2020 CHÂTEAU LAGRANGE 3ème Cru Classé Saint Julien, Lea & Sandeman

CHÂTEAU LAGRANGE

2023 3ème Cru Classé Saint Julien

Grapes Cab Sauv, Petit Verdot, Merlot
Colour Red
Origin France, Bordeaux
Sub-district Haut Médoc
Village Saint Julien
Classification 3ème Cru Classé
ABV 13%

This is very much in the character of Lagrange over the past few years, showing precision and confidence in its construction, finessed and elegant, with St Julien balance and reserved power. Will absolutely deliver for fans of classical Left Bank Bordeaux with its slate tannins, savoury Cabernet black and blue fruits, fresh leaf tea, tobacco, raspberry leaf, spiced sage and lusicous mouthwatering signoff. 51hl/ha yield. Drinking range: 2029 - 2044 Rating: 95 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2024)


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The grand vin from Lagrange offers up some gently perfumed and bright red cherry fruits, grained with a little bramble, tobacco and toast. This translates onto an elegantly sinewy and precisely framed palate, with a little juicy edge to the fruit, which continues with the cherry and bramble theme seen on the nose. There is a confident structure here, the tannins interdigitating with the fruit throughout the palate, providing a powdery, tightly knit grip to the middle and end. A nice Lagrange, with a good balance and a powdery grip in the finish which contributes to a persistent finish. Rating: 91-93 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)

The 2023 Lagrange contains no Petit Verdot this year. Matured in 60% new oak, the aromatics demand a bit of coaxing in the glass, eventually revealing blackberry and cedar aromas and just a touch of graphite, quite strict and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with very pliant tannins on the entry, ensuring that this will be an approachable Lagrange. Pure-fruited and gently grippy, there is admirable depth to this Saint-Julien, revealing just a hint of brine toward the saline finish. This is a "solid" wine, if perhaps without the flair of the 2022. It will require four or five years in bottle but should drink well for the next 20 years or more. Drinking range: 2028 - 2048 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2024)

A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Merlot, the 2023 Lagrange offers up aromas of dark berries, plums and cherries mingled with hints of pencil shavings and violets. Medium to full-bodied, layered and fleshy, with good depth, supple tannins and a suave, vibrant profile, it's attractively seamless and complete. In 2023, Bordes and his team waited for the Cabernet Sauvignon on the plateau to attain full maturity after the rains and have been rewarded by a fine classic for this estate. Rating: 93-95 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2024)

Château Lagrange

St Julien Troisième Cru Classé 1855.

The fortunes of Château Lagrange were revived with the purchase of the estate by Japanese spirits giant Suntory in 1983. Before that, the 20th century had been a difficult time. Some vineyard had had to be sold off (to Ducru-Beaucaillou and Gloria) and the reputation had slipped considerably.
Marcel Ducasse was employed to run the estate, and the new owners pumped in investment.

Marcel retired after the 2008 vintage and the succession passed to his maitre du chai, Bruno Eynard. Bruno gave way in turn to Matthieu Bordes in 2014. Change has been rapid, with a new building program and the cuverie with an extraordinary 102 stainless vats of differing sizes corresponding to the different parcels by soil type and vine age. Climate change led them to question whether they needed as much Petit Verdot as they have in the vineyard. In recent vintages it has been easy to ripen the Cabernet Sauvignon fully, and since they seek elegance, it would seem right to emphasise the Cabernet and leave out the Petit Verdot which is really there to boost the power, but interestingly Bordes regards its omission from the blend on 2009 as a mistake.

Château Lagrange is one of the larger Médoc estates, much of the vineyard lying a little further inland than many of its Saint Julien rivals. There are still 115ha under vine, 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot for the red wine. Wines spend 217-21 months in wood (50%-60% new).

The second wine, produced since 1985, is Les Fiefs de Lagrange, and this accounts for a large proportion of the production, as nowadays only the best parts of the vineyard are ever considered for the Grand Vin. A small amount of white wine, Les Arums de Lagrange, is produced too, named after the arum lilies around the lake in front of the château

This wine isn't currently part of a mixed case, but you can always browse our full selection of mixed cases here.
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