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Chateau Lagrange

The Chateau Lagrange that we know today dates back to the 18th Century, although the land has been utilised for a much longer period of time than this fact suggests. It is reputed to have been home to an order of the Knights Templar in the early 14th Century, but on the dissolution of the sect the property apparently came to the De Cours family, local seigneurs. By the 16th Century it was known as the Maison Noble de Lagrange Monteil, but otherwise the estate's early history is sparse, and the picture only comes into focus in the early 18th Century when the estate is in the hands of Baron de Brane, who also owned Mouton and later, of course, Brane-Cantenac. At this point the wine is sold as Baron-St-Julien and it seems plausible that it was the Baron who established the vineyard, the early and middle years of the 18th Century being the time at which many of the classed growth estates of the Médoc were established. The property subsequently passed to M. Arbouet de La Bernède, who probably constructed the chateau that stands on the site today. This is a rather grand house which is unusual for the later addition, in 1820, of an imposing tower by subsequent owner Jean-Valère Cabarrus. The tower is Italian in style and does little to compliment the original elevation, although it certainly does make the property quite distinctive. Cabarrus, Napoleon's finance minister for Spain, had acquired the estate in 1796. His other major contribution was a significant expansion of the vineyard.

In 1832 the property came into the hands of John Lewis Brown, a wealthy trader who also owned, at one time or another, Chateau Brown and Cantenac-Brown in the Pessac-Léognan and Margaux appellations. He continued the work commenced by Cabarrus, although he concentrated on improving the chai rather than the vineyard. Nevertheless he was forced to sell the property, probably as the bank withdrew their backing, just ten years later, the new owner being Comte Duchâtel. Like Cabarrus, Duchâtel was also a minister, but he was also an absentee landlord. He turned over the running of the vineyard to a manager called Galos, who brought the wines of Chateau Lagrange up to a very high standard. Lagrange had already been classed as a third growth in the 1855 classification, but Galos was not content to rest on the estate's laurels. He installed field drains, still a novel concept at the time, and he filled the chai with the latest equipment for vinification. The vineyards of Lagrange covered 120 hectares, the supply of wine was plentiful, and its quality was good. The estate at this time certainly enjoyed a reputation in keeping with its position in the recent classification, but during the 20th Century this was not maintained. Indeed, Lagrange slumped about as low as it was possible to go.

Following Duchâtel's death in 1860 Lagrange experienced the usual sequence of Phylloxera, mildew, war and depression that characterises so many of the profiles on this site. The estate came under the direction of Duchâtel's widow and then his son, then the Mouicy-Loucys family who were followed by the Société Immobilière des Grands Crus , before passing to Manuel Cendoya. With this succession of owners, quality faltered and then fell. The wine was sold under a variety of labels, and portions of the vineyard had to be sold off to keep the debt collector at bay, including a 32 hectare plot sold to Jean-Eugène Borie of Ducru-Beaucaillou in 1970, and another sold to Henri Martin as he collected plots together in the creation of Gloria. By 1983 the Cendoya family sold the whole estate, with just 50 hectares of vineyard remaining, to the Japanese Suntory group. This they achieved with advice from Michel Delon of Léoville-Las-Cases, the potential new owners treading carefully and discreetly, their previous attempts at purchasing a minor property further south, Chateau de Caillevet, having been stymied by the French government following some adverse publicity. Enthused by their success at Lagrange, partly due to massive investment and partly due to the installation of Marcel Ducasse as manager, Suntory have progressed on to purchase Chateau Beychevelle. Both estates are now enjoying considerable success.

The vineyards at Chateau Lagrange comprise 157 hectares all told, although only 113 are actually planted up at present, including four hectares of white varieties. The vineyards are situated on two mounds of Gunzian gravel, which include the highest point in St Julien. The grape varieties include 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot, the whites 60% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Semillon and 10% Muscadelle. Vinification of the fruit, which is harvested by hand, is fairly typical, employing temperature controlled stainless steel equipment. There may be a cuvaison of up to 25 days. The grand vin, Chateau Lagrange, of which there are 23000 cases produced, sees 60% new oak each vintage, whereas the second wine Les Fiefs de Lagrange, of which there are 31000 cases, sees just 20% new oak. The white wine Les Arums de Lagrange, a Bordeaux Blanc first produced in 1997, sees 80% new oak.

Lagrange has demonstrated the success that outside investment can bring to an struggling Bordeaux chateau. Long gone are the days when the grand families of Bordeaux could afford to maintain both a fine old chateau and the extensive holding of vineyards that often comes with it. There are a few exceptions, I admit, but the majority of Bordeaux chateaux are now in the hands on big business conglomerates, and many are probably the better for it. My tasting experience with Lagrange stretches back to 1983, but the vintages of the 1990's and 2000 onwards feature much more prominently. There are many fine wines here, with the 2000 being particularly strong. My only point of concern is that the 2001, and the 1998, both seem remarkably forward; does this indicate a change in style at Lagrange? Possibly, although I would suspect that these two wines may merely reflect the characteristics of the vintages. Nevertheless, the 2001 is a lovely wine for those that like to drink claret rather than invest in it; many chateaux seem to have turned out similar wines in this vintage, under-rated as it is, sitting in the shadow of 2000. The 2003, by contrast, when tasted at the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux tasting, in 2005, was worryingly confected and estery; on this basis, one to avoid, in what was a difficult vintage for many Bordeaux properties. Restasting in late 2006, however, this seemed like a totally different wine, showing typical (not necessarily wholly admirable) characteristics of the vintage, but certainly much more palatable. The 1996, which features in my cellar alongside the 2002 (bought for a song, I must say), is also very good, but remained remarkably youthful when last tasted, again in 2005. (23/3/04, last updated 15/3/07)

Contact details:
Address: Chateau Lagrange, 33250 St-Julien-Beychevelle
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 56 73 38 38
Fax +33 (0) 5 56 59 26 09
Internet: www.chateau-lagrange.com

Chateau Lagrange - Tasting Notes

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Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 2008: Dense, sweet, with concentrated ripe fruit. The palate has a very ripe and detached style, mineral and fresh. Fairly bright and lively, with good vivacity. Less supple than some, but with good substance, nice acidity and appropriate tannins. Very good potential. From my 2008 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 16.5-17.5+/20 (April 2009)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 2007: An attractive nose here, with a slight nuance of perfume to the fruit, with little exotic fruit elements too. It has appeal. The palate is soft, supple, gently fleshy, perhaps too soft? Certainly modern in style, but also charcoaly and unknit at present. Appealing fruit though. A good effort showing better than the primeur sample, which I found difficult to judge. From a tasting of 2007 Bordeaux at two years of age. 15.5+/20 (October 2009)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 2007: An inexpressive wine today, showing very little character on the nose. The palate is similarly reticent in terms of revealing any flavour or scent. There is a lot of structure, with overt tannins suggestive of rather aggressive extraction, and firm acids. There is just no fruit detectable, and this certainly seems rather awkward at present. Difficult to judge. From my 2007 Bordeaux en primeur assessment. 13-14+?/20 (April 2008)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 2006: Creamy vanilla and blackberry on the nose, with a sweet, crumbly, buttery oak element. A very supple palate, quite stylish, with a ripe character and gentle grip beneath. Very well composed, with ripe tannins and nice acidity. This has really fleshed out since my first tasting. A good sweetness to the fruit too. From a tasting of 2006 Bordeaux at two years of age. 16.5+/20 (October 2008)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 2006: Quite open on the nose, sweet fruit, nice freshness. Rounded, lots of tannin, moderate texture, but not really enough flesh for me. Nice acidity, some good fruit. It is lively but lacks substance. Good. From my 2006 Bordeaux assessment. 14.5-15.5/20 (April 2007)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 2005: Exuberant and ripe berry fruit on the nose here, nuances of smoke, but overall the suggestion of gently fat, fleshy fruit. Good substance on the palate, again soft and a little loosely held together, but we have here flesh, rather firm and crunchy tannins and good vibrant acidity. I like the character presented on the nose and there are some appealingly bright characteristics present on the palate too. This has a lot of appeal and will be excellent given time. From a 2005 Bordeaux tasting at four years of age. 17.5+/20 (November 2009)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 2005: A really attractive, lifted style on the nose here, with a touch of bright cherry and cranberry fruit. It has a crunchy but ripe character that I really admire. The style is firm, elegant and crisply framed, with less depth of texture and substance than some but there is still plenty of material here. There is ripeness and a good defining acidity. Nice style. From my tasting of 2005 Bordeaux at two years of age. 17+/20 (October 2007)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 2004: A nice character here. On the nose I find some sweet, dark fruit and there is still evidence of some buttery oak too. There is a rich, cherry-laced aroma, rich but fresh as well. The palate is attractive, balanced, with some depth and nicely rounded out fruit. Elegant, not hugely deep and textured, but well styled, and a nice persistence. Altogether this is very good and appealing , with good potential. Not that long since I last tasted this I see, and it is showing well still. From a Bordeaux 2004 tasting. 17+/20 (November 2007)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 2004: A nice glossy hue to this wine, and some pure fruit on the nose, fresh and vibrant, with a little trace of oak. Very stylish. Attractive, medium bodied, classically styled, filling out in the midpalate quite nicely. A balanced grip, with fresh acidity and ripe tannins. This is good, with fine potential for the cellar. Consistent tasting notes for this vintage. 17+/20 (February 2007)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 2004: A gorgeously styled nose here, vibrant and mineral, with appealing red and black fruit flavours. This is very classic; what a relief after last year's awful experience with the wacky 2003. Ripe, supple style of tannins, well structured. with a fine presence of mineral-tinged fruit like that on the nose. Fine acidity. Very good indeed, again fine potential. From my 2004 Bordeaux assessment. 17+/20 (October 2006)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 2003: Since my last tasting of this when the wine seemed very unusual, at the UGC tasting in October 2005, I have been eager to try it again. Today, this seems like a different wine. On the nose it has a wealth of deep fruit, with quite an exotic perfume and it is very attractive. I find it difficult to believe that this is the same wine that I tasted last year. Good style on the palate too, very nicely composed, although with the huge grip of tannins typical of the vintage. But there is decent acidity too, and on the basis of this bottle this seems to have a very good potential, but as always I damp down my score...I am still worried that the tannins will outlast the fruit in this vintage. But the big question with this wine is what was going on in 2005? And what will the next bottle taste like? 16+?/20 (November 2006)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 2003: Whoa! An unusual nose here; confected, cola-aniseed-cherry nose with a lifted, estery nature. Rather light on entry, but picks up through the midpalate, with some rounded morello cherry fruit and firm tannin. Little in the way of presence or texture, and incongruous acidity. What's gone wrong here? One to avoid. From my 2003 Bordeaux assessment. 13/20 (October 2005)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 2002: A barrel sample. This wine also displays some richness on the nose, with black fruits and a sweet, herbal edge. The palate is leaner than the 2000, stern, and very backward. This wine is giving little away, other than a little blackberry fruit. Good acidity, nicely balanced. Also needs close to a decade in the cellar. 16+/20 (November 2003)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 2001: This is slightly more aromatic than Les Fiefs from the same vintage, although it is predominantly the nutty and mocha aromas of youth. Quite balanced and elegant on the palate, with a gentle structure, showing some depth on the midpalate and finish. Not very expressive at the moment, but has potential. I think this will be drinking well in 2-3 years, perhaps a little longer. Very good. 16+/20 (November 2005)

Les Fiefs de Lagrange (St Julien) 2001: A rather shy nose here, but on the palate this wine reveals lovely, forward fruit, rather soft and supple in style, with a little extract providing some positive substance and body. Good acidity. Short finish, but a good second wine here. 15/20 (November 2005)

Les Arums de Lagrange (Bordeaux Blanc) 2001: Good aromatics here, white fruits laced with honeysuckle. Very dry, slightly austere palate. Firm, with stern acidity. There's a little flesh peaking through on the midpalate, and good character too. 15.5/20 (November 2003)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 2000: Fat and rich on the nose, with dense black cherry fruit and oak, with a burnt, toasty edge - perhaps even a touch of roasting to the flavour profile. The palate is unsurprisingly still packed with tannin and very backward at this stage it its development. Nevertheless there is a hint of fat, rich opulence here and buttery fruit. Destined for excellence. Needs a decade in the cellar. 17+/20 (November 2003)

Les Fiefs de Lagrange (St Julien) 2000: Rich berry and cherry fruit on the nose. Rather lean palate, although quite rich in soft tannins and very drying. More berry fruit flavours. Not as much flesh or fat as I might have expected. Firm acidity. 15/20 (November 2003)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 1999: An appealing nose, with lots of fruit, with a deep, slightly meaty character. Some early secondary characteristics appearing here. A good presence, with bright, vivacious fruit. Attractive and nicely structured. Rather approachable now but still on the way up, with a good, bright fruit style. Good flavours. 16.5+/20 (February 2007)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 1998: I find attractive aromas on the nose here, which has a good presence of rounded fruit lifted by notes of liquorice and spicy complexity. It shows freshness and light rather than intensity. At the start it is light, and maintains a rather lean presence on the palate throughout, showing in quite a firm fashion without a great deal of rich concentration. Today it seems to be showing more structure than flavour or aroma, and it is a little less well composed in the mouth. I have enjoyed previous bottles of this wine more than this one. Nevertheless there are good qualities here which are evident on tasting. A good effort for a lesser vintage. From a tasting of 1998 Bordeaux. 16.5+/20 (August 2008)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 1998: This has a lovely style, showing a very attractive, open nose with plentiful fruit. It has a well rounded, well composed complete style on the palate, with some really bright, fresh acidity. Nicely spiced, with a little complexity. This is really rather stylish, with a good presence of fruit, and in the context of the vintage is really very impressive. 17+/20 (November 2006)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 1998: A quite glossy hue, with an appealing, minerally, stony, black fruit character on the nose. There are emerging notes of complexity too. Elegant and floral on the palate, softly structured, with a nice, supple, ripe tannic backbone. Good acidity. A very attractive drinking wine, with a reserved style I appreciate, quite approachable now, but will improve. 17+/20 (November 2005)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 1996: Two bottles within a week or so of each other. The nose shows coffee oak, molasses, mocha and caramel - wow! Full, creamy and luscious palate, full of delightfully textured black fruits with plenty of extract. Roasted berries, iron, bloody beef, black cherry and blackcurrant fruit character. This has all the stuffing required for the cellar. Excellent potential. This will continue to improve over the next eight years at the very least. 17.5+/20 (June 2005)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 1995: Maturing aromas here, and an elegant appeal. Minerals, gravel and black fruits, with nuances of roast lamb. On the palate it has texture, with fruit and minerality, and there are still some tannins here. Lovely wealth of rich character behind the fading structure. More focused than many other 1995s I've tried, but needs a couple of years to come together. 16+/20 (November 2003)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 1990: Dark, glossy hue. The nose has dark, smoky fruit. It's quite intense, and only with a little air does it reveal a very mild cork taint. It is very faint, insufficient to strip all the dark, smoky fruit character from the wine. Ripe grippy tannin, full and rich. Lovely length. This is a wine with great potential - if other bottles aren't corked, obviously! I will award a tentative score - a taint-free bottle may show even better. 17.5+?/20 (June 2005)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 1988: Glossy colour, also showing some maturity. Firm nose, although rather mysterious, a little reticent, but some mature, meaty notes reveal themselves with time. Full, textured, quite creamy palate. Fleshy presence, smoky, rich, dark fruits. This has a real presence. Excellent. 18/20 (June 2005)

Chateau Lagrange (St Julien) 1983: Darkly coloured wine, showing obvious maturity. Delightful nose; mature yet intense, with liquorice, and sweet, roasted meats. Full, textured palate, yet balanced. Mature, forthright, showing a little extract, and quite delicious. This is fine. 17.5/20 (June 2005)