2010 Bordeaux Primeurs, Château Labégorce

by Charles Lea

Nathalie Perrodo is bringing her father’s dream to reality with this ‘first’ vintage from the newly reunited Labégorce vineyards, after they had spent a couple of centuries split into three. The part that was named Labégorce Zédé in 1840 is reintegrated for the first time since then this year, and this new wine is offered at a very realistic, even bargain price for a Cru Classé level Margaux. The 2010 has been much praised and deserves a look:-

91 (L&S)
16.5 (Jancis Robinson MW OBE (www.jancisrobinson.com))
90 – 92 (Neal Martin’s Wine Journal, erobertparker.com)
90 – 93 (James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator)
92 – 93 (James Suckling, jamessuckling.com)
****17 (Steven Spurrier, decanter.com)

Hubert Perrodo bought Labégorce in 1989, and the buildings of l’Abbé Gorsse de Gorsse in 2002 (the vineyard of this one escaped him, bought by Château Margaux). But his dream of re-uniting the historic Labégorce estate after he bought Labégorce Zédé in 2005 was cut short but his death in a ski-ing accident at Courchevel in 2006. After a couple of years of reflection, his twenty-five year-old daughter Nathalie has decided to take up the challenge of continuing his work, directing this really quite large domaine which also includes the fifteen hectares of  the Cru Classé Château Marquis d’Alesme.