CH PRIEURE LICHINE 15

It was sold to the Groupe Ballande in 1999, and they astutely employed the ubiquitous Stéphane Derenoncourt as their consulting oenologist. God knows how he fits it all in; with his name everywhere, there must, by now, almost be more pies in play than available fingers.The 2015 Prieuré-Lichine has a tightly wound bouquet, crisp and a little leaner than some of its Margaux compadres. It just feels contained at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with gruff tannin on the entry. There is respectable depth here, but it feels linear and rather predictable towards the blackberry and cedar finish. I would like to see more complexity and personality come through by the time of bottling. It feels a bit bolshie at the moment.