En Primeur 2022 New Release: Château Lagrange, La Gaffeliere and Marquis de Terme
Bordeaux Index
6 June 2023
La Gaffeliere is St Emilion’s primary rising star and their 2022 is released today at GBP 684 per 12.
With a potential 100pt score from Galloni, this sits right up there the very best wines of the vintage but stands far away from a 1st Growth price tag. It is one of those wines that we cannot stop talking about.
“The 2022 La Gaffelière is a drop-dead gorgeous beauty. Refined, sculpted and wonderfully precise, La Gaffelière simply has it all” Antonio Galloni
La Gaffeliere has all the pieces in place to be a Bordeaux legend. Its ancient terroir, located just below the prime vineyards of Ausone and Belair Monange, has held vines since the 11th century. Its ownership under the noble de Malet-Roquefort family has perpetuated for over 300 years, and the family itself has its roots in the Right Bank going back over 600 years. It has also seen many talented winemakers learn their trade within the walls of its gothic Chateau, including the great Alexandre Thienpont of VCC. So why is it not more well-known? Simply, as with so many Bordeaux properties, the 1970s and 1980s were very poor periods and the wine, which had been so highly thought-of until the 1960s, fell from fame and favour.
“…beautifully plush tannins and great tension, finishing long and perfumed. What a beauty!” Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Since 2000 significant investment has been made which has completely transformed the estate. The family have built a stunning new winery capable of parcel by parcel microvinification and pulled up many Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the best part of the vineyard high up on the plateau (directly beneath Ausone) and replaced them with Cabernet Franc, returning the proportion of this variety to that seen in the earlier part of the 20th Century. The results are plain to see and at the price this has to be one of the hottest prospects not just from the Right Bank but the whole of Bordeaux.
A classic St Julien which is again reaching the peak of its once-great powers is Lagrange and their 2022 has been released this morning at GBP 474.
This property has cemented its place as a value-buy over the past years with a number of excellent scores. The estate is run by Matthieu Bordes (previously at Cheval Blanc) who regularly holds blind tastings of the Lagrange wines against other classed growths at the estate – the results are always surprising and demonstrate the level of improvements and precision now achieved at the estate and winemaker Benjamin Vimal.
“A wine that shows the true possibilities of the vintage” Jane Anson
The estate was classified a third growth in 1855 thanks to the efforts and the vision of Count Dûchatel, who owned Lagrange from 1842 to 1874. As Minister of the Interior during the reign of King Louis- Philippe and a member of the Academy of Fine Arts, he spread Lagrange’s reputation far and wide. The stage was set… Then in 1983, the Suntory group, the leading Japanese wine and spirits firm, acquired Lagrange and invested heavily in a spectacular renovation. The efforts undertaken in the 1980s continue to the present day and the effects are being seen in this new release.
“The 2022 Lagrange is brilliant, ranking alongside the 2020, 2019 and 2016” William Kelley
In 2022 the yields are just 34hl/ha and 40% of the production went into the first wine with a record high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, creating a St Julien of both power and finesse. This is a wine that has been flying under the radar for years but as the critics scores attest, one that is a real overachiever for the price standing alongside the best vintages of the past decade. For a Classed Growth under £500/12 with these scores, you cannot go far wrong with Lagrange!
This is one of the best value second wines anywhere in Bordeaux – we are pleased to offer Clos La Gaffeliere 2022, the wonderful second wine of Chateau La Gaffeliere.
La Gaffeliere has all the pieces in place to be a Bordeaux legend. Its ancient terroir, located just below the prime vineyards of Ausone and Belair Monange, has held vines since the 11th century. Its ownership under the noble de Malet-Roquefort family has perpetuated for over 300 years, and the family itself has its roots in the Right Bank going back over 600 years. It has also seen many talented winemakers learn their trade within the walls of its gothic Chateau, including the great Alexandre Thienpont of VCC. So why is it not more well-known? Simply, as with so many Bordeaux properties, the 1970s and 1980s were very poor periods and the wine, which had been so highly thought-of until the 1960s, fell from fame and favour.
“One of the real value wines of the vintage” Jane Anson
Since 2000 significant investment has been made which has completely transformed the estate. The family have built a stunning new winery capable of parcel by parcel microvinification and pulled up many Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the best part of the vineyard high up on the plateau (directly beneath Ausone) and replaced them with Cabernet Franc, returning the proportion of this variety to that seen in the earlier part of the 20th Century. The results are plain to see and at the price this has to be one of the hottest prospects not just from the Right Bank but the whole of Bordeaux.