Château Lilian Ladouys - Saint Estèphe 2018

Cha?teau Lilian Ladouys - Saint Estèphe 2018 (90/91 TSW)

One of my favorites from Crus Bourgeois du Me?doc (Bordeaux) @crus_bourgeois_du_medoc is this very nice wine from Cha?teau Lilian Ladouys. A great value wine from Bordeaux.

Château Lilian Ladouys is a Cru Bourgeois from the famous Saint-Estèphe. This makes the wine a lot more affordable than the many Grand Cru Classés from the same appellation. Saint-Estèphe is known for its solid, sturdy wines made mainly from cabernet sauvignon with merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot.

This cru belongs to Mr. Jacky Lorenzetti, also owner of Ch. Pedesclaux in Pauillac. Since purchasing the château in 2008, he has not stopped investing in the vineyard to take this cru to the next level. The vineyard amounted to 48ha at the time of purchase, a mosaic of 90 plots that made up a total of 48ha with old vines (25 to 45 years old).

In 2018 he bought the terroirs of Ch. Clauset and Ch. Tour de Pez, which allowed to have even more clay-stone terroirs with cabernet sauvignon that corresponded to the great terroir of Ch. Lilian Ladouys. As a result, it reaches 80.5ha to date. Major works in the cellars are under way with the help of the constructors and architects (Mr. Jean-Michel Wilmote and BPM) who led Ch. Pedesclaux have grown. Because of these purchases, Ch. Lilian Ladouys purebred, more powerful and more intense thanks to the large proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Manual harvest, followed by manual sorting on bunches and then on berries. Gravity vatting without crushing. Cold pre-fermentation maceration. 40% new wood. Blend of Cabernet sauvignon 59%, Merlot 37%, Petit verdot 4%.

My tasting notes:

In the glass a deep dark purple color.
On the medium(+) nose aroms of blackberries, raspberries, cherries and cassis with hints of leather, cedar, herbs and mint.
On the palate dry, medium(++) bodied with medium round tannins and medium acidity. Nice round in the mouth with a lovely silky texture. Nice balanced with dark fruit, spices, herbs and chocolate and a medium(+) length choclate and salty finish.