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Chateau Malartic Lagraviere

2016
Country
France
Region
Bordeaux
Appellation
Pessac-Leognan
UPC
0 15643 54832 1
Red Wine
Verified Stock
1639-16
Product Ratings
James Suckling 96pt

I love the deep and complex nose, in which the cassis and mint of cabernet sauvignon are beautifully married to the more generous blackberry of ripe merlot and the vanilla and toasty notes from the oak are marvelously integrated. On the palate it creeps up on you slowly; the first impression is ripe yet delicate, then the fine-grained tannins charge through and light up the sky. Very long finish.

by James Suckling, 2019
Vinous Media 95pt

The 2016 Malartic-Lagraviere has a wonderful bouquet of perfumed, mainly red fruit laced with potpourri, black olive tapenade and light brine-like aromas - a bouquet full of personality. The fresh, harmonious palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a fine bead of acidity and just the right amount of salinity toward the loam-tinged finish. Bon vin from the Bonnies.

by Vinous Media, 2018
Wine Advocate 92pt

The 2016 Malartic Lagraviere is blended of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it opens with wild blueberries and black cherries with cassis, bay leaves and dark chocolate nuances plus a hint of charcoal. Medium-bodied with a lively backbone and solid frame of ripe, rounded tannins, it finishes with an herbal lift.

by Wine Advocate, 2018
Wine Enthusiast 96pt

The Bonnie family's estate has produced a richly structured wine, full of the ripe tannins indicative of the vintage. To balance the structure, powerful flavors of black currant and dark berries give ripeness.

by Wine Enthusiast, 2019
Wine Spectator 92pt

Ripe and fresh, with bright cherry, plum and currant pate de fruit flavors that have a racy edge while roasted apple wood, sweet tobacco and red licorice notes fill in through the lengthy finish. Thoroughly delicious, and approachable now or capable of some cellaring.

by Wine Spectator, 2019

Technical data

Total area (A.O.C.) 53 hectares
Area in red (A.O.C.) 46 hectares
Geology Well-drained gravels and clay gravels
on shelly limestone and clay subsoil
Grape varieties 45% Merlot - 45% Cabernet-Sauvignon
8% Cabernet-Franc - 2% Petit-Verdot
Density of plantation 10 000 plants / ha
Average age of the vineyard 31 years old
Pruning method Guyot double
Average yield 46 hl/ha
Harvest Hand picking - Sustainable farming - High Value Environmental
certification*
Vinification Thermoregulated stainless steel or oak vats
Fermentation About 30 days - 28 to 30° C
Ageing Traditional on fine lies in French oak barrels - New oak 80%
Ageing period in progress
Oenologist Consultants Michel Rolland

Vintage

Extreme weather conditions resulted in an exceptional vintage
A particularly wet winter and spring promised good yields. One of the best summers of the decade, with a long dry period, brought power and concentration. A remarkable late season, with substantial differences in temperatures, ensured elegance for this exceptional vintage. Each of these stages, with an extreme climatology, has been chained with a perfect tempo: This is the singularity of this vintage.
Flowering was rapid and uniform and summer extremely hot and dry. But Malartic vines’ deep roots were able to find water reserves in the clay-limestone subsoil and benefit fully from the summer heat.
The grapes changed colour with the same uniformity as the flowering.
After the very dry conditions, the rain on 13 September (40 mm) was welcome. An Indian summer lasted through to the end of the harvests with some big differences between the day and night-time temperatures, encouraging the accumulation of anthocyanins and aromatic richness.
For the red wines, the vintage is in the exceptional category. We have rarely seen such substance and balance in both polyphenolic and aromatic terms. Long and slow ripening has refined the tannins and developed complexity in the flavours and aromas, while maintaining plenty of freshness. Exceptional and superb.