SAINT JULIEN : At A Glance

A-team effort. Consistent high quality wines that affirms Saint Julien’s reputation as one of the most reliable communes.

• Lower alcohol levels than in 2015 and more precision.
• Good yields, mostly between 45-50 hectoliters per hectare.
• Most memorable Saint Julien in 2016: Beychevelle.
• Best potential value-for-money: Clos du Marquis, Lagrange, Saint-Pierre.
• Château Lagrange is such a dependable property. Maybe like Léoville Barton, it has never made what you might call a “superstar” wine and I cannot envisage it happening. That is no crime. Isn’t consistency something to be praised when it is at such a high level? I often think that the size of the property and the reasonable prices of its wine counts against Lagrange, but truth is that if you plonk a bottle of Lagrange in the middle of a dinner table, its contents will be imbibed quicker than many a more aggrandizing château. It is yet another fantastic Saint- Julien that really does not have a weak link this year and whilst it will not set investors’ pulse racing, it will for oenophiles.

• The Wine:  Château Lagrange 2016

The 2016 Lagrange is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot that is matured in 50% new oak. The yield came in at 46.5 hectoliters per hectare, lower than in 2015.    It has a very well defined bouquet with intense black cherry, red plum, touches of cedar and with continued aeration, a hint of blueberry. It certainly is one of the most expressive Lagrange  that I have tasted (and I write that having tasted them all back to the early 1980s). The palate is extremely well balanced with tensile tannin, vibrant and animated with blackberry, crème de cassis, a hint of orange zest. This is a great Lagrange, one that almost “zings” around the senses, barely able to contain the energy. A superior Lagrange to the 2015, this may well rank as the finest produced.

https://www.robertparker.com/articles/ovXbgbKnff7S85tjc#stjulien

CHÂTEAU LAGRANGE St.-Julien 2016     Score: 92-95

This has some serious grip along the edges, with graphite and iron notes working together to support the core of cassis, blackberry and açai fruit flavors. The long finish has the pure, fresh character of the vintage.—J.M.

James Molesworth

www.winespectator.com

Château Lagrange 2016 en primeur

score : 95/96

Powerful red with a rich and tannic center palate. Full body, lots of depth and a long and chewy finish. Indeed, this shows potential. Much better than the 2015.

We are delighted to introduce you in preview the making of the very nice 2016 vintage at Château Lagrange!!

“I understand there’s an interesting connection with your family name and your Chateau, as if it were predestinated for you?

Yes, Bordes means “farm”in the old French language, and “La Grange” means “the farm”. I arrived at the chateau the end of 2006 but only became general manager and winemaker in September 2013, just before the harvest.

Download the attached file

Tasted at Bordeaux Index’s annual 10-year On tasting in London.  I awarded Lagrange 2006 a very high score when i tasted it from barrel.it does nothing to dispel my optimism in bottle after ten years.It has a lively, quite vivacious bouquet with blackberry, briary, cedar violet scents, almost Margaux-like in style. The palate is medium-bodied with a fine grip in the mouth. The acidity here is well judged, extremely well focused with impressive weight and structure on the finish, backed up by tobacco-stained fruit. You cannot go wrong with Lagrange in this vintage. Tasted January 2016  – 93/100

Château Lagrange’s team is very please to welcome you all the year for tours, tastings, and blending workshops.

Please find attached our 2016 brochure!

Lobster Raviolis , Praws brohette , Shitake , yuzu foam, Les Arums de Lagrange 2014, Bordeaux Blanc

Vertessec farm’s Capon stuffed with foie gras Quintessence de Lagrange , Cranberries & forgotten vegetables, Château Lagrange, 2005

Rocamadour cheese in Cromesquis , nut oil and breadsticks, rocket Salad, Château Lagrange 2000

Pear yule Log , Chesnut cream, Chocolate Grand Cru Valrona,Château Lagrange 2003

Open completely the news to download the pdf document.

Download the attached file

The magic multiples of 5 vintages !

The harvesting of the Merlot began on the 21st of September under bright sunshine. The next ten days look sunny and windy which should allow the Cabernet Sauvignon to reach a beautiful maturity. The first plots give us hope of a generous harvest, will the magic of the multiples of 5 work again… ?

 A later budding than average

The feeble winter rainfall and cool temperatures in March delayed the budding. It was not until the beginning of April when 50% of the physiological stage was reached.We had dry weather, and the temperature was warming rapidly (28°C from the 13^th of April), up until the 1^st of May. The vines were growing fast, no water stress and favorable temperatures set the tempo for this month of May.

A very early summer

Summer arrived on the 2^nd of June promoting a fast and homogeneous blossoming for all the grape varieties. This made up for the delay! It has been a long time since we had not had such conditions for the flowering, we can finally hope to produce a decent yield! Only one rainy period in the month of June and a summer that seems to settle permanently. Note that we only had 19mm of rainfall between the 13^th of June and the 2^nd of August! The month of July was one of the hottest in the last 20 years.

Medium to high levels of water stress became apparent on some soils, which manifested quickly and the vine growth appeared to stop at the end of July. The ripening of the grapes finally began!The ripening started from mid-July but the lack of water hindered its progress until the weekend of the 1^st of August, when the Merlot and the Cabernet were simultaneously changing color.

The month of August was more unstable and was marked by a period of rainfall every 10 days. The weather remained hot with little temperature difference between night and day

The health status of the vines at this point was perfect; all that was left to do was to wait for the berries to ripen.

The homogeneity between the grape varieties, with a color change starting at the beginning of August, guaranteed an earlier harvest date than usual, which generally is an advantage in the rhythm and means we obtain a quality harvest.

The levels of water stress in the vines and their precocity enabled a quick ripening of the seeds. The richness in polyphenols is situated in average in the best vintages with thick skins.

By this we already know that we can extract more than we could for the latest vintages as the tannins of the skins and the seeds are rich and ripe.

The harvest

The harvesting of the Merlot started on the 21^st of September, just like in 2005, is this another sign … ? They are crunchy and tasty with an alcohol potential level between 13.5% and 14.5%. The color is extracted quickly unlike the round and silky tannins which diffuse more slowly. The acidity is lower than last year without reaching the levels obtained in 2009. We had already remarked this on the Sauvignon Blanc which started on the 3rd of September.

The Merlot harvest should finish on the 30^th of September. It’s safe to say the harvest of the Cabernets will follow starting in the beginning of October. The harvest of the Petit Verdot, a variety that lies on excellent terroirs, is likely to slip somewhere into the middle of the Cabernet Sauvignon harvest. The first tastings of the grapes and the vats suggest that the wines will be powerful yet rich without any severity. They should be racy and silky.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, the verdict will fall in a few days, the 10^th of October may indeed be the final day of harvest as it was in 2005!

Matthieu BORDES – General Director

Come and visit chateau Lagrange and its hospitality venue. Our team welcomes you to “les Jardins de Lagrange”, a place dedicated to wine and food lovers.

Private lunches and dinners

Enjoy a lunch or a dinner from 6 to 90 guests. Our chef features  a refined and creative French cuisine to a prestigious wine list. A representative of the château attends the meal and comments the wines.

Lodging in the heart of the vineyard

14 bedrooms & studios offering a warm and modern comfort, located on the ground floor, with open view on the vineyards.

Buffet breakfast served in the cosy and peaceful dining room open onto the garden.

Seminars & Events

•  A fully equipped assembly room for your seminars and function.
• A spacious reception hall, up to 70 guests in theatre-style.
• Your private events in the cellars (gala dinner, award ceremonies, wine clubs…) from April to September.

Tours & Tastings

Guided Tours all along the year. (except public holidays, Primeurs week, New Year celebrations)

• Vertical Tastings:« The Glorious » & « The Classical » vintages.
• Blending Workshop: our cellar master selects 10 samples of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot of the vintage in barrel.The participants create their own Grand Cru of château Lagrange. An educational and interactive activity!

  Discover les Jardins de Lagrange’s brochure 2015.

Download the attached file

Chateau Lagrange 2006

93 Points

Tasted at Bordeaux Index’s annual 10-Year On tasting in London. I awarded the 2006 Château Lagrange a very high score when I tasted it from barrel. It does nothing to dispel my optimism in bottle after ten years. It has a lively, quite vivacious bouquet with blackberry, briary, cedar and violet scents, almost Margaux-like in style. The palate is medium-bodied with a fine grip in the mouth. The acidity here is well judged, extremely well focused with impressive weight and structure on the finish, backed up by that tobacco-stained fruit. You cannot go wrong with Lagrange in this vintage. Tasted January 2016.

Drink: 2016-2035

Current (Release) Cost: 40$ – 113$