CHÂTEAU LA GARDE
2017 Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan
66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot. Revealing nose of dark fruit and obvious wood notes. Good concentration - plenty of dark fruit edged with cedar. Tannins build near the end. Some mineral and saline notes. Spritely with some weight. It is quite forward in its style which suggests short term cellaring. Interesting and attractive. Rating: 89 L&S (May 2018)
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The 2017 La Garde has a well-defined bouquet with tobacco-tinged black fruit, and just a hint of black olive. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, quite foursquare in style with a fresh, slightly saline finish. Not bad at all, although given the choice, I would plump for its white counterpart. Drinking range: 2019 - 2026 Rating: 86-88 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2018)
Deep crimson with opaque core. Delicate aroma of black fruit and pencil lead and an attractive dustiness. Juicy and fresh. Fresh and lively. Drinking range: 2022 - 2029 Rating: 16 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2018)
This is very linear and really energetic with a driven acidity and tight and compact fruit. Full-bodied yet remains so agile and bright. The lemon-zest and salty character is impressive. Only 10% new wood here. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2018)
Dark and winey, with tar and singed alder notes nicely melded into the core of fresh plum and blackberry flavors. Offers a juicy back end. Rating: 90-93 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2018)
Château La Garde
Château La Garde is a medium-sized property with 47 hectares of vineyards in Pessac-Léognan, planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc. The Cabernet-dominated red wines are soft, well structured and packed with smooth, ripe fruit which makes them very attractive young, though they also possess good medium-term cellaring potential. Bought by the dynamic Bordeaux merchant Dourthe in the 1980s, this gem of an estate displays the true Graves minerality underneath an exuberant cassis-and-plums aroma. After huge initial investment in the vineyard and cellar immense care is now lavished upon the wine itself, and any re-assessment of the Pessac-Léognan classification would surely see this wine elevated to Cru Classé status