Saint Pierre St-Julien 2015

97 points Jeb Dunnuck: "This 17-hectare estate has been rejuvenated by owner Jean-Louis Triaud and is certainly producing some of the top wines from the appellation today. I tasted the deep, inky-colored 2015 Château Saint-Pierre twice and it’s reminiscent of the 2010, only with more elegance. In 2015 the wine is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc and it spent 14 months in 50% new and 50% once used barrels. Chocolate covered dark fruits, damp earth, tobacco leaf, and lead pencil shaving-like notes emerge from this huge, concentrated beauty that has building tannin and a huge mid-palate. It’s an incredible wine that builds with time in the glass, has no hard edges and is going to 3-4 decades of life. Bravo! Drink: 2018-2058. (11/30/17)"

96 points Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux): "The belief at the time that the 2014 was better than the 2015 in the northern Médoc is not being borne out with years in bottle (maybe Montrose!). The 2014 at Saint Pierre is excellent, but it's the 2015 that you want to go to if you're lookig for depth and future potential - this is loaded up with nuance and aromatic complexity. 2015 was the year where everything was new at Saint Pierre - newly renovated and expanded winery, more plot by plot vinification with tanks that range from 78hl to 135hl, with vertical press to replace pneumatic press, plus an expanded barrel cellar that allowed more than half of the press wine to be aged separately in barrel before being added to the blend. 50% new oak for ageing, harvest September 21 to October 7, Eric Boissenot consultant. Alcohol 13.5%. Drink: 2025-2043. (2/3/22)"

95 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent): "Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2015 Saint-Pierre is still very youthful and a tad closed on the nose, offering scents of cedar, redcurrant preserves, and ripe blackcurrants, plus hints of rose oil and cloves. The medium- bodied palate is taut with tight-knit black fruits, framed by firm tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and spicy. Alcohol 13.5%. Drink: 2023-2039. (11/17/22)"

95 points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 2015 Saint-Pierre has a scintillating nose of brilliantly defined black fruit with superb mineralité. You can feel the energy coming from this bouquet. The medium-bodied palate is precise and pixelated, displaying fine-grained tannin and wonderful balance, leading to an exquisite, detailed, almost Margaux-like finish. Utterly graceful. This impressed me so much just after bottling, far more than in barrel, and assessed blind against its peers, it represents a convincing argument that Saint-Pierre is becoming one of the go-to Saint-Julien crus. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting. (Jul 2019)"

94 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "Saint-Pierre is quite possibly the most under the radar wine in Saint-Julien. The 2015 is fantastic. Rich, powerful and explosive, with tremendous depth and structure, the 2015 has so much to offer. Wild cherry, tobacco, leather, smoke and grilled herbs add shades of nuance, but it is the wine's intensity and pure pedigree that stand out most. The 2015 is decidedly powerful, but it is also quite vivid and exceptionally beautiful. The blend is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc. Drink: 2023-2030. (Feb 2018)"

94 points Chris Kissack (Winedoctor): "A classically composed style, showing dark fruit swirled with coffee grounds and toasted oak on the nose. It reminds me of a very young 1995 Saint-Pierre, when I first encountered twenty-or-so years ago. The palate shows an elegant and polished texture, poised rather than overly rich, with a finely grained bed of tannins married with similarly grained oak, and a good fruit substance holding the two together. This an impressive wine for the appellation and vintage. As with its stablemate Gloria, this is showing a touch better than it did at the primeurs. (May 2018)"

94 points (17/20)/'Le Coup de Coeur,' La Revue du Vin de France: "Behind a woodiness that hasn't quite melted away, we see a wine that is imposing, mature, full-bodied and generous, yet beautifully balanced. This bottle is built for long ageing. (2019)"

94 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "Full bodied, concentrated, round and refined, the wine kicks off with a nose packed with espresso, licorice, cassis, blackberry and floral notes. The fruit is fruit, sweet and ripe. The finish is all about its sweet, ripe, polished, core of fruit with its smoke and espresso undertones. I really like the energy, refinement and almost lush textures on the palate found here. (Mar 2018)"

94 points Tim Atkin, MW (Apr 2016).

93 points Wine Spectator: "Dark currant, blackberry and boysenberry reduction notes form the core, while a racy, charcoal-edged spine cuts through from start to finish. The long finish smolders with a warm cast iron accent. Well done. Best from 2022 through 2038. (3/31/18)"

93 points Stephen Brook (Decanter): "Saint-Pierre is the smallest of the classed growths in St-Julien, with just 1 ha under vine, and parcels near Ducru-Beaucaillou and Beychevelle. Jean-Louis Triaud directs the property with a sure hand. Elegant blackcurrant aromas and a touch of dried herbs and tobacco. Initially plump and full-bodied, but robust tannins soon kick in and this gains weight on the mid-palate. Sturdy, chocolatey finish, and fine length. Drinking Window: 2022-2036. (Jun 2020)"

93 points Peter Moser (Falstaff): "Deep ruby with purple reflections and subtle rim brightening. Distinct toasty aromas, subtle blackberry fruit and tobacco nuances. Medium-bodied with a mineral touch, fresh cherry, a lively structure, integrated tannins, lingers, will benefit from further bottle ripening. (3/14/19)"