Chateau Lagrange Dinner
Harvard Club, Back Bay
Tasted Saturday, March 23, 2019 by englishman's claret with 300 views
Introduction
Matthieu Bordes, the winemaker and general manager of Chateau Lagrange brought a wonderful collection of wines for a vertical tasting spanning 1996-2010. He described in great detail the terroir of Chateau Lagrange, which is the largest vineyard in St. Julien and the third largest in Bordeaux behind La Tour Carnet and Lascombes. Somewhat atypically to the great Medoc chateau, the entire vineyard exists in one block around the chateau. Lagrange is located at the Southwest corner - and highest altitude - of St. Julien. There are 5 distinct soil types at Chateau Lagrange, a) pure gravel to a depth of 1.5m, b) sand to a depth of 0.5m with 1m clay underlying, c) sand to a depth of approximately 0.75m with clay underlying, d) gravel and sand admixed to a depth of 1m with sand underlying, and e) marl from the oligocene period with a thin sandy topsoil (0.5m) and clay underlying. Logically, most of the cabernet sauvignon is grown on plots with a) and d) - those gravel-predominant. The merlot is correspondingly grown on the more clay and sand rich soils. There is a minority holding of Petit Verdot. Few Medoc properties manage to do Cabernet Franc well and, as the soil for it isn't really found at Lagrange, none is cultivated any longer. A video describing all of this can be seen via the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqNvUlPxJZM
There are really 3 eras of the wines in my opinion. The first spanned from the 1920s - 1983, during which Lagrange was relatively unimpressive. The multi-billion dollar Suntory group acquired Lagrange in 1983, ushering in the second era during which the quality of Lagrange almost immediately increased overnight. Beginning with 1983, Lagrange has been making some great wines. The third era, beginning with the appointment of Matthieu Bordes as the winemaker and general manager in 2006, has brought the chateau yet another step forward.
One of Matthieu's first actions was to conduct an extensive analysis of the terroir of Lagrange, leveraging an intimate understanding of the multiple micro-terroirs in this large vineyard (114 ha) into highly site-specific picking times and vinification. Following this soil analysis, the decision was made to do away with the large tanks and install a larger number of smaller fermentation vats. There are now 102 vats dedicating to vinifying only 103 parcels. Imagine the control this gives - the absolute ability to do precisely what is best for each individual parcel. This is particularly important for vineyards a bit father from the river where ripening is generally not quite as uniform and where it is slightly cooler. Gone are the days when parcels must be harvested prematurely to fill a vat. This attention to detail and refusal to compromise in reaching the potential of each individual parcel has truly elevated the grand vin and les fiefs to a new level. Aging occurs with 60% new French oak barrels.
Flight 1 - First Course (1 Note)
Les Arums de Lagrange and lobster
Flight 2 - Second Course (2 Notes)
Muscovy Duck two ways (seared breast, leg confit)
Flight 3 - Third Course (2 Notes)
Venison
Flight 4 - Fourth Course (1 Note)
New England cheeses
Closing
Clearly Matthieu Bordes and the Suntory group are happy with each other, and they are giving us something very special - another great St. Julien chateau. The style of the wines is classic, textbook St. Julien. Pure, focused cassis fruit, a cedary aroma, a mineral backbone. The wines are elegant, yet full. Chateau Lagrange is now making the best wines in its history and proves that good wine can be – and is – made from chateaux who do not directly overlook the Gironde.
2017 Château Lagrange (St. Julien) Les Arums de Lagrange 92 Points
France, Bordeaux
Beautifully ripe, balanced, full of fat but balanced with a healthy zip of acidity. Tropical quality, passionfruit, mango. Wonderfully creamy palate; batonnage in the Burgundian style. For drinking in its youth, ideally with a mountain of langoustines. 60% sauvignon blanc, 20% sauvignon gris, and 20% semillon.
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