2015 Ripeau

The 2015 Ripeau is a powerful, intense wine. I had hoped the formidable tannins would soften a bit during the wine's aging, but that hasn't exactly happened. Even so, the 2015 has a good bit of depth and complexity. Plum, lavender, licorice and spice infuse this potent, if not especially refined, Saint-Émilion.

From an estate owned by the Grégoire family and managed by Julien Salles that’s seeing huge investments and renovation, the 2015 Château Ripeau checks in as 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc brought up all in new oak. It’s a gorgeous wine on all accounts, which given that this terroir is located near Cheval Blanc, La Conseillante, and Figeac, should surprise no one. Beautiful notes of crème de cassis, blueberries, toasty oak, lead pencil shavings, and Asian spice all emerge from the glass and this beauty is full-bodied, concentrated and layered, with enough underlying structure to warrant 3-4 years of bottle age. This estate also utilizes consultant Claude Gros and this estate’s bandwagon is worth getting on for readers looking for an up and coming superstar.