2008 Chateau Lagrange, St Julien - 'offering unwavering flavours and excellent persistency' JA
Excellent
Neal Martin, vinous.com
2008 Château Lagrange, St Julien
£275 per individual double magnum in bond
"It was the beginning of a renaissance that has seen Lagrange becoming one of the most consistent estates on the Left Bank." So wrote Neal Martin in a December 2020 retrospective of the wines of Château Lagrange going back to 1959.
The beginning of the renaissance to which he refers was the purchase of this Third Growth Château by Suntory - a shocking intrusion of Japanese ownership in Bordeaux in 1983. But more than 40 years on, it is clear that the significant investment that Suntory went on to make over decades has paid off, with the consistency Martin refers to now so evident in the wines. That this consistency has been achieved in one of the larger Left Bank estates – Lagrange has around 118 hectares of vine, astonishingly in a single block, even if it is subdivided into over a hundred different plots – is testament to the long term commitment that was made in the early 1980s, from which time extensive replanting has taken place and a new winery installed.
This is a château quietly going about producing high quality St Julien at an appealing price.
It is interesting to read Martin’s evolving experience: in 2018 feeling it needed 2 or 3 more years, while 2 years later finding it was indeed coming around and showing impressive precision and meriting an “Excellent”. Two years later again and Anson reports “ready to drink” and “offering unwavering flavours and excellent persistency.”
We can offer individual double magnums of the 2008 vintage at £275 per double magnum in bond. Seventeen years old, starting to drink, and at the equivalent of not even £70 a bottle. A Bordeaux to celebrate. And enjoy.
Château Lagrange, St Julien 2008
£275 per double magnum in bond
93 points, Jane Anson, insidebordeaux.com, February 2022
Campfire, charcoal and sweet brioche notes, blackcurrant pasille, still plenty of tannins at 14 years old, with structure and architecture, mint leaf and bitter chocolate as it unrolls. It holds its nerve from start to finish, offering unwavering flavours and excellent persistency. Good quality, ready to drink but no need to hurry. An important year for Lagrange, where the new vat house had double the capacity of the previous one. Although not entirely finished until 2010, the technical parts were ready for the 2008 harvest, allowing for far more precise plot by plot picking, with 102 vats in the cellar for 103 plots in the vineyard, eliminating the need for a 3rd wine. A beautiful late harvest vintage also (after a cool summer), with picking beginning on October 6 through October 23. 40% of production went into the 1st wine, 60% new oak for ageing. Drink 2022-2040
92 points, Neal Martin, vinous.com, December 2020
The 2008 Lagrange was picked from 6 to 22 October. It has an intense bouquet with blackberry, bilberry and damp earth aromas that are nicely delineated. The palate is detailed and less stocky than I noticed on a bottle a couple of years ago, perhaps finally managing to muster the grace and elegance that I was looking for. The tannins feel fine and there is impressive precision on the tobacco-infused finish. Excellent. Drink 2021-2040
92 points, Neal Martin, vinous.com, February 2018
The 2008 Lagrange has an intense bouquet with blackberry, bilberry, spice box and damp earth/mossy aromas that are well defined. This makes an immediate impression. The palate is medium-bodied, a solid and stocky Lagrange with plenty of freshness. Maybe it lacks the grace of other vintages but the finish is pure and there is a fine long tobacco finish. Too many wine-lovers crack open Lagrange without allowing it the optimal bottle age, so please do give this another two or three years before grabbing the corkscrew. Drink 2022-2040
Please let us know of your interest.
Richard
richard.omahony@atlasfinewines.com