Country: France Region: Bordeaux (St. Julien) Varietal: 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot Vintage: 2018 Colour: Red Style: Medium Body, Dry Producer: Chateau Lagrange Description: An icon of balance and tradition, St. Julien boasts the highest proportion of classed growths in the Médoc. St. Julien wines are for those wanting subtlety, balance and consistency in their Bordeaux. Rewarding and persistent, the best among these Bordeaux Blends are full of blueberry, blackberry, cassis, plum, tobacco and liquorice. They are intense and complex and finish with fine, velvety tannins. Grapes have been grown at Chateau Lagrange, St.-Julien, for over 600 years. A Third Growth in the Classification of 1855, it is the largest classified growth in the Medoc with 113 hectares under vine. Medium to deep garnet-purple coloured, the 2018 Lagrange explodes from the glass with bombastic notes of crème de cassis, chocolate-covered cherries and baked red and black plums with suggestions of rose oil, cedar chest, pencil lead and hoisin. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has fantastic vibrancy for the ripeness, packed with juicy black fruits and compelling tension with a finely grained texture to support, finishing on a lingering mineral note. Tasting Note: Dark colour with purple tint on the rim, black cherry, blackcurrant, and fresh prune. Powerful and unctuous with a lot of freshness. This vintage seems to be very approachable and well balanced. Tannins are dense and very silky. This amazing wine looks like a blend between the 2009 and 2016. 2018 is the ultimate generous wine. Critical Acclaim Jeb Dunnuck 97 Pts The flagship 2018 Château Lagrange is a more dense, backward, serious wine, offering an unevolved yet incredibly promising bouquet of cassis, blackcurrants, scorched earth, graphite, and violets. A big, rich, full-bodied Saint-Julien, it delivers thrilling purity of fruit, plenty of background oak, ripe, silky tannins, and a great mid-palate. This is serious stuff, but it's going to require patience. Hide bottles for 7-8 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following two decades. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 95 Pts Medium to deep garnet-purple coloured, the 2018 Lagrange explodes from the glass with bombastic notes of crème de cassis, chocolate-covered cherries and baked red and black plums with suggestions of rose oil, cedar chest, pencil lead and hoisin. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has fantastic vibrancy for the ripeness, packed with juicy black fruits and compelling tension with a finely grained texture to support, finishing on a lingering mineral note. Nicely done! Wine Enthusiast 94 Pts This smoky wine still shows some wood aging flavours. Structure comes from this wood aging as well as the rich blackberry-fruit tannins and concentration. The succulent Cabernet Sauvignon is ripe and full. It needs time, so drink from 2026.    Decanter 94 Pts Beautiful reflections through the body of this wine, with fresh acidity, and an attractive sense of uplift through the palate, although the actual fruit is a little subdued right now, which as it opens shows damson and bilberry. There is real tannic frame, and build-up on the finish as you see just how concentrated these dark fruits are. Drinking Window 2026 - 2044 Wine Spectator 93 Pts This has a notable tobacco and bay leaf profile out front, followed by bramble-textured, gently mulled plum and black cherry fruit. James Suckling 93 Pts Extremely perfumed with currant and blackberry aromas, as well as flowers. It medium-to full-bodied with firm, creamy tannins that frame some pretty, elegant fruit for the vintage. Try after 2024. Food Matches: Beef, Venison, Poultry