Château Lagrange 2004

The 2004 vintage in Saint-Julien

Vintage benchmark: 88/100 (appellation benchmark, not a score for this wine)

Vintage character: High yields and a dry September gave a classic, unexaggerated vintage, straightforward, now at its peak.

Overall reading of the year’s season across Saint-Julien. An estate can depart from it sharply, in frost or hail years, where two neighbours did not make the same vintage. What this particular wine actually gave is on its technical sheet and in the scores above.

Tasting

A raspberry-scented nose, freshness and precision. Notes of cinnamon, vanilla and toast. A broad, fleshy palate. A well-built wine, powerful yet elegant, with a refined texture. Its long finish suggests good cellaring potential.

Blend of the 2004 vintage

Figures from the 2004 sheet

• 13 % vol.Alcohol
• 32 yrsVine age
• 150,000 bottlesProduction

Winemaking

A traditional Bordeaux vinification is carried out in stainless steel vats managed by a temperature-control system. The maceration time, which can vary from 15 to 25 days, is determined by tasting according to the tannic evolution of the fermenting wines.

Ageing

In Bordeaux oak barrels (60% new)

Terroir

Located in the Saint-Julien appellation, the vineyard extends over two gravel rises of « Günzian » origin running north-south. Sometimes fine, sometimes coarser, these gravels are accompanied either by sand or by ferruginous clay. At an altitude of 24 metres, the centre of the estate is the highest point in Saint-Julien. Of the property's total area of 157 hectares, 118 hectares are planted to vine and most of the parcels are drained. The planting, entirely in keeping with the Médoc terroir, consists of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. Cabernet Sauvignon brings structure and ageing potential, Merlot roundness and flesh, and Petit Verdot fruit and complexity.