Winemaker Notes
The wines of Château MAUCAILLOU are generally sumptuous in color, with a particularly subtle and pleasantly fruity aromatic power; with very ripe, concentrated flavors; harmoniously balanced, full-bodied and generous, all in finesse and elegance. They are "long in the mouth" with a certain "friendliness" which characterizes them and a remarkable aptitude for aging thanks to very fine tannins, but very present.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Ample dark toasted spices and rich mocha aromas sit across a wealth of ripe summer berries and lead to a plush palate that has impressive concentration and freshness. Striking liveliness here.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Already upfront and charming with a complex bouquet of red fruits, underbrush, dusty earth and an almost peppery note, the 2015 Château Maucaillou is elegant and nicely textured on the palate, with terrific depth of fruit. Drink it over the coming 7-10 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
The richness and the potential of the ripe fruits promise well for this wine. Considerable barrel aging has marked it at this stage, giving it a spicy character. It suggests this is a wine for aging because the black-plum and berry fruits are nowhere near ready.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
The leader on the Left Bank in number of first growth classified producers within its boundaries, Pauillac has more than any of the other appellations, at three of the five. Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild border St. Estephe on its northern end and Chateau Latour is at Pauillac’s southern end, bordering St. Julien.
While the first growths are certainly some of the better producers of the Left Bank, today they often compete with some of the “lower ranked” producers (second, third, fourth, fifth growth) in quality and value. The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification that goes back to 1855. The finest chateaux in that year were judged on the basis of reputation and trading price; changes in rank since then have been miniscule at best. Today producers such as Chateau Pontet-Canet, Chateau Grand Puy-Lacoste, Chateau Lynch-Bages, among others (all fifth growth) offer some of the most outstanding wines in all of Bordeaux.
Defining characteristics of fine wines from Pauillac (i.e. Cabernet-based Bordeaux Blends) include inky and juicy blackcurrant, cedar or cigar box and plush or chalky tannins.
Layers of gravel in the Pauillac region are key to its wines’ character and quality. The layers offer excellent drainage in the relatively flat topography of the region allowing water to run off into “jalles” or streams, which subsequently flow off into the Gironde.