2015 Chateau Lalande Borie St Julien

The 2015 Lalande-Borie is a blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 55% Merlot. Picked from 26 September until 2-3 October, it has a surprising bouquet: high-toned and exotic for the vintage, very intense cassis and iodine aromas, perhaps needing just a little more complexity to come through, though I am sure it will by the time of bottling. The palate is more controlled at the moment, restores order as it were. The tannins are quite dense, lending weight to this Lalande-Borie, the acidity is nicely judged and the finesse finally comes through towards the finish.- Neal Martin (04/2016)