[ Home > Wines > Bordeaux > St. Julien > Chateau Lagrange 2000 - Bordeaux ]
St Julien, Bordeaux While 2000 is unquestionably a great vintage for St.-Julien, on the two occasions I tasted Lagrange, it was dominated by its wood, and was a bit disjointed. It possesses a saturated ruby/purple color as well as plenty of earth and new oak in the aromatics, a touch of chocolate on the attack, medium body, high tannin, and a jagged finish. This wine is undoubtedly excellent, but will it come together in a more symmetrical manner? Anticipated maturity: 2004-2016. 87-88 Robert Parker Very perfumed, with licorice and currant character. Full-bodied, with racy tannins and a long, fresh finish. Very fine indeed. A pretty Lagrange. Score range:Very perfumed, with licorice and currant character. Full-bodied, with racy tannins and a long, fresh finish. Very fine indeed. A pretty Lagrange. Score range: 89-91 Wines Spectator HISTORY Third growth Château Lagrange is an unusual property in St. Julien in that its vineyard is nearly continuous rather than broken into smaller parcels, like many. It has a beautiful château with tranquil gardens and a lake full of wildlife. The property borders on neighboring Château Gruaud-Larose, but its historic reputation suffered during the 1960s and 70s; it was purchased in 1983 by the Japanese Suntory company. In a very short time, new administrator Marcel Ducasse and winemaker Kenji Suzata have turned the operation around, renovating the vineyards, château and chai. The new vineyards are now 6 years old. VINIFICATION Winemaker Kenji Suzata's modern style emphasizes fruit and impressive depth of flavor. Red grapes are hand-picked. They are fermented with indigenous yeasts exclusively for 15-25 days at 82 degrees F. (28 degrees C.), in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. They are transferred to oak barrels (one-half new at each vintage) for about 20 months aging, and fined and filtered before bottling. There are approximately 23,500 cases of Château Lagrange made per year. White grapes are fermented in oak barrels, also one-half new at each harvest, pressed and racked. They remain on the lees for 12 months with regular bâtonnage (lees stirring) before bottling, then are fined and filtered. STYLE The excellent Château Lagrange is one of St. Julien's great wines - powerful, full-bodied and concentrated. The vintages since 1985 introduce ripe fruit aromas of rich black currant and cherry, spicy, toasty new oak, minerals, and in some vintages cedar and charcoal. They are appealing when young but also have great potential for long aging. They are also very reasonably priced for their level of quality, and dependably fine 7-20 years following their vintage. |
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