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2015-rhone-vintage

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2015 Rhône Vintage (JLL / drinkRhone.com)

Summary

2015 announced itself as a landmark vintage in the Northern Rhône almost immediately, with Marcel Guigal declaring it “the vintage of his lifetime.” The reds are full-bodied, packed with content, and were complete from an unusually early stage — JLL found himself writing coherent tasting notes instead of quick scribbles even when the wines were weeks old. The whites were trickier due to sustained heat periods, contrasting sharply with the crystalline 2014s. The Southern Rhône intro reports were less developed (behind a paywall), but Tavel growers called the grapes the most handsome in a decade, and the vintage is broadly considered very good to excellent across the South.

Northern Rhône

Overview

JLL: “What struck me immediately when tasting the red wines was how complete they were, so early. So a few scribbles in my Rhodia notebook were replaced by coherent sentences and descriptions. This state of affairs lasted, as well, into when the wines were months, not weeks, old.”

The reds are full-bodied, packed with content, and not hard to get into. For those who do not know the Rhône well, these are wines whose virtues can be assessed and enjoyed without much obstacle. They should live well. 2015 tannins are more structured and fuller than the more naturally soft 2017 tannins.

The whites are more challenging due to the sustained heat; the contrast with the crystalline 2014 whites is large.

By Appellation

  • Côte-Rôtie — Marcel Guigal: “the vintage of my lifetime.” The wines showed completeness from the very start.
  • Hermitage — Chave rouge six stars (“a true, full-blooded Hermitage, broad and extremely long”). Chave Cathelin was made — the Méal-influenced bottling, “magnificently rich.” Sorrel Le Gréal among the “mighty” vintages.
  • Cornas — Clape’s 2015 will run into the 2050s per JLL’s assessment. Allemand made the “Special” Reynard from old Verset vineyard (1,200-1,400 bottles).
  • Saint-Joseph — Jamet Côtes du Rhône was rated five stars, “way above its station.” Chave introduced Saint-Joseph Clos Florentin from 100-year-old Syrah.

Southern Rhône

Overview

The Southern intro text is brief in JLL’s public reports. Guillaume Demoulin of Château de Trinquevedel on 2015 Tavel: “In my ten years I have never seen such handsome grapes.” JLL considers 2016 superior to 2015 in the Southern Rhône overall, but 2015 remains a very good to excellent year.

By Appellation

  • Châteauneuf-du-Pape — Clos des Papes: “a bolder, more demanding wine requiring patience.” Rayas white: “gracefully curved, detailed, varied and subtle prompts. Great alongside a J-L Chave Hermitage blanc.”
  • Tavel — Exceptional grape quality; the most handsome grapes in a decade per growers.

Top Wines

Northern Rhône

  • Chave Hermitage Rouge — six stars; “a true, full-blooded Hermitage”
  • Chave Ermitage Cathelin — Méal-influenced; “magnificently rich, sturdy heartbeat, spice, iron, plum”
  • Allemand Cornas Special from Reynards — first vintage of this cuvée from old Verset vineyard; only 1,200-1,400 bottles
  • Clape Cornas — will live into the 2050s
  • Sorrel Hermitage Le Gréal — among the “mighty” vintages
  • Jamet Côtes du Rhône — five stars; “way above its station”

Southern Rhône

Key Themes

  1. Guigal’s vintage of a lifetime. Marcel Guigal’s declaration set the tone for the entire Northern Rhône. The immediacy and completeness of the reds even as young wines was unprecedented in JLL’s experience, confirming 2015 as a landmark.

  2. The beginning of the hot era. 2015 marks the start of the run of hot years that would define the late 2010s (2015, 2017, 2018, 2019), with only 2016 as the cooler exception. The whites already showed the stress of heat, foreshadowing the challenges to come.

  3. Structured tannins for the long haul. Unlike the softer 2017 or the more immediately seductive 2020, the 2015 tannins are structured and full, suggesting these are wines built for decades of cellaring. Clape’s 2015 projected to live into the 2050s. The Chave Hermitage received the maximum six-star rating.

Sources

  • sources/articles/JLL/rhone_vintage_reports.json — “2015 Northern Rhône” and “2015 Southern Rhône” (JLL / drinkRhone.com)

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