2018 Chateau Lagrange Grand Cru Classe

2018 Chateau Lagrange Grand Cru Classe

2018 Chateau Lagrange Grand Cru Classe The flagship 2018 Château Lagrange is a more dense, serious wine, offering an incredibly promising bouquet of cassis, blackcurrants, scorched earth, graphite, and violets. A big, rich, full-bodied Saint-Julien, it delivers thrilling purity of fruit, plenty of background oak, ripe, silky tannins, and a great mid-palate. This is serious stuff, but it’s going to require patience. Hide bottles for 7-8 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following two decades.

The 2018 Lagrange explodes from the glass with bombastic notes of crème de cassis, chocolate-covered cherries and baked red and black plums with suggestions of rose oil, cedar chest, pencil lead and hoisin. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has fantastic vibrancy for the ripeness, packed with juicy black fruits and compelling tension with a finely grained texture to support, finishing on a lingering mineral note. Nicely done!

Grapes have been grown at Chateau Lagrange, St.-Julien, for over 600 years. Third Growth in the Classification of 1855, its vineyard stretches over two Gunzian gravel slopes where the highest point of Saint-Julien thrones on the beautiful estate. It was acquired in 1983 by Suntory, the family Japanese wine and spirits conglomerate, which has spared no effort or expense in extensively replanting and renovating the estate. The property is planted with 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. An uncompromising quest for excellence, such is the philosophy here. For several decades now the exceptional terroir has inspired a unique approach where precision and innovation are paramount. Today, Chateau Lagrange is under the direction of winemaker Matthieu Bordes since 2013.

The Saint Julien Appellation of Bordeaux makes some of the greatest Cabernet based, left bank Bordeaux and they make up some of the finest full bodied, age-able, increase in value red wines on the planet. The 2018 vintage from this great region is superb getting a 96pt rating for the vintage from Parker’s WA, rivalling the finest vintages of the last 25 years. Today we have simply a great all-round wine that covers all the bases. The 2018 Chateau Lagrange has it all, 97pts, great vintage, great price, great for the cellar, will increase in value and when you pull that cork, the wine will simply blow you away. For under sixty a bottle, Bordeaux does not get better.