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Les Cruzelles 2015

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > Lalande Pomerol
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyMerlot/Cabernet Franc

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Vignobles Denis Durantou

Label

Tasting Notes

The 2015 Les Cruzelles has a fragrant, pure and winsome bouquet with joyful dark cherry and crushed strawberry aromas. It has clearly lost the bashfulness it showed in barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, very well balanced with succulent, brambly red fruit mixed with truffle and a hint of black olive. This has really blossomed in barrel and frankly, it shows up a lot of Pomerol crus this vintage. Factor in the price that this was released en primeur and if you do not have a case in your cellar, well, too bad! Anticipated maturity: 2020 - 2030.

93
Neal Martin, March 2018

This is very floral and regal for this appellation with blackberries and dark tea. Medium to full body, fine and polished tannins and a beautiful finish. Love to taste this. Drink now.

93
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2018

I've loved this wine since the first time I tasted it En Primeur, and at six years old it's at the perfect moment to drink. Juicy bueberry and raspberry fruits, a trace of lemongrass and crushed stone minerality, a great choice to bring out on an easy evening with friends and feel sure that it will be a hit. 45% new oak.

Top 5 Value Wines of the Year 2021

93
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com, October 2021

Tasted blind. Intrigue and spice on the nose. Clean and fresh. Pretty drying on the end but promising, even if pretty youthful. Sandpaper finish.
Drink 2025-2037

16.5+
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, February 2019

With a deep ruby colour in the glass, there is ripe, succulent red cherry, red plum, a light smokiness and exotic cinnamon and nutmeg on the nose here. The palate has a wonderful, dense and explosive core of red fruits - cherries and plums abound in both hedgerow and bramble flavours. The oak is integrating nicely, leaving notes of creamy vanilla and clove that complement the fruit. The intensity builds through to the finish, with the fruit wrapped in chalky, ripe tannins that are now resolving nicely. Now drinking superbly well and confirms our initial thought that this would be an outstanding Cruzelles. Drink now, or over the next 10+ years.

93+
Farr Vintners, Farr Tasting, November 2020

Another release from Denis Durantou, the 2015 Château Les Cruzelles comes from the Lalande de Pomerol appellation and is 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc aged in 45% new French oak. It offers a gorgeous bouquet of black cherries, red currants, spring flowers and smoked herbs, with a touch of background oak. With almost a hint of blue fruits, a terrific floral undercurrent, good acidity, and sweet tannin, it’s just another beautiful wine from Durantou that’s well worth seeking out. It will keep for a decade or more. 2018 - 2028

91
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, November 2017

Brooding black fruits the nose has depth richness and the palate fleshy black plum. The tannins are fine supporting but not obvious the back palate has richness and ripe fruit the finish though lighter and bright. 2021-32

90/92
Derek Smedley MW, DerekSmedleyMW.co.uk, April 2016

Grown on a mixture of gravel and clay soils, this is often one of the bargains of the vintage.
This is leafy, floral and complex with plummy plushness, fine tannins and deftly integrated
oak. Very easy to drink. Drink: 2020-28

92
Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, April 2016

A little more red-fruited than its stablemate La Chenade and also longer and drier on the finish, this is an attenuated
wine with firm tannins. The volume and subtlety in the delivery of the fruit will be more than enough to keep these
tannins at bay until the wine is ready to drink, which will not be for at least five years. Impressive and fascinating.

17+
Matthew Jukes, Matthew Jukes' Blog, April 2016
Read more tasting notes...

The 2015 Les Cruzelles is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc on gravel/clayey soil, picked from September 15-22 and October 6 respectively, then matured in 45% new oak. The new wood is seamlessly integrated into this Lalande-de-Pomerol, more broody and introspective than the La Chenade at the moment, but very well defined. The palate is beautifully proportioned with crisp tannin, a fine line of acidity, somehow gentle and understated on the finish, but very long in the mouth. Yet another ridiculously fine wine to load up on, courtesy of Denis Durantou. Drink 2018-2035

91/93
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (224), April 2016

This is so on it with velvety tannins and rich fruit. So much fun to taste. Generous and exotic.

92/93
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2016

Crimson. Scented and compact nose. Savoury and supple. Very fine for a Lalande-de-Pomerol. Maybe flattering because it went into barrel before Chenade.
Drink 2020-2026

16.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2016

This 11 hectare property in Lalande de Pomerol is situated 1 km from the famous plateau of Pomerol, and is visible from the back door of Eglise Clinet. The Château was purchased in 2000 by Denis Durantou who ages the crop in 50% new oak and relegates fruit from the younger vines to his La Chenade label. Often better than many Pomerols and Saint Emilions that we taste, yet far cheaper thanks to the unfashionable appellation. 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. Grapes are selected from the best terroirs of the vineyard - clay soils similar to those on the plateau of Pomerol. A wine that always reminds us of a top Pomerol. Recent vintages have been stunning. Along with Roc de Cambes, this is, in our view, the best wine produced in a "satelite appellation" of Bordeaux. Pricing policy is moderate. We absolutely love Les Cruzelles and the 2015 is no exception! Deep purple in colour with an exotic blackberry, clove and cinnamon nose. The smoky oak has a charcoal quality that emphasises the ripe cassis and fig notes on the palate. Creamy, plush and plump with black fruits and menthol, the intensity builds to a generous and ripe finish. The tannins are silky and approachable, framing the sweet vanilla from the new oak, another superb effort from Denis with this Cruzelles.

92
Farr Vintners, March 2016
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.