Château Lilian Ladouys: Tasting & Drinking
My earliest experience with the wines of Château Lilian Ladouys was based on a single encounter with several vintages, as I noted in my introduction, on the first page of this profile. The vintages shown on the day ranged from the 2001 up to the 2005, omitting the 2002. They were obviously young wines, and I enjoyed the opportunity to taste them.
The 2005 was certainly the best of the bunch, with a little more substance than the preceding vintages, but all in all I thought that the wines fell short of what we might expect from the published 19th century opinions, and also given the estate’s proximity to Château Cos d’Estournel and Château Lafon-Rochet. Even accepting that not all vineyards are so close by, I concluded that a rigorous selection and greater attention to detail in the cellars should have been able to produce a wine of a much higher standard than those poured on the day.
Now, after more than a decade of investment from Jacky Lorenzetti, funding new developments and the arrival of new expertise such as Vincent Bache-Gabrielsen, it is clear that the wines of Château Lilian Ladouys today offer a much greater level of interest and quality. Very soon after Lorenzetti’s arrival the 2010 vintage, even acknowledging the fact that the wine had surely benefited from the high quality of the vintage in question, showed more promise than any of the previously tasted wines. The 2011 and 2012 vintages were not ideal for the region, and 2013 is best forgotten, and none of these vintages shine here. Things do start looking up with 2014 though, a vintage in which St Estèphe did better than much of the Médoc peninsula.
While 2015 and 2017 both seem a little wobbly, the 2016 and 2018 vintages are the finest that this property has ever produced. These were closely matched by strong efforts in 2019, 2020 and 2022, and considering the trials of the vintages the 2021 and 2023 are to be admired. Nevertheless, I suspect the best is still yet to come here; let’s hope so. (2/5/08, updated 11/8/11, 20/3/13, 8/4/20, 23/11/24)
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