Country: France Region: Pauillac, Bordeaux
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Vintage: 2016 Colour: Red Style: Dry
Producer: Chateau Lagneaux
Drink: 2026-2040
Best Served: 18 Degrees Celsius.
Description: The famous wine writer Hugh Johnson once wrote, “If one had to single out one commune of Bordeaux to head the list, there would be no argument. It would be Pauillac.” Best known for its three superstar chateaux – Latour, Lafite-Rothschild, and Mouton-Rothschild — Pauillac also offers excellent, less famous wines from its storied terroir. Decanter’s Jane Anson calls Andrien Lagneaux one of “the last little guys of Pauillac.” Indeed his property is tiny — a mere 3000 bottles from just over an acre of vines — but the quality is exceptional. Lagneaux’s high percentage of Merlot (80%) makes it smoother and less austere at this stage than many other wines from the town.
Anson calls Lagneaux’s Pauillac, “rich, intense, powerful,” and “sexy.” For lovers of Bordeaux, it’s a rare hidden gem from an iconic town.
Andrien Lagnau’s vineyard sits on the perimeter fence of one of the Premier Cru Classé estates above. In 2019 he sold the vineyard to them and the vineyard is now part of the estate, taking the appellation of Premier Grand Cru Classé with it.
On a tip from a customer of ours with a few bottles in his cellar, we opened this at Prowein 2023 in Dusseldorf and found it has developed gorgeously. The nose is ripe and very deep, with a mélange of ripe raspberry, plum, iodine, earth and minerals. The mouth is dense, inky and rich, with juicy plum fruit and a cool woodiness.
This Pauillac will age for decades in bottle – and it will be a joy to behold it as it does so— it’s dense, powerful and built to stand the test of time. Give it an hour in a carafe to stretch out its legs. To be clear, Chateau Mouton this is not. But at €1,300 a bottle, Mouton is 23 times the price, and we’re pretty confident it’s not 23 times better!
Nose - Fine and elegant bouquet, a nose of ripe fru
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