Alcohol %: 13.0% (2011 vintage)
Grape Variety: 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Type: Red Wine — Saint-Julien AOC, Bordeaux, France
Food Pairing
- Roast lamb
- Lamb shoulder
- Roast beef
- Grilled steak
- Beef tenderloin
- Roast pork
- Duck
- Venison and other game
- Roast chicken
- Pheasant
- Mushroom dishes
- Charcuterie and pâté
- Mature cheeses
Red meats, game and mature cheeses are particularly suitable for the wine's Cabernet-led structure. Vintage-specific recommendations also include roast pork, lamb and pheasant.
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Deep ruby to dark garnet red. Falstaff described the 2011 as deep dark ruby-garnet with violet reflections when young. At its present age, a well-stored bottle can be expected to show more developed garnet and subtle brick-red tones around the rim.
Aroma: Expressive and classically Médoc in character, with ripe black fruits, plum, cassis and black cherry accompanied by liquorice and menthol. More detailed assessments also identify cedar, pencil lead, vanilla, chocolate, pepper and spice. With bottle maturity, these fruit and oak characters can develop toward more savoury tobacco, cedar and earthy nuances.
Palate: Medium-bodied and balanced, with ripe black and red fruit supported by fresh acidity and rounded, increasingly integrated tannins. Cherry, plum and cassis are complemented by liquorice, graphite, chocolate and spice. The wine combines the structure expected from Cabernet Sauvignon with attractive freshness and a persistent finish, emphasizing elegance and balance rather than excessive power.
Description
Les Fiefs de Lagrange 2011 is the second wine of Château Lagrange, the historic Third Growth (Troisième Grand Cru Classé) of the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, located in the prestigious Saint-Julien appellation on Bordeaux's Left Bank.
The 2011 vintage is composed of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot, making it a Cabernet Sauvignon-led Bordeaux blend. The grapes come from the estate's gravelly terroir, and vintage-specific information indicates that the wine was matured in oak barrels, approximately 20% new.
As Château Lagrange's second wine, Les Fiefs de Lagrange benefits from the estate's vineyard and winemaking expertise but is selected and styled to be approachable earlier than the Grand Vin. This does not mean it is a lower-grade generic Bordeaux: it is a genuine Saint-Julien produced by a classified-growth estate and offers an accessible expression of Château Lagrange's terroir and house style.
The 2011 shows ripe black fruit, plum, cassis and cherry, accompanied by liquorice, cedar, graphite, menthol and spice. Its Cabernet Sauvignon component provides structure and freshness, while Merlot contributes roundness and fruit and Petit Verdot adds colour, spice and additional complexity. The palate is balanced by rounded tannins and good acidity, finishing with attractive persistence.
The wine also received respectable critical assessments for a second wine from the more challenging 2011 Bordeaux vintage. Falstaff awarded 90 points, describing ripe cherry fruit, lively acidity, chocolate and pepper nuances. Jancis Robinson's Julia Harding MW gave 16.5/20, highlighting bright red fruit, spice, freshness and elegance. Neal Martin, tasting for Wine Advocate from barrel, gave 86–88 points and noted cedar, pencil lead, chalky tannins and a graphite-influenced finish.
