CHATEAU LA LAGUNE 3eme Grand Cru Classe Haut-Medoc 2019 Bottle

Description

The 2019 Château La Lagune is a magnificent expression from the Haut-Médoc, perfectly capturing the elegance and power of this Third Growth Grand Cru Classé. Typically a blend predominantly of Cabernet Sauvignon (around 60-70%), Merlot (25-30%), and a touch of Petit Verdot, it displays a deep, lustrous ruby-purple.

The nose is wonderfully aromatic, offering a complex bouquet of ripe cassis, black cherries, and plums, layered with nuanced notes of cedar, tobacco, and a hint of forest floor. On the palate, it is medium to full-bodied, showcasing a beautiful concentration of dark fruit supported by incredibly refined, silky tannins and a vibrant freshness. This is a superbly balanced and structured wine, culminating in a long, persistent finish that promises excellent ageing potential.

JAMES SUCKLING 95 points
Plenty of chocolate, tobacco and blackcurrant character on the nose. It’s full-bodied with chewy tannins that are polished and present. Long and intense. This is rather tight and mouth-puckering. Give it time to soften. Very structured. From organically grown grapes. Better after 2025.

DECANTER 94 points
Tasted by: Jane Anson (at Bordeaux, 05 Jun 2020)
Drinking Window: 2028 - 2040
Full intensity plum colour, highly attractive aromatics that float up as soon as it hits the glass. Clear energy and tension through the body of the wine without the slightest dip in the mid palate. Not the most exuberant of the classified growths but this is seriously good quality, tight cassis and fine tannins. Organic certified, in conversion to biodynamics.

THE WINE ADVOCATE 94 points
Reviewed by: William Kelley
Drink Date: 2025 - 2055
Wafting from the glass with aromas of cherries, wild berries and cassis mingled with hints of dark chocolate, pencil shavings and violets, the 2019 La Lagune is medium to full-bodied, broad and sensual, its ample core of fruit framed by polished tannins and succulent acids. In its elegant, generous style, it's reminiscent of a modern-day version of the brilliant 1990.

One of the Médoc's southernmost and most precocious sites, La Lagune occupies two domes of fine gravel, some 1.5 meters deep, that becomes sandier in the vineyard's lower-lying sectors. The trend when replanting has been for Cabernet Sauvignon to displace Merlot on the prime sectors of the vineyard, and farming is organic (certified from 2020 on), with cover crops and less frequent mechanical cultivation than in the past. Winemaking is classical, with gentle pump-overs, and the press wine is carefully selected before inclusion. In the cellar, maturation occurs with some 50% new oak. The result is a rather sensual, seamless wine, with plenty of fleshy charm and fine aging potential, and the 2019 has turned out extremely well.
Published: Apr 07, 2022

VINOUS 92-94 points
Drinking window: 2025 - 2050
The 2019 La Lagune has a finely chiseled bouquet, a mélange of red and black fruit, touches of damp clay, undergrowth and cedar developing with time. These aromatics are very nuanced and deserve time, not impactful but intellectual. The palate is medium-bodied with fine but firm tannins. Very linear and correct in style, it feels fresh and sapid, though I would have liked more flair to show through on the saline finish. Still, I like the grip and I suspect it will give 25-30 years drinking pleasure.
Neal Martin. Tasting date: May 2020