2015 Château Paveil-de-Luze

The 2015 Paveil de Luze is delicious. Super-ripe red cherry, tobacco, crushed flowers, licorice and mint are pushed forward in this decidedly ripe, forward Margaux Cur Bourgeois. It's nice to see how well the 2015 has developed in barrel. Readers should expect a sumptuous, racy style.

Tasted at the Cru Bourgeois annual tasting, the 2015 Paveil-de-Luze felt a little volatile on the nose when I tasted it, touches of mulberry and mulch developing with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, moderate depth, classic in style and cleaner on the palate than on the nose. Hopefully it will gain more class during its bottle aging but at the moment, it needs to learn a few manners. Tasted September 2017.

80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot. Cooked blackcurrant fruit, smoke and spice, medium body then very grainy tannin that overwhelms the palate at this stage. Not sure there is quite enough fruit power to match it for longevity. (RH)