JCP Maltus, Château Teyssier, 2015
JCP Maltus, Château Teyssier, 2015
- 75cl
- 14.5%
- Red Still
- Merlot, Cabernet Franc
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Optimal drinking window: Now - 2038
JCP Maltus is the personal project of our friend Jonathan Maltus, the British entrepreneur who arrived in Saint-Émilion in the late 1990s and proceeded to do things his own way. Based at Château Teyssier on the limestone plateau, this is a wine that has always operated at the ambitious end of the Maltus portfolio - low yields, meticulous selection, and the kind of concentration that right-bank Merlot delivers when it's pushed hard. The 2015 vintage gave him exceptional raw material: a warm, dry summer that built fruit intensity without sacrificing freshness, and a harvest picked at near-perfect ripeness.
"Dark crimson. Rather sweet, dried-fruit aromas. But then there is freshness and this is an appetising whole."
17/20 Jancis Robinson
A decade on, this is in a lovely spot. The primary fruit is integrating, the oak has knitted in, and there's a composed, almost meditative quality to it now — dark plum, graphite, a whisper of iron and dried herbs. The tannins are polished but still purposeful.
The 2015 vintage's primary fruit — all that exuberant dark plum and black cherry — has largely settled into something more composed and layered over the past decade. Right now the wine sits in a genuinely enjoyable middle phase: the tannins are smooth, the oak is absorbed, and secondary complexity in the form of leather, dried herbs, and earthy depth is starting to emerge. Hold it another three to five years and that secondary character will become more pronounced and the wine more complete. Drink by 2038 to catch it at its most satisfying.
What the critics say:
"Bright summer berry compote and light pastry notes. The palate has a plush, ripe and open-knit feel. Drink now."
"Medium to deep ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Teyssier (a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc) gives up lovely black and red cherries notions with cinnamon stick, fragrant earth and potpourri nuances. Medium-bodied and fresh with a satiny texture, it's earthy and elegant in the mouth with a perfumed finish."
Tasting Notes
AppearanceDeep garnet with a dense, almost opaque core and a rim that is just beginning to shift toward ruby-brick.
NoseDark plum and black cherry lead, then cedary spice and a thread of iron-rich graphite that gives it real interest. There's a lifted violet note — Cabernet Franc doing its quiet work — and a whisper of mocha from well-integrated oak.
PalateFull-bodied but not heavy, with silky tannins that have genuinely softened since release. The fruit is ripe and concentrated without being jammy, and there's a cool mineral current running through the mid-palate that keeps the whole thing lively. The 2015 warmth is present but disciplined.
FinishLong and savoury, with graphite and dried herb lingering well past the fruit.
Overall impressionA serious, well-made Right Bank red at a point where it's giving real pleasure but still has years ahead of it.
Food Pairings
On the Right Bank, this kind of wine is traditionally poured alongside entrecôte bordelaise — a thick-cut ribeye finished with a reduction of shallots, bone marrow, and red wine that mirrors the wine's own character back at you. Magret de canard, the rich breast of a foie gras duck, is another classic match; the wine's dark fruit and savouriness cuts through the fat effortlessly. In winter, a slow-braised daube de boeuf with olives and orange peel is precisely what this calls for. Even a well-aged Comté or a slab of Cantal will do the job if you're keeping things simple.
We think this wine would go well with
Serve at around 17°C — slightly cooler than full room temperature, which helps preserve the wine's freshness. Decant for at least an hour; two hours won't hurt. The wine has had eleven years to integrate but it opens up noticeably with air. A large-bowled Burgundy-style glass works well here, giving the floral Cabernet Franc notes room to express themselves alongside the denser Merlot fruit.
Château Teyssier sits on the limestone plateau of Saint-Émilion, with soils that mix clay-limestone over a bedrock that drains well but retains just enough moisture to keep vines from stressing in warm years. The altitude is modest but the plateau aspect means good air circulation and cooler nights than the valley floors below. This combination gives Merlot from this site structure and freshness that the heavier clay soils closer to Pomerol don't always deliver.
Saint-Émilion is one of Bordeaux's oldest and most celebrated appellations, sitting on the Right Bank of the Dordogne where Merlot and Cabernet Franc dominate rather than the Cabernet Sauvignon that reigns in the Médoc. The appellation has a notoriously complex classification system — revised controversially in recent years — but Teyssier sits outside the grand cru classé tier, which means it competes on quality and price alone rather than prestige. The best Right Bank estates deliver wines of real richness and texture, typically more approachable young than their Left Bank counterparts, though the top cuvées age handsomely.
We absolutely adore 2015 Bordeaux, and frankly, we think it might be the most underrated vintage of the decade. The growing season was a fairy tale: a warm, dry summer with just enough rain in September to plump up the grapes before a gloriously sunny harvest. The Right Bank had a particularly brilliant time of it, with Merlot ripening to perfection, whilst the Cabernet Sauvignon on the Left Bank achieved that magical balance between power and elegance that makes collectors weak at the knees.
What emerged were wines of remarkable concentration and finesse – think 2010's structure with 2009's generosity, but with their own distinct personality. The tannins are silky rather than muscular, the fruit is pure and focused, and there's an underlying freshness that keeps everything in perfect harmony. We find these wines utterly charming already, drinking beautifully now with a few hours in the decanter, but the best will happily cellar for another 15-20 years. If you're looking for Bordeaux that combines immediate pleasure with serious ageing potential, 2015 is your vintage.
FAQs
What does JCP Maltus taste like?
Dark plum, black cherry, graphite, and mocha, with a violet lift from the Cabernet Franc and silky tannins that have softened beautifully over eleven years. It's rich and concentrated but has a savoury, mineral thread that keeps it from feeling heavy.
When should I drink the 2015 vintage?
It's drinking well right now and has been for a year or two. We'd say enjoy it any time from now until around 2038, with the sweet spot likely somewhere in the 2027 to 2033 range when secondary complexity is at its peak.
Should I decant it?
Yes — give it at least an hour in a decanter before you pour. The wine opens up significantly with air, releasing the floral and herbal notes that can be a little closed straight from the bottle.
What food should I serve with this?
Anything rich and savoury: a well-aged ribeye, duck breast, slow-braised beef, or a robust aged cheese. This is a wine built for a proper dinner, not a light lunch.
Is this worth cellaring further?
It's already in a lovely place, so there's no urgency to wait. That said, if you have the patience, another five to seven years will bring additional complexity. Beyond 2033 the fruit may begin to fade, so don't sit on it indefinitely.
Who makes JCP Maltus and why is it interesting?
Jonathan Maltus is a self-taught British winemaker who built a serious portfolio of Right Bank Bordeaux from scratch after buying Château Teyssier in 1994. The JCP range represents his most personal selections — made outside the grand cru establishment, which means the quality-to-price ratio is often more honest than the famous names further up the hill.
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