No, and I completely agree with you here - 2015 definitely isn’t a vintage that would come across as underripe-green. My point was rather that having a little bit of pyrazines left if the grapes didn’t achieve full maturity due to the vines shutting down, might lend an atypical green note that one wouldn’t associate with typically weedy, underripe greenness of pyrazines due to the otherwise very ripe and at times even tropical character of the fruit. Having both pyrazines and very ripe, exotic fruit character is something people rarely encounter (well, apart from NZ SB) and thus might make a wine feel atypically green.
But in cases where the grapes don’t have any obvious greenness to them, just are “lacking something” might be just grapes that have achieved good sugar ripeness and phenolic ripeness, but not necessarily that level of ripeness grapes need to develop the necessary flavor precursors - a process which might also be affected if a vine shuts down during summer. This is a phenomenon widely observed in very warm vintages in Piedmont, where Nebbiolo is harvested way too early - in late August or in early September - as the grape often develops fully only in late September or even in October. This is why wines of similar level of ripeness (up to being seemingly similar in numbers when looking at technical analyses) can be noticeably different aromatically - usually the wines made with fruit harvested later in the season tend to develop those fragrant Nebbiolo aromatics so much better. I wouldn’t be surprised if something similar had happened with warm vintage Champagnes.
Very few have reached the market yet. I’ve seen some Dehu and Agrapart. I’ve yet to taste anything from the vintage. I’m basing my purchasing decisions on the reports we heard from multiple growers and champagne houses during our visit there in October. They were enthusiastic about multiple vintages, but especially 2019. We heard that despite Spring frost and a hot, dry summer, the nights were cool leading up to harvest. It led to what sounds like my type of vintage; excellent ripeness and concentration, balanced sugar and acid levels.
Resurrecting this as I didn’t see any more recent discussion…
What are people’s thoughts two years along? I haven’t drunk much 2015 apart from Laherte Grandes Crayeres (too early in 2021, too piercing) and Laherte Beaudiers (a couple of months ago, delicious like a 2015 village red Burgundy).
Particular reason for asking is that I have two kids, a 2012 and a 2015… easy to buy birth year Champagne for my eldest, but not sure what to get for my younger child. I have a bottle each of Cristal, a few different Agrapart and Vilmart, and some mags of Bollinger LGA… but would like to top up. Which 2015 Champagnes are worth stocking up on and likely to still be showing well in the mid-2030s (and ideally beyond)?
(She will have plenty of birth year red to drink, of course!)
I thought 2015 Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill was shockingly very disappointing, but otherwise I’ve been happy with 2015s from a variety of producers (e.g., Dhondt-Grellet, La Rogerie, Dom Perignon, Cristal, La Grande Dame, etc.)
I’ve generally liked what I’ve tasted, with the exception of the Hebrart Rive Gauche/Rive Droite, which I normally like a lot, and a totally bizarre and disappointing bottle of the Filaine Sensuum Vertigo, which I really hope is an aberration.
Generally I’ve been pretty cautious, buying producers that I have found to be very reliable. Bottles I’ve opened from Vilmart, Falmet, Laherte Freres have been very good. Maybe not as good as 2012/13 but still solid, pleasure sparking champagnes. Also tried a Pertois Lebrun (Le Fond du Bateau) that I thought was great. Bouchard’s Val Vilaine was special, glad I have a few more.
Yes, the 2015 is good. I shared this with @Peter_Chiu and we both liked it and found it ready to go.
I haven’t had many 15 millésimés but the few others (Hommage à William Deutz Meurtet, Christophe Dechannes, Lancelot-Pienne and Vignon) didn’t show any green to my taste.
Caveat, I’m more tolerant to green than many others. @Otto_Forsberg and @IlkkaL any 2015 bubbles where greenies have shown up? Wouldn’t mind hearing from @Russell_Faulkner as well!
I loved the experience and enjoyed it very much - but my knowledge for Champagne is well like best to keep it as a secret and I needed for encounter and encouragement from friend like Phil and looking forward for him to move back to Canada before we became a new State of USA or a new tariff of 25% on all French wines and/or Champagnes.
Totally agree about Cristal. The 2015 was very disappointing to me. It was flabby and green, not sure how that was pulled off.
I didn’t like the DP either. It’s not that interesting, and I found it to have a ricey sweetness that wasn’t enjoyable.
Bollinger GA was good, but the 2014 was light years better (honestly, the best Champagne on the market right now for the money).
Some of the growers I’ve had were better, but generally I’ve been able to taste the 2014 and/or 2016 version and well, and have found one, other or both to be better.
I think the Vilmart CdC is going to be terrific in the future but it’s quite taut now and I’d let it rest for now. Odds are highly in your favor for cellaring that one. The Grand Cellier d’Or was good but just not that interesting to me at least for the price.
We had this 2015 last night. I love the Mineral and was pretty excited to try this. While it was good and there were no green notes, it didn’t leave much of an impression. Blind, I could have been convinced it was the Sept Cru for a third of the price. My first Avizoise, so I can’t for certain blame the vintage, but this is one of their top wines.
I’ve had some 2015s that were/are fine. Ruppert-Leroy, Laherte Freres and Vilmart to name a few.
In my own view about vintage, my belief (and experiences) have shown that talented people do the best of what they got. As a result, I don’t skip vintages or buy less in a given year.
Count me in the chorus of being disappointed by the 15 Cristal. My experience was very similar to yours.
I’ve had some pretty good 15s and I’ve had some just okay wines. It’s not a vintage I’d stock up on nor is it one I’m really lookin to buy much of for drinking at this point. It’s a pretty easy pass as there are too many good Champagnes out there to focus on this vintage at this point
