CHÂTEAU LAGRANGE
2008 3ème Cru Classé Saint Julien
| Colour | Red |
| Origin | France, Bordeaux |
| Sub-district | Haut Médoc |
| Village | Saint Julien |
| Classification | 3ème Cru Classé |
| ABV | 13.5% |
Again the subtle sweetness that is also in the Fiefs. This is more closed on the nose, but also more serious, more powerful, again the damson fruit, but this is even sweeter and riper - plummy. Really impressive, really concentrated cassis and such rounded tannins. Rating: 92 L&S (Apr 2009)
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Campfire, charcoal and sweet brioche notes, blackcurrant pasille, still plenty of tannins at 14 years old, with structure and architecture, mint leaf and bitter chocolate as it unrolls. It holds its nerve from start to finish, offering unwavering flavours and excellent persistency. Good quality, ready to drink but no need to hurry. An important year for Lagrange, where the new vat house had double the capacity of the previous one. Although not entirely finished until 2010, the technical parts were ready for the 2008 harvest, allowing for far more precise plot by plot picking, with 102 vats in the cellar for 103 plots in the vineyard, eliminating the need for a 3rd wine. A beautiful late harvest vintage also (after a cool summer), with picking beginning on October 6 through October 23. 40% of production went into the 1st wine, 60% new oak for ageing. Rating: 93 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (Feb 2022)
The 2008 Lagrange was picked from 6 to 22 October. It has an intense bouquet with blackberry, bilberry and damp earth aromas that are nicely delineated. The palate is detailed and less stocky than I noticed on a bottle a couple of years ago, perhaps finally managing to muster the grace and elegance that I was looking for. The tannins feel fine and there is impressive precision on the tobacco-infused finish. Excellent. Tasted at the Lagrange vertical at the estate. Drinking range: 2021 - 2040 Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Dec 2020)
The 2008 Lagrange has an intense bouquet with blackberry, bilberry, spice box and damp earth/mossy aromas that are well defined. This makes an immediate impression. The palate is medium-bodied, a solid and stocky Lagrange with plenty of freshness. Maybe it lacks the grace of other vintages but the finish is pure and there is a fine long tobacco finish. Too many wine-lovers crack open Lagrange without allowing it the optimal bottle age, so please do give this another two or three years before grabbing the corkscrew. Drinking range: 2022 - 2040 Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2018)
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
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RELATED PRODUCTS
1996 CHÂTEAU LÉOVILLE BARTON 2ème Cru Classé Saint Julien
Left Bank Bordeaux France 13% Red
Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot.
The 1996 Leoville Barton appears more youthful than the 1996 Langoa Barton in the glass with a healthy deep garnet core. The aromatics unfurl gracefully in the glass revealing briary, wild hedgerow, black truffle and san...(read more)
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