CHÂTEAU LAGRANGE

The 2009 Lagrange was picked from 28 September to 6 October. This has a sensual and very floral bouquet with lavender and violet aromas infusing the plush and generous red berry fruit. It retains fine delineation despite its concentration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, velvety smooth with layers of red berry fruit laced with clove and thyme, gently fanning out towards the caressing finish. Superb. Tasted at the Lagrange vertical at the estate. Drinking range: 2021 - 2044 Rating: 94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Dec 2020)

The nose has the freshness of bilberry and bramble but the fruit on the palate is sweet with ripe cassis and black plum. The tannins have mellowed a bit still quite firm yet not over hard or aggressive with the sweetness of the fruit filling out the back palate and finish. 2019-38 Rating: 92 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (Dec 2013)

Saturated medium ruby. Sexy aromas of cassis, licorice, menthol and cedar. Tightly wound, classic and intense, with sharply delineated flavors of dark berries, violet and minerals complemented by well-integrated oak. Dense, suave Saint-Julien wine with a very fresh, slightly austere finish. With its solid structure and excellent length, this will require at least five or six years of cellaring. A superb vintage for this property. Rating: 92 Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (Jul 2012)

This Japanese-owned third growth is very Cabernet Sauvignon in style, with firm, slightly four-square tannins, but good underlying acidity and bright blackcurrant fruit. The tannins should soften in barrel and bottle to produce something with considerable style and restraint. 10+ years. Rating: 91 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2010)

(73% cabernet sauvignon and 27% merlot; 13.5 % alcohol; pH 3.7) Dark ruby. Precise aromas of flowers, redcurrant, dried herbs, cedar and tobacco. Lush, rich and fine-grained, with lovely inner-mouth spicy and floral lift to its pure redcurrant and cranberry flavors complicated by graphite and ink. Finishes with a pretty mineral persistence and high-quality but youthfully aggressive tannins that beg for a little more time to resolve fully. Not a blockbuster but charming and stylish, in typical Lagrange fashion. The higher-than-normal cabernet presence makes this a distinctly sturdy example of Lagrange. Rating: 89-92 Ian d'Agata, www.vinousmedia.com (May 2010)

A slightly lighter, less powerful style of St.-Julien, but also less oaky than previous vintages have tended to be, the 2009 Lagrange offers attractive, fresh, red and black currant notes, and an elegant as well as corpulent attack and mid-palate. This wine does not have the weight of the “big boys” of St.-Julien, but it displays an endearing finesse, freshness, and purity. It is by no means a wimpish, understated wine, but in the context of the 2009 vintage, it is somewhat overwhelmed by many of its neighbors. Enjoy it over the next two decades. Rating: 90-93 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Apr 2010)

A blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon and 27% Merlot (no Petit Verdot). A very deep, almost opaque garnet/purple colour. The nose has beautiful definition with scents of ripe blackberries, small black cherries, blueberry, a touch of mint and cedar. Very focused with the oak completely in synch with the fruit. Seamless tannins on the full-bodied palate, lively and animated, very taut, this is not the cashmere wine of Ducru for example, a little firmer in terms of the backbone, very well balanced, perhaps a little more masculine. Tightly coiled towards the espresso/minerally finish, really leaving a tingle of excitement on the tongue. Superb – real finesse in the wine, although that comes through leaving it for five minutes in the glass. The sample at the UGC showed more harmony and cohesion than the one at the château. Rating: 93-95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2010)

A very dark, crimson-black rim. Sweet fruit on the nose, all damsons and cherries, partly macerated in alcohol. Creamed fruit on the palate, very well composed, with lovely acidity too. It has a very fresh bite to it, welcome in view of the exuberant fruit. Well covered tannins, slightly savoury, fresh, yet intensely rich and really quite spicy. An attractive wine, although off the wall for the classicists I would think. Rating: 16.5-17.5+ Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2010)

Dark crimson. Purple rim. Very sweet indeed on the nose – unusually so for St-Julien. Glamorous and luscious with a hint of ink and freshness. Lots to enjoy! The tannins are very well handled and it’s pure pleasure. Maybe lacks just a hint of freshness. 2016-2028 Rating: 17 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2010)

Black red, concentrated and smoky blackcurrant fruit with a little herby lift, very good firm fruit, still quite tight, but concentration and balance assure a good future. Drink 2015-28. Rating: ****17 www.decanter.com (Apr 2010)

Intense aromas of blackberry and smoke. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and long finish. Solid and tight. As it should be. Rating: 91-94 James Suckling, The Wine Spectator (Mar 2010)