Château La Lagune 2011 - Grand Cru Classé

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Lots of spice on the nose with personality and originality, full-bodied, savory tannin, definite future.

About the domain :

La Lagune has not been rewarded by the weather in recent vintages for its courageous organic viticulture. Under the watchful eye of its administrator, Caroline Frey, the wine has made good progress in recent years, with blends featuring a higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon and more elegant tannin extractions. It's getting better all the time.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the wine:

The first classified growth encountered by visitors arriving from Bordeaux along the Médoc wine route, this château was bought in 2000 by Jean-Jacques Frey, a businessman who already owned prestigious houses in Champagne and the Rhône Valley. A long-established name, La Lagune combines an elegant 18th-century Carthusian monastery, superb cellars, a vast vineyard (110ha, including 75ha for the grand vin) and a choice terroir of fine sandy gravel. All these assets are enhanced by a dynamic team led by Caroline Frey, daughter of the owner and the estate's oenologist since 2004. La Lagune is aiming for organic certification in 2016.
Three "coups de cœur" since the change of ownership, including two in a row: this wine is definitely worthy of its environment. The Médoc-style blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot. The deep color is matched by a powerful bouquet that touches on perfection: the toasty notes of oak provide judiciously measured support for an elegant fruitiness with nuances of spicy black berries, which is released with aeration. Luscious, fat, ample and refined, the palate is underpinned by fine, skilfully extracted tannins that guarantee this bottle a long life. "Flesh and charm", concludes one taster.

About the domain :

The first classified growth encountered by visitors arriving from Bordeaux along the Médoc wine route, this château was bought in 2000 by Jean-Jacques Frey, a businessman who already owned prestigious houses in Champagne and the Rhône Valley. A long-established name, La Lagune combines an elegant 18th-century Carthusian monastery, superb cellars, a vast vineyard (110 ha, including 75 ha for the grand vin) and a choice terroir of fine sandy gravel. All these assets are enhanced by a dynamic team led by Caroline Frey, daughter of the owner and the estate's nologue since 2004. The estate has been certified organic since the 2016 vintage.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot has plenty of tannin, an impressive ruby/dark plum color, and notes of vanillin, cassis and undergrowth, in a medium-bodied profile. Cellar it for several years and enjoy it over the next 10 to 15 years. It doesn't eclipse the 2009 and 2010, but it's a fine bottle for the vintage.

About the domain :

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

The 2011 is denser and tighter, with good substance. It will need time.

About the domain :

Located at the entrance to the Médoc, this cru imposes its characteristic style, always expressing great finesse and elegance. Under the guidance of Caroline Frey since 2004, the cru has produced a series of excellent vintages, placing it at the very top of its appellation. It has to be said that the château holds all the cards to triumph: a very interesting, homogeneous terroir, and state-of-the-art winemaking equipment. A sure bet, but one that has nevertheless been painfully affected by the vagaries of the weather in recent vintages.

Le Figaro vins