The 2015 Vieux Château Mazerat is another sensational Saint Emilion from Jonathan Maltus. A blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc, it offers a heavenly bouquet of blackberry liqueur, cassis, toasted spices, graphite, and scorched earth-like minerality. Deep, full-bodied, layered, and opulent, yet with awesome purity and precision, this tour de force is already approachable yet will cruise in the cellar for 15+ years. Bravo!
Coming from a single vineyard possessing vines planted in 1947 and composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon with 35% Cabernet Franc, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Vieux Chateau Mazerat opens with expressive crème de cassis, dark chocolate, charcuterie and plum preserves with hints of incense, Indian spices and cigar box. The palate is big and rich with firm, grainy tannins and a touch of prune character, plus a lively backbone and long earth-laced finish.
This powerful wine has great structure, fine and elegant tannins, and ripe black fruits. It wears its heart on its sleeve. The concentration doesn't take away from the juicy fruit and wealth of complex flavors. A wine with a great future, it won't be ready to drink before 2026.
A ight singed alder note gives way to gently steeped plum and black currant fruit flavors. The structure is polished in feel, with a bolt of licorice snap checking in on the finish. Best from 2019 through 2030. 775 cases made.
Very plush, silky and dense. With impressive balance and depth, this wine carries ripe plum aromas and flavors in a long, glycerol-coated palate. Drink or hold.
Jonathan Maltus pushes ripeness to the edge in the Vieux Château Mazerat. Blackberry jam, bittersweet chocolate, cloves, new leather and menthol are some of the many notes that run through the 2015. Maltus's wines are always very much on the opulent side of the things, but Vieux Château Mazerat sits on the extreme edge of ripeness and flamboyance in 2015. Although the wine has developed nicely, I find myself gravitating toward some of the other wines in the range.
