tertre showed well in barrel and it continues to do so in bottle. It has a clean and fresh bouquet with blackberry, bilberry, cedar and light iodine aromas that are well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin. It is quite structured in style for du Tertre, perhaps a nod to Pauillac in terms of its graphite note toward the finish. It has closed down a little since I tasted it in October at the UGC tasting but it will open up next summer. Good potential here, but you might have to wait longer than for other vintages of du Tertre.

Drink 2022 - 2040

The 2015 du Tertre is a firm, potent wine with plenty of energy and overall drive. As it did from barrel, the bottled 2015 comes across as lacking a bit of mid-palate depth, which makes the wine its rather compact feel. There is good nuance to the savory, earthy flavors, but I would like to see a little more fruit and overall depth. Even so, the 2015 is an attractive wine with plenty of character. The blend is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot.

Drink 2020 - 2035