CHÂTEAU MALARTIC LAGRAVIÈRE
2017 Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc. There is a good feel here. Polished and shiny dark fruit. Morello cherry to the fore, kirsch almost and lovely cedary, tobacco -leaf high notes. Sculpted by lovely fine tannins in abundance. This is serious, intense, lovely and juicy with acidity. There is everything you need here in happy balance. Sophisticated but with a joyful heart. Rating: 92 - 93 L&S (Apr 2018)
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The 2017 Malartic Lagravière Rouge has a precise and focused bouquet with blackberry, briary and mineral scents that gain intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, grippy tannin. This is a more masculine and structured Malartic-Lagravière that might lack the sophistication of recent vintages but delivers fine depth towards the finish. Hopefully the élevage will soften up the edges to make this more approachable by the time it is bottled. Drinking range: 2021 - 2040 Rating: 90-92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2018)
A carefully extracted, well constructed palate delivers a sense of finesse and freshness. The fruit is not particularly expressive on the attack - you need to sit down with this for a while and wait, allow those retracting tannins to soften and unwind. Eventually, a gorgeously pure expression of cassis comes curling through, with liquorice and woodsmoke notes rounding things off. Needs time. Drinking range: 2025 - 2038 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2018)
I was able to taste the 2017 Château Malartic-Lagravière two times and it showed consistently on both occasions. Sporting a deep, inky color as well as terrific notes of blackcurrants, black cherries, tobacco leaf, and bouquet garni, it’s medium-bodied, moderately concentrated, charming, and impeccably balanced. It’s going to drink nicely in its youth yet keep for a decade or more as well. Rating: 89-91 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Apr 2018)
Deep crimson. Dark, nicely dusty cassis. Dark chocolate and graphite finesse. Dry, fine tannins with the graphite freshness marked on the finish. Elegant, if not charming at the moment. Attractive restraint. Drinking range: 2023 - 2032 Rating: 16.5 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2018)
A firm and silky wine with a creamy freshness and firm tannins. Dark berries and wet earth. Medium to full body. Linear and tight. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2018)
Juicy, with a supple feel to the cassis and cherry compote flavors. Offers a bright iron note, fresh acidity and a long, polished finish. Rating: 90-93 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2018)
This is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The Merlot was picked September 14th to the 20th, the Cabernet Sauvignon from September 26th until October 3rd, and the Petit Verdot on September 26th. There was a pre-fermentation cold maceration for about a week. Dark and smoky on the nose, with desiccated and grilled black cherry fruit, spiced with curranty and toasty notes. The palate shows a very firm and imposing style, a lovely freshness, with a very fine expression of black cherry fruit, with medium-bodied substance and a lovely yet restrained grip from the tannins. Very finely composed, it feels introverted, velvety and yet dry, the svelte tannins wrapping around the finish kimono-style, with a flourish of scented black cherry and coffee bean fruit. It feels long, fresh, tense, expressive and bright. Very good indeed. Rating: 92-94 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2018)
Château Malartic Lagravière
Château Malartic-Lagravière, originally Domaine de Lagravière, is a Bordeaux wine from the Pessac-Léognan appellation, ranked among the Premiers Crus for red and white wine in the Classification of Graves wine of 1953 and 1959. The winery and vineyards are located south of the city of Bordeaux, in the commune of Léognan. The Domaine de Lagravière was bought in 1803 by Pierre de Malartic whose uncle, Comte de Malartic through battles against the British in Canada and Mauritius brought fame to the name and the martime theme which is associated with this estate. The Malartic name was not applied to the estate until after 1850 however. The estate has belonged to the Bonnie family since 1997, with oenologists Michel Rolland and Athanase Fakorellis as consultants. From a property of 47 hectares (120 acres), the vineyard area consists of 41 hectares (100 acres) of the red grape varieties 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, with 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, and 6 hectares (15 acres) of the white grape varieties 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Sémillon.[3] The Grand vin, Château Malartic-Lagravière, is annually produced in 16,000 cases of the red wine and 2,500 cases of the dry white. There are also red and white second wines, Sillage de Malartic, and a rosé, Le Rosé de Malartic.