Château Malartic-Lagravière: Tasting & Drinking
There is no doubt that under the direction of the Bonnie family the wines of Château Malartic-Lagravière have demonstrated astonishing improvements, and I have frequently (except perhaps in the 2003 vintage, which was very difficult for the region) been enamoured by the white wine. But the reds also are showing great potential; some vintages early on under the Bonnies, such as the 2001 and 2004, were certainly worthwhile wines. But in more recent years things have stepped up a gear I think, and helped by back-to-back favourable vintages, with both the 2009 and 2010 being of very good quality.
In more recent years quality of the red has continued to climb, so that it is often one of the best buys of the vintage in this commune, offering an excellent level of quality just half a notch below some of the appellation’s most famous names, while remaining very favourably priced. While some of the next few vintages were less than exciting (but this was the case across much of the region), 2015 took it back up a notch. The 2016 set a new benchmark, although I thought the 2019 vintage was of potentially comparable quality. I also found the 2018 and 2020 vintages to be tip-top, just behind the 2016 and 2019 vintages, followed by the 2017 vintage. The red is particularly strong in 2022.
While the red wines today deserve to be taken seriously, the white wines have continued to impress throughout, with the 2002, 2004 and 2006 vintages all tasting very good indeed, in what were relatively early vintages for the Bonnie family. Subsequent vintages have shown well, sometimes in years that were not so kind to the reds. The 2013, for example, is very decent. Having said that 2014 was better, and some very recent vintages have displayed astounding promise, in particular 2015, while the 2017 vintage was also pretty smart. I also rated the 2023 vintage highly.
This property is not yet on the top tier for the region, alongside the likes of Domaine de Chevalier and Château Pape-Clément, nor have they ascended to supremacy in the same manner as Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte. Nevertheless this property is today a source of excellent wines, full of promise, and both red and white are superior to many others in the region, as well as being good value for the region. (31/5/05, updated 17/5/07, 11/5/11, 18/11/12, 15/9/21, 17/8/24)
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