Anyone who thinks that modern Bordeaux has become too soft or easy should taste this seriously tannic yet sleek and vibrant wine. So much drive and energy that the weak of heart should better stand back. Better from 2020 and has a couple of decades of ageing potential.

Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Lagrange gives up fragrant notes of chocolate-covered cherries, cassis and blackberry pie with touches of violets, forest floor, truffles and cigar box. Medium-bodied with plenty of intense black fruit and firm, grainy tannins, it has a racy line and long, mineral-laced finish. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Interim Issue Mid-February 2018, The Wine Advocate

Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Lagrange gives up fragrant notes of chocolate-covered cherries, cassis and blackberry pie with touches of violets, forest floor, truffles and cigar box. Medium-bodied with plenty of intense black fruit and firm, grainy tannins, it has a racy line and long, mineral-laced finish.

The 2015 Lagrange could perhaps benefit from a little more freshness and brightness on the nose, though it has a mineral drive that surfaces with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, a fine bead of acidity, moderate depth but very strict and showing slight attenuation toward the finish. It does quite deliver on the improved showing in bottle compared to barrel, although, like Gruaud Larose, I suspect this is just entering an awkward phase. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.

A sleek, pure style, with violet and anise notes running in lockstep from the get-go, offering a beam of raspberry, blackberry and cassis flavors. Features a light tug of graphite through the finish, but this is relatively accessible already. JM

The 2015 Lagrange is terrific. A rush of red plum, blood orange, menthol and pomegranate flesh out in a bold, succulent Saint-Julien that has really come together nicely since I first tasted it. During the en primeur tastings, Lagrange and Fiefs were not all that different. Aging, and perhaps further selection, has addressed that nicely. This exotically ripe, racy Saint-Julien will drink well for the next 15-20 years or more.

A Jean-Pierre Moueix wine. 9 ha (22 acres) of gravel and clay. 96% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc.
Heady and toasty on the nose - pretty lip-smacking. Very savoury and refreshing. Well balanced, with drive.
Drink 2023-2034