CHÂTEAU LA LAGUNE

65 Cabernet Sauvignon, 35 Merlot 50% new oak, 5% Clayver 13.5% alc 30 hl/ha Harvest took place between 8 – 29 September Caroline Frey was slightly stressed when I met up with her and her sister Delphine to taste at La Lagune. There was a clear and present danger of frost in Bordeaux, the Northern Rhône and the Valais in Switzerland – three extremely important places where she makes wine. Her connection to these vineyards and her forensic attention to detail meant that her nerves were shredded, and she was also racking up a lot of miles whizzing between these properties, protecting her precious vines. However, one subject that was at the forefront of my mind was not a cause of any worry whatsoever for the Frey sisters. Their 2023 La Lagune is a superb wine with purity, class, and balance from the tip of its pristine aroma to the tail of its refreshing pin-sharp acidity. As you will have heard, mildew pressure was enormous in 2023, and Caroline’s viti-team is one of the most well-drilled in the region. Her staff can treat the whole property in just seven hours, and they are on standby every day, including Sundays. They were deployed regularly in this challenging vintage, including one particularly dangerous Sunday, and while others could not assemble teams, La Lagune prevailed. The fruit is of the very highest quality in this wine, with incredible purity and an impressive volume and intensity of perfume. This wine has a firm stance on the palate, and there is a vault of silky, slender, and refined black fruit at its core, surrounded by moments of enchanting delicacy and fragility. While some wines resemble hulking pantechnicons, La Lagune is a carbon-fibre F1 racing car. Direct, agile, sleek, and streamlined, this beauty will blossom gradually over two decades and more! Rating: 18+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2024)

The 2023 La Lagune is a serious wine, but it is also quite backward. Dark red cherry, plum, spice, leather and dried herbs open with some coaxing. The 2023 is going to need time to come together. Its aromatic intensity and overall persistence suggest it has a bright future. Tasted two times. Drinking range: 2028 - 2048 Rating: 92-94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2024)

A rather sweet nose suggesting some concentration here, with scents of granular blackcurrant, dusty black violets, verbena and mint. There follows a rather dark and slightly dried fruit profile on the palate, with a good grip of powdery, well-knit tannins running beneath it. I see plenty of structure here, with a modestly textured midpalate which is the nature of the vintage, leading to a firm, tannin-wrapped finish which feels a little dried out. This is going to need quite a lot of time, the tannins lingering long in the finish, so I hope the fruit holds out. Whatever it does, while a good result for the vintage on this organically managed property, this is a lighter, looser La Lagune. Rating: 88-90 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)