Chateau Malartic Lagraviere Rouge 2015

Château Malartic Lagravière Rouge, Grand Cru Classé, Pessac Léognan, Bordeaux, 2015

Grapes: A blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, 53ha vineyard, gravel/clay soil over limestone, average 31 year old vines, sustainable farming, 43hl/ha yield, hand-picked, 18 months' ageing in French oak barrels (80% new)

Château Malartic-Lagravière is one of only six properties to be classified in both red and white wines in the 1953 Graves classification. Consultant winemaker is Michel Rolland. 2015 was an exceptionally hot/dry/sunny vintage with fruit being harvested in perfect conditions.

Chateau Tasting Note:

The wine has a black colour with brilliant reflections. A frank and fresh attack, with great balance, characteristics specific to classified red grand cru wines. Fruity aromas (with touches of blackcurrant and black cherry). A beautiful complexity, silky texture on the palate and superb balance.

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"Tremendous fruit ripeness – blackcurrant and plum with oak just giving an echo of spice on the nose. It’s the kind of ripeness that would have been unthinkable for Bordeaux of old. The tannin is still very punchy, although it has a softness that makes it drinkable even now. Excellent stuff! (RH)

17.5+/20 points, jancisrobinson.com

"Aged 18 months in French oak barrels, 80% of which were new and 20% one-year-old, the 2015 Malartic Lagraviere is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it has notes of crushed black currants, fresh black berries and black raspberries with hints of tar, dried herbs and garrigue. The palate is medium-bodied, energetic and refreshing in the mouth with firm, grainy tannins and an uplifting finish." Drink 2019-2033

92/100 points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com