2016 La Lagune, Clos du Marquis

A few releases to report on since our offer last Friday.

This morning came one of the big successes of the southern Medoc, La Lagune:

'At least for this writer, the 2016 La Lagune is a return to form after their 2015 did not light my fire last en primeur. Lucid purple/black in color, it has a very intense bouquet with blackberries and sloes, whilst maintaining delineation and focus, almost pastille-like in style. The palate is medium-bodied with quite firm tannin, perhaps just a little brittle on the entry, though it is commensurate with others 2016s that I tasted in barrel. I appreciate the focus and the 'correctness' of this La Lagune, notwithstanding the freshness and tension that defines the persistent finish. This is a long-term wine, so do not be afraid to give this four or five years in the cellar. This is an excellent La Lagune, one of the best in recent years. 93-95 points' - Neal Martin, robertparker.com

From St-Julien, we have Clos du Marquis - not, of course, a second wine (indeed, it has its own second wine) - and, in 2016, at a level that rivals the best of the appellation:

'The 2016 Clos du Marquis was picked from 30 September to 19 October and consists of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, matured in 55% new oak. Yields came in at 40 hectoliters per hectare and the alcohol at 13.55%. The bouquet is very intense at the moment with small black cherries, incense, iris and a touch of shucked oyster shells. The palate is beautiful, perhaps one of the most powerful that I came across in Saint Julien, certainly no shy retiring flower, yet it effortlessly manages to retain the precision and tension one expects from this cru. There is a firm back bone here, but the tannins are so precise that you barely notice, while the aftertaste has superb salinity. This is a majestic Clos du Marquis, but it will require several years in the cellar. 93-95 points' - Neal Martin, robertparker.com

We also have the top two properties in Moulis, Poujeaux and Chasse-Spleen, which have both made very good wines and prices remain reasonable. In nearby Margaux at du Tertre, Alexander van Beek has made one of the more successful wines of the appellation but the price is a little higher than we'd have liked. From St-Estephe, there's the good value Meyney, and we have Dame de Montrose. Montrose has also made a very small release of the first wine but only to buyers of the 2015. We're hoping a further release is in the offing. /AR

Offered subject to remaining unsold; available 2019