.jpg?fm=avif&q=30 "Château Lagrange, 3ème Cru Classé, St Julien")
Château Lagrange, 3ème Cru Classé, St Julien, 2025
Although we've said St Julien was the most consistent appellation in the Medoc, there were still a few disappointments. Lagrange is typically meagre, although I do tend to rather like this chateau when I taste it at Southwold. It's a taut, linear style, which presents as rather brutal at this tasting. A bit too skinny and marked by some unresolved tannins. A question mark for now...
critic reviews
The 2025 Lagrange was cropped at an average of 30 hl/ha, lower for the Cabernet, with 13.56% alcohol. It was picked from September 8 until September 24 and matured in 60% new oak barrels. This has a sublime bouquet that actually reminds me of the 2020, beautifully defined with blackcurrant, iodine and touches of violet petals. The oak is very well integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with granular tannins, fine acidity, gentle but insistent grip. Quite compact towards the finish, this has a linearity that I really admire, imparting a sense of classicism and "coolness". This is an excellent Lagrange from Mathieu Bordes and his team.
The 2025 Lagrange shows excellent potential, offering up notes of cassis, dark berries and violets, framed by a subtle touch of new oak. Medium- to full-bodied, deep and dense, with a concentrated core of fruit, sweet tannins and a long, penetrating finish, it's a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, checking in at 13.6% alcohol. Representing half the estate's production, its mid-palate depth and amplitude reflect the decision to harvest the estate's Cabernet Sauvignon late, between September 21 and October 10.