2015 Château Cissac

The 2015 Cissac is a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot cropped at 36Hl/Ha. It has a clean and fresh bouquet – lifted blackberry and wild hedgerow aromas, well integrated new oak and gaining intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp acidity, quite fresh and detailed with a classic, graphite-tinged second half that begs you back for another sip. This replicates its satisfying performance at last year's Cru Bourgeois tasting. Tasted at the Oenoconseil tasting room in Bordeaux.

The 2015 Château Cissac comes from a larger estate (45 hectares) plated to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot. The 2015 spent 14 months in 30% new oak and offers a medium-bodied, leathery, currant-scented profile. It has more charm and depth on the palate than the nose and should be drunk over the coming 6-7 years.

Tasted at the Cru Bourgeois annual tasting, the 2015 Cissac (which curiously I did not taste during en primeur) has a well-defined bouquet with lifted blackberry and undergrowth notes. I would have preferred more intensity but it is charming and precise. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite edgy in style with crisp tannins and vivid black, cedar-infused fruit toward the finish. Enjoy this Cissac over the next decade. Tasted September 2017.