.jpg?fm=avif&q=30 "Château Lagrange, 3ème Cru Classé, St Julien")
Château Lagrange, 3ème Cru Classé, St Julien, 2023
Lagrange has been performing well of late. The house style is always quite uncompromising with extremely cool, verging on green fruit. The bouquet offers aromas on blackberry bushes, graphite and mint. It's more of the same on the palate with cool, fresh berries and herbs. Taut and classical with a slight astringency, which should resolve during élevage. 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Merlot.
critic reviews
The 2023 Lagrange has turned out very well in bottle, opening in the glass with notes of cherries, mulberries and violets, framed by nicely integrated new oak. Medium- to full-bodied, rich and layered, with a charming core of fruit, powdery tannins and lively acids, this is a strong effort from this Saint-Julien property.
Classical, well balanced, finessed, this is delivering St Julien typicity, elegance and reserved power, black fruits, tea leaf, crushed rocks, dried herbs, will take its time to fully open but this is going to deliver, and it's easy to recommend. 51hl/ha yield. Tasted twice.
The 2023 Lagrange was bottled at the end of June. It is understated on the nose, but it needs only two or three minutes before it reveals attractive blackberry, wild hedgerow, cedar wood and sous-bois scents. Very typical Saint-Julien style. The palate is well balanced with fine, chiselled tannins. Just the right amount of acidity keeps this on its toes, quite open and welcoming already, therefore I suspect that this will require only a couple of years in bottle before it's ready for action.
The 2023 Lagrange is deep garnet-purple in color. Notes of red cherries, cassis, and blueberry jump from the glass, followed by hints of violets, graphite, and moss-covered tree bark with a touch of cloves. The medium-bodied palate is vibrant, with a lively line of acidity and ripe fine-grained tannins framing the delicate black and red fruit flavors, finishing with a savory lift. The blend is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Merlot, with pH 3.47.