1986 Château Lagrange

Bright, full ruby-red. Aromas of black cherry, cassis, licorice and eucalyptus, with hints of damp earth and chocolate. Intensely flavored, dry and penetrating; a rather unforthcoming wine, less supple than the 1985. Finishes with strong, dusty tannins and very good length. Offers good sweetness of fruit in a very dry package. Ducasse says that many bottles of the '86 are oxidized due to a peroxide treatment that was used to wash the corks. These bottles have tended to turn leafy and earthy as well, noted Ducasse. We agreed that this was a better-than-average bottle.

Here is a classic example of a wine that is showing significantly more complexity and richness from the bottle than out of cask, although it was certainly a potentially outstanding wine when tasted from the barrel. In a vintage that produced a number of enormously structured, rich, concentrated wines, Lagrange is another of the blockbuster wines that seems capable of lasting 30-35 years. Black/ruby in color, with a closed but burgeoning bouquet of spicy new oak, black fruits, and flowers, this muscular, full-bodied, tannic wine is packed with fruit and is clearly one of the great long-distance runners from this vintage. I admire how the significant investment made by the Japanese owners in this property has paid off with a thrilling, albeit amazingly backward, wine. The finest Lagrange to date! Anticipated maturity: Now-2025. Last tasted, 1/97.