| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pessac-Léognan |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
This Pessac Leognan Chateau has been making excellent wines in recent years under the management of owner Jean-Jacques Bonnie whose family purchased the property in 1997. The 46 hectare vineyard is planted with equal proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.
The 2018 Malartic-Lagravière was a little variable when I tasted it from barrel. Now bottled, it has closed down on the nose, yet given a couple of hours' decant, it opens nicely to offer black fruit, sage, tobacco and subtle floral scents (iris and violet). The palate is well balanced with a dense entry and good acidity. It would benefit from a little more refinement and I still sense a scintilla of greenness on the aftertaste. Hopefully that will disappear with bottle age, because it deserves time in the cellar. Drink 2025-2045.
Freshness and depth to this wine with blackberry, blueberry and crushed-stone character on the nose and palate. Full and flavorful, yet with underlying reserve.
Composed of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc and aged in 70% new oak barriques, the 2018 Malartic Lagraviere has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and pronounced notions of stewed black and red plums, boysenberries and cassis on the nose, with hints of hoisin, dried Provence herbs and unsmoked cigars. The medium-bodied palate has a firm, grainy texture and just enough freshness to support the black fruit preserves flavors, finishing savory. Drink 2024-2040.
Deep and rich in colour, this is more refined and subdued on the nose than some, with real focus, depth and layers. It needs time in bottle to unveil its potential as everything is curled up right now, from the blueberry and cassis fruits to the liquorice and chocolate touches. With time in the glass, the multitude of layers of spice and slate become apparent. It's a great quality wine that will not be rushed. 2% Petit verdot makes up the blend, with 70% new oak for ageing.
Drinking Window 2028 - 2045
Diam 30 closure.
Tasted blind. Big and sweet. Really dramatically different from the norm here. Lots of exotically spicy promise. 14%
Drink 2028 – 2044
Black core, cherry rim. Ripe damsons and blackberries, rich in fruit. Ripeness showing in a touch of mint. Then the tannins really take over on the palate, dry and chalky, though there is some freshness here to suggest it will open to reveal more.
Drink 2024-2032
Wood smoke, camphor and fresh red fruits on the nose here. The palate is fresh, silky and medium bodied, with approachable and delicate tannins and a touch of pepper to add spicy complexity. Compact, well proportioned and approachable, avoiding excess heat or ripeness.
The medium-bodied 2018 Château Malartic-Lagravière comes from high-density plantings on gravelly soils and is a rough blend at this point of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc representing only 55% of the total production. Elegant notes of dark fruits (cassis, blackberries), gravelly earth, and forest floor all flow to a seamless Graves that has good balance, some grainy tannins, good mid-palate density, and ample length. It’s certainly going to be an outstanding wine. Tasted twice.
The oak is the main culprit here and it is responsible for bashing up the fruit. Too much furniture polish notes and too charry as well, this wine is unlikely to even out.
The 2018 Malartic-Lagravière was tasted in Bordeaux, where I was not happy with the sample bottle that came across perplexingly green. The château sent two bottles so that I could re-taste them at home and these bore none of those traits. It has an intense bouquet with copious red cherry, blackcurrant and blueberry fruit. Monitoring over an hour it evolves attractive floral scents of lavender and iris flowers. The palate is medium-bodied, the new oak quite prominent on the entry though there is sufficient fruit to back it up. This is a more sumptuous Malartic Lagravière, armed with impressive density towards the finish. 2023 - 2045
This is a blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, to be aged for 18-22 months in oak barriques, 70% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Malartic Lagraviere gives scents of baked red and black cherries, warm blackcurrants and balsamic with touches of underbrush, moss-covered bark and tobacco. Full-bodied, firm and chewy in the mouth, it packs in the berry preserves with some pepper and spice sparks coming through on the long finish.
