CHÂTEAU LILIAN LADOUYS

2017 Cru Bourgeois Supérieur Saint Estèphe

EN PRIMEUR

This is really bright and summery. There is some good weight to the seamless, deep core of fruit and the polished tannins add a nice feel, just enough chew. It's not complicated, but therein lies the joy. It's a friendly, juicy style of Saint Estèphe that will please many. You are just left smiling by the glossy fruit and there's a hint of cedar on the finish to add sophistication. Immediately appealing, this will be ready to enjoy almost the moment it arrives. It would make an excellent, crowd-pleasing party wine. Perhaps one for magnums? Drinking range: 2021 - 2030 Rating: 88-89 L&S (Apr 2018)

* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.

The 2017 Lilian Ladouys was picked from 20 to 29 September and matured in 40% new oak. It has a perfumed, floral bouquet with blue and red fruit, a subtle chalkiness in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, pinched on the mid-palate with a tightly wound, slightly austere finish. Not bad but it will need three or four years in bottle. I would like more charm to develop and indeed, when I encountered this growth towards the end of my trip, I felt that it was beginning to show more personality. Drinking range: 2020 - 2035 Rating: 89-91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2018)

Deep crimson. A little peppery, with an attractive dusty graphite quality to the dark fruit. Dry finesse to the texture but not a lot of flesh in the middle. Drinking range: 2023 - 2028 Rating: 15.5 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2018)

The 2017 Lilian Ladouys is deep garnet-purple colored and very plummy on the nose with hints of red and black currants, dusty soil and Marmite toast. It's soft, medium-bodied and plush with plenty of juicy fruit and good length. The blend is currently 50% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Petit Verdot. Rating: 88-90 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2018)

From the same family who own Pedesclaux - and, I believe, new owners of several additional St-Estèphe estates. This has bright, juicy fruit in an unfussy and disarming style. It's a very nice wine, and good value too, with plenty to enjoy: uncomplicated berry fruits with touches of cherry and cedar oak. Another St-Estèphe win in 2017. 40% new oak. Yield 50hl/ha. Drinking range: 2022 - 2034 Rating: 91 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2018)

A red with very primary fruit aromas and flavors of currant and green olive undertones. Medium body, juicy and savory. Salty aftertaste. Rating: 90-91 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2018)

Lively, with a mix of red and black cherry fruit lined with lightly chalky tannins and flickers of savory and lilac. Has a touch of toast and light twinge of austerity at the very end. Rating: 88-91 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2018)

Maitre de chai Frédéric Godart tells me they lost a small percentage, about 10%, in the frost, but of course Château Lilian-Ladouys is slightly further inland than some of the appellation's leading vineyards. The blend here is 50% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Petit Verdot, and the analyses show the wine to have 13.2% alcohol and a total acidity of 3.4 g/l. This has a very pretty and perfumed nose, with some very fine black cherry-skin fruit, with a little curranty edge of concentration. The palate shows dark and finely concentrated fruit, fresh and very pure, with a focused, sinewy concentration. It is medium-bodied and elegant rather than substantial. An attractive potential, with a nice grip, and a very fine finish. This is good, and it feels superior to the Lilian-Ladouys of old. 91-93/100 Rating: 91-93 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2018)

This lovely Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel in Saint Estèphe enjoys an enviable location on the Cos plateau, near to Calon, Montrose and Cos d'Estournel itself. The 80 hectare vineyard is 80% on gravel with a clay-limestone base, 20% on limestone-clay and is planted at 8500-10000 vines per hectare, with 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc.

The history of the estate can be traced back as far as 1654, when the property was in the ownership of Jacques de Bercoyan, a Bordeaux magistrate. By this time it was already known as La Doys, an obvious precursor to the Ladouys name of today.

The exciting modern history of the property began in 2008 when it was bought by Jacky Lorenzetti, and the family's investment was rewarded with the Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel classification in 2018. Since the purchase there has been many more deals to consolidate a coherent vineyard from the many parcels.

Lilian Ladouys is managed by Emmanuel Cruse, the consultant oenologist is Eric Boissenot. The work in the vineyard aims to make sure there is an even spread of bunches on the vines, and that these are well-ventilated (leaf-thinning). The earth is ploughed, with either sowing of ground-cover between the vines, or leaving nature to its own devices, depending on the vigour of each parcel. The grapes are harvested by hand, with sorting as bunches and again by grape after the de-stemming, after which the they go into the vats by gravity for a cold maceration prior to the fermentation. Extraction is managed by gentle délestage. The wine is aged in barrel, with 40% new wood each year.

The vineyard certified 'Haute Valeur Envionmentale' level 3. From 2020 they began conversion to organics with 20% of the vineyard, and all being well will complete conversion in 2023.

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BRUNELLO PRE-SHIPMENT OFFER FAQ

PRICES: This is a primeur offer - all prices are quoted IN BOND ex-VAT by the case size stated.

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