1994 Château Lagrange

The 1994 Lagrange was picked from 19 to 30 September. It has a modest bouquet with better fruit concentration than the previous three vintages: cranberry and crushed strawberry, touches of tomato vine and pine cone. The palate is quite muscular and lacks the finesse of recent vintages, tough and burly. The archetypal “restaurant wine” is how I described this back in 2000. Now it has dried out on the finish and needs to be consumed. Tasted at the Lagrange vertical at the estate.

(includes 60% cabernet sauvignon, the highest percentage to that point under Ducasse, except for the 1984 vintage, when the estate's merlot was severely affected by coulure Medium ruby-red. Black plum and currant aromas, with licorice, tar and herbs. Sweeter than the '93 on entry but still shows good spine and a touch of cabernet austerity. Finishes firmly tannic and a bit tough. This has always been a bit stiff, notes Ducasse, and will probably still be austere when the tannins fade. From a very wet year in which the merlot was picked early to avoid rot.

In comparison to the more open-knit, flattering style of the 1993, the 1994 is a backward, less precocious, more tannic wine that needs another 5-7 years of cellaring. It is a wine that recalls the style of the more tannic vintages of the sixties and seventies. The healthy dark ruby/purple color is followed by copious quantities of smoky, toasty, new oak. There is an impression of ripe fruit, but, for now, the wine's personality remains dominated by excruciatingly strong tannin. Give this wine 5-6 years of cellaring, as patience is definitely a requirement for purchasing the 1994 Lagrange. It should last for 15-20 years.