A classic blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. Château La Garde 2018 reveals an intense, complex, dark berry fruit bouquet of black berries and cassis, and the most delicate suggestion of oak. Immediately generous on the palate, the wine is characterised by an intensely long, expressive fruit core, echoing the smoky character of great Pessac-Léognan terroirs, and underpinned by highly delicate tannins to soften the wine’s impressive stature. This full-bodied, perfectly harmonious wine culminates in a long, lingering finish.
Reviews:
- Wine Spectator: This shows a juicy, open-knit mix of sweet bay, savory, red currant and cherry reduction aromas and flavors, with a tarry streak holding down the back end. A little cellaring will tame its gutsy side. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot.
- Decanter: The La Garde vineyard has one north-facing gravel slope and one south-facing clay-limestone slope, giving the estate a good balance of ripening dates in most vintages. In another sign of how unusual 2018 was, both Cabernet and Merlot on these different slopes ripened at the same time, so they were co-fermented in one tank. Unusual for sure, but the result is excellent. They do such a good job here of making accessible but polished and elegant Pessacs. This is smooth, ripe and welcoming, with a seductive expansion through the mid-palate that emphasises the creamy texture of the fruits. Definitely as good as the 2016, maybe better.
Producer Information
The origins of the Chateau date back to the 18th century, when Domaine de “Lagarde” already featured on the “carte de Cassini”, the first general map of France drawn by the Cassini family in 1756. The picturesque Charterhouse, built in 1732, was at that time surrounded by valleys and woods. The “Bourdieu de Lagarde” was then passed down through the Blanchard family, until its purchase in 1877 by the Lacoste family, who were negociants in Bordeaux. Vines were thus cultivated on this magnificent stony terroir and the winery was built in 1881. After the First World War, Louis Eschenauer, a well-known negociant on the Place de Bordeaux at the “Chartrons”, was looking for good quality vines in the Bordeaux area.
