French Wine
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Our extensive range covers many of the greatest wine-making regions in France. Nurturing our half a century-long relationships with chateaux and estates enables us to offer the finest bottles from Bordeaux & Burgundy at the most competitive prices, as well as exclusive wines from the Alsace, Languedoc, Loire, Provence and Rhone.
2019 Chateau Cailleteau Bergeron, Rouge
Regular price £20.20 Save £-20.20Coming from a family of winemakers, the Dartier family moved to Mazion in 1930 with the purchase of 2 hectares of vines. In 1965 the children created Chateau Cailleteau Bergeron. In 1992, the grand children (current owners) Marie-Pierre and Pierre-Charles expanded the vineyards through acquiring additional neighbouring vineyards. Today the estate consists of 39 hectares.
TASTING NOTES
Bright and soft, with copious fruit and subtle hints of tobacco and leather. Ripe tannins and plenty of potential.
FOOD PAIRING
Beef, lamb, spicy food, poultry.
2014 Chateau Lagrange (Saint Julien)
Regular price £144.00 Save £-144.00Sold as Baron Saint Julien during the 18th Century when under the ownership of the Baron de Brane, Lagrange dates back to the middle ages, with definitive documentation going back to 1631. Originally one of the largest estates in the region, over the centuries Lagrange saw significant reductions in vineyard area, as plots were sold off to cover debts accrued by its owners. In 1983 the estate was purchased by the Japanese Suntory company, which proceeded to invest heavily in renovation and modernisation. A proportion of Petit Verdot was planted in 1988, white grapes were added in 1996; and the wines saw significant improvement, culminating in a number of exceptional vintages beginning in the year 2000.
TASTING NOTES
Cherry blackcurrant, liquorice and pepper; cool and elegant with a rich, spicy undertone that will carry the wine for further decades.
FOOD PAIRING
Ideal with pork dishes, which will not diminish the elegance of the wine.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
Produced from vines with an average age of 32 years.
2014 Chateau Cantenac Brown
Regular price £77.85 Save £-77.85ABOUT THE WINE
The Chateau for Cantenac Brown is unique in the Bordeaux wine appellation. It is perhaps the only Bordeaux chateau designed as a traditional Tudor estate in the entire region! At the start of the 19th century, the well-known Scottish, animal painter, John Lewis Brown purchased the estate and Bordeaux wine vineyards. As was the tradition in the Medoc at the time, he renamed the estate Cantenac Brown. More recently, in 1989 AXA, the massive insurance company with several Bordeaux chateaux in their portfolio including Pichon Baron in Pauillac, and estates in Pomerol and Sauternes bought the vineyard. AXA sold the property in 2006 to the Halabi family.Today, the Simon Halabi family are the owners of Chateau Cantenac Brown. One of the first moves made by the new owners was to place Jose Sanfins in charge of the wine making at Cantenac Brown.
TASTING NOTES
Among the finest Cantenac-Browns of the last three decades, the saturated purple-coloured 2000 is a sleeper of the vintage. Loaded with chocolatey black currants intermixed with sweet earth, cedar, and spice box, it exhibits medium to full body, surprisingly ripe tannin for a wine from this estate, a multi-layered texture as well as mid-palate, and a finish that lasts 25-30 seconds.
FOOD PAIRING
Any game, red meat, super creamy cheese and fatty fish cooked with complex herbs and spices. Lamb curry.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
This is the wine for you if into earthy, tannic full-bodied wines.
2016 Chateau Potensac
Regular price £21.70 Save £-21.70Chateau Potensac is named for its location on top of the Potensac plateau. Owned by the Delon Family the estate is planted with an unusually high proportion of Merlot for the area, the aim being to produce a softer, more approachable wine. The wine is made by the same team as Leoville Las Cases, and aged for 14-16 months in old French oak barrels previously used for the Clos du Marquis.
TASTING NOTES
Earthy, structured wine, lifted by cassis fruit. Loam, wet leaves and tobacco flavours mingle with red fruit on the palate. Still very youthful.
FOOD PAIRING
Robust dishes; winter stews and game.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
Excellent value; one for laying down until about 2021; it will improve until 2031.
2018 Chateau Les Ormes De Pez
Regular price £25.20 Save £-25.20Known as Domaine de Pez in the 1500s, the current name was taken after the French Revolution, and refers to the elm trees that used to grow on the estate, around the town of Pez. The château has been in the Cazes family since 1940 when it was purchase by Jean-Charles Cazes. The winemaking facilities were renovated in 1993, and the winemaking team is shared with Chateau Lynch-Bages. New oak is used to add extra richness to the wine, and over time the percentage of Merlot has gradually increased. A well-earned reputation for consistency and quality has made Ormes de Pez one of the most sought after Cru Bourgeois wines.
TASTING NOTES
Fruity, with tobacco and herbal spice notes adding complexity. Finished on a dusty red cherry note. Medium-bodied; from an exceptional vintage.
FOOD PAIRING
The high proportion of Merlot in the blend lends this to lighter stews and meat dishes.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
Youthful; this is best enjoyed from 2023.
2016 Chateau Figeac, Petit Figeac
Regular price £150.10 Save £-150.10An ancient vineyard, named after its Gallo-Roman owners, the Figeacus family, the Figeac estate has been continually occupied and farmed for at least two thousand years. The terroir is very special indeed, a large part of the original 200-hectare estate was sold off during the 18th Century to the Ducasse family to become Chateau Cheval Blanc, and other sections contribute to some of the finest estates in the appellation. The 42-hectare vineyard that remains contains vines over 100 years of age, with an unusually high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon planted.
TASTING NOTES
A supple, expressive wine laced with sweet dark cherry, plum, tobacco, mint, liquorice and leather. Open and accessible, this is a delightful, Cabernet-dominated second-wine.
FOOD PAIRING
Roast beef, veal and venison. Steak pies. Beef daubes, ox cheek and other stews cooked in red wine.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
Petit Figeac may lack the longevity of the grand vin, but serves up a greater generosity of fruit and an earlier-drinking style.
2010 Chateau Beychevelle
Regular price £199.25 Save £-199.25Chateau Beychevelle has one of the richest histories in the Medoc, tracing its roots back to the 14th Century when a feudal castle belonging to the Foix family occupied the site. The reputation of the estate flourished under the innovative and respected Pierre-Francois Guestier, leading to Fifth Growth status in 1855 despite never being mentioned in any of the previous unofficial classifications of Bordeaux. The estate was then sold to the French pension fund, GMF in the 1980s who proceeded to sell 40% to a Japanese group. It was under this corporate ownership that much needed investment was made in the Estate and the wines of Beychevelle have begun to return to the glory years of the 19th Century.
TASTING NOTES
Medium-bodied; cassis, herbs and cranberry fruit; somewhat austere in style, with lead pencil and cedar notes. A wine which will soften with time.
FOOD PAIRING
Great with lamb, aged hard cheese or poultry and vegetables.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
A lighter option from the left-bank; terroir-driven winemaking from a gorgeous chateau overlooking the historic anchorage at the mouth of the Gironde.
2006 Chateau Leoville-Barton
Regular price £135.50 Save £-135.50Chateau Leoville Barton is the smallest portion of the great Leoville estate and has been owned by the Barton family since 1826. There is no chateau and the wine is made at Langoa Barton. Leoville Barton's 48 hectares of vineyards are located in the east of the St-Julien wine appellation and lie on gravelly-clay soils. Since Anthony Barton took over the reins from his Uncle Ronald in the mid-80s, quality has soared at Leoville Barton and the wine has gone from being a solid mid-league performing 2eme Cru Classe to one of the most exciting and scintillating wines in St. Julien. The 2006 growing season was off to a good start in June and July, benefiting from a hot and dry summer. Temperatures began to cool down in August, followed by more heat in September, then rain.
TASTING NOTES
Stunning and powerful wine with a complex, perfumed nose of blackberry, cedar and spice. The palate is medium-bodied with concentrated, chewy tannins and flavours of wild blackberry, cassis and leather. There is a touch of mineral tension, followed by an elegant but powerful long finish. Another superb expression from Leoville Barton that will benefit from cellaring for 5 years.
2015 Chateau Dauzac
Regular price £71.65 Save £-71.65A relatively obscure Fifth Growth, the history of Dauzac goes back to 1671, when the farm was sold to an order of Carmelite nuns. A succession of notable owners followed, until the Great Depression forced the sale of the estate at auction to an ice-cream manufacturer, Jean-Jacques Bernat. He brought a number of innovations to the estate, including temperature-control for the fermentation-vats. In 1988 the estate was purchased by the current owners, an insurance company, MAIF. They lacked the expertise to manage the property, though, and so Andre Lurton (owner of La Louviere and Couhins-Lurton in Pessac-Léognan) took over the running of the estate until the 2014 vintage. A large estate, at 120 hectares, of which only 45 are planted to vines.
TASTING NOTES
Medium-bodied, with a supple texture; cherries and earth on the palate. Not especially complex, but this will come with bottle-age. Drinking well already, this will likely be at its best 10 years from vintage.
FOOD PAIRING
A versatile wine for pairing; a fine, punchy pairing for a beef-burger...
FRIARWOOD SAYS
The estate includes an experimental 0.6hectare block of own-rooted Cabernet Sauvignon vines farmed biodynamically; the rest of the vines on the estate are relatively young though, at an average of 20 years.
2016 Chateau Talbot, Connetable
Regular price £47.65 Save £-47.65ABOUT THE WINE
Legend has it that Chateau Talbot takes its name from a British soldier, Connetable Talbot, who was killed in a battle at Castillon in 1453; the estate was named in his honour. Since 1917, Talbot has been owned by the Cordier family. The family has invested heavily in Talbot to ensure that it achieves the quality levels of which it is capable. With 102 hectares of vineyards, Talbot is one of the largest estates in the Medoc. The second wine of this famed 4th Growth is sourced from vines of 30 years old and was vinified in stainless steel tanks, followed by an oak maturation of 15 months in 15% new barrels. The blend of the 2016 vintage consists of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon & 60% Merlot.
TASTING NOTES
Medium-bodied, dense fruit, extremely youthful, with plenty of potential for long-ageing. Red and black fruit, tobacco leaf and a stony mineral-character which will soften with time. Quite charming at this early stage; time will add polish to the long, smoky finish.
FOOD PAIRING
Strong flavours; lamb, beef stews, cured meat.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
A fabulous Talbot to drink at 10-15 years from vintage, somewhat forward, but for the moment one to store rather than consume.
2014 Chateau Leoville Las Cases, Petit Lion
Regular price £72.55 Save £-72.55The largest of the three ‘Leoville’ properties, with 97 hectares of vineyard spread throughout the appellation of Saint-Julien. Classified 2ème Cru, the wines of this estate are unquestionably of 1er Cru quality. The history of the estate can be traced back to 1638, when all three Leoville properties were one, and were the site of many winemaking and viticultural innovations which remain in use to this day. After the French Revolution, the estate was split into the Leovilles Barton, Poyferre and Las Cases. Following acquisition in 1976, the estate has achieved ever-growing esteem under the ownership of Michel Delon.
TASTING NOTES
Bright and expressive in this vintage, with a weight comparable to the grand vin. Silky tannins frame a fresh, fruit-driven palate, with oyster-shell minerality on the finish. An impressive wine, fragrant and exceptionally well-crafted, typical of this estate.
FOOD PAIRING
Ideal for beef or vegetarian stews, and quite suitable for lamb as well, given the aromatic intensity of the wine.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
Excellent value, relative to the grand vin, from an under-rated vintage – the market was looking forward to the 2015 vintage, and so the attention (and therefore prices) given to the 2014 wines was somewhat less; the quality, however, was not.
2016 Chateau Cantenac Brown, Brio
Regular price £45.70 Save £-45.70Purchased by the Scottish painter, John Lewis Brown, at the beginning of the 19th Century, who added his name to the estate, and designed the Tudor-style mansion that graces the property today. A series of owners followed, and the estate suffered from a lack of investment, until 1989, when it was acquired by AXA Millésimes. Over the subsequent decade they worked tirelessly to improve the estate, and in 2006 the sold a greatly improved Cantenac-Brown to the Simon-Halabi family. Under this ownership the estate saw its three greatest vintages – 2009, 2010 and 2015 – before being sold once again in 2019.
TASTING NOTES
A blend of 49% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon & 11% Cabernet Franc, with a year in French oak barrels, 25% of which are new and 75% of them one-year-old barrels. The 2016 vintage captures the essence of a balanced vintage with enough flavour intensity while preserving the charming perfumed violet and rose notes. A full, velvety structure gives way to a long dark plum finish. A very precise and enjoyable Margaux that over-delivers for its value.
FOOD PAIRING
Roast quail with celeriac remoulade and pan-dried Jerusalem artichokes
FRIARWOOD SAYS
51% of the harvest was declassified for the second wine in 2016, with grapes that would usually be reserved for the Grand Vin adding to the depth and complexity of the Brio; this will be drinking well from 2021, and will continue to develop for a further decade.
2018 Chateau Nouret Cru Bourgeois
Regular price £46.00 Save £-46.00A 21-hectare estate purchased by the current owners in 2012. Extensive investment in the winemaking facilities and vineyards has seen considerable improvements in the quality of the wines produced. An estate on the rise.
TASTING NOTES
Blackcurrant, blueberry, toast and leather, with a fresh, accessible palate and impressive structure. 12 months in oak, 30% of which is new oak, providing additional complexity and a plush refined mouthfeel.
FOOD PAIRING
Try it with a juicy burger or beef stroganoff.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
The more exposed terroir of Bas Medoc ('lower' Medoc) receives a greater amount of Atlantic weather than appellations further up the Gironde estuary; successful viticulture in this mild, humid climate is often very dependent on vintage-conditions. The late-summer heat of the 2018 vintage provided ideal conditions for this wine.
2015 Chateau Nouret
Regular price £22.50 Save £-22.50A 21-hectare estate purchased by the current owners in 2012. Extensive investment in the winemaking facilities and vineyards has seen considerable improvements in the quality of the wines produced. An estate on the rise.
TASTING NOTES
Blackcurrant, blueberry, toast and leather, with a fresh, accessible palate and impressive structure. 12 months in oak, 30% of which is new oak, providing additional complexity and a plush refined mouthfeel.
FOOD PAIRING
Try it with a juicy burger or beef stroganoff.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
The more exposed terroir of Bas Medoc ('lower' Medoc) receives a greater amount of Atlantic weather than appellations further up the Gironde estuary; successful viticulture in this mild, humid climate is often very dependent on vintage-conditions. The warm 2015 vintage, excellent throughout Bordeaux, provided ideal conditions for this wine.
2005 Chateau Margaux
Regular price £1,105.00 Save £-1,105.00Also Available - 2003 Vintage
ABOUT THE WINE
It’s amazing when you realize that the birth of what we know of as Chateau Margaux dates back almost 1,000 years! Due to the amazing quality of the wine, the estate took the name of the appellation. Even today, the only Bordeaux wine estate to bear the name of the appellation from where it resides remains Chateau Margaux. The Ginestet family was forced to sell Chateau Margaux in 1977 to Andre Mentzelopoulos, due to mounting debts brought about in part by the plunging prices for Bordeaux wine in the 1970’s. Andre Mentzelopoulos died in December 1980 and his daughter, Corinne Mentzelopoulos took over running Chateau Margaux.
TASTING NOTES
The wine has a perfect bouquet with brilliant precision and amazing focus: mainly black, mineral-soaked fruit that just gets more and more intense in the glass. That graphite element become more intense with aeration. The palate is effortless with sumptuous ripe tannin, perfect acidity, layers of sensual ripe red fruit with a precise mineral finish.
FOOD PAIRING
Red meat, hard cheese, savoury pastries are what goes best with this powerful red.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
This is sheer class, a crystalline beauty and the persistence is simply breathtaking.
2001 Chateau Latour
Regular price £708.20 Save £-708.20Also Available - 1995 Vintage
ABOUT THE WINE
Of the all First Growth Bordeaux chateaux, in the modern era Latour is perhaps most worthy of the classification. The name is believed to date back to the 14th Century and a fortress in Saint-Lambert, which included a tower “en Saint-Maubert”, subsequently lost to history. The tower pictured on the label is in fact a dovecot for pigeons built in the 1620s. Château Latour de Saint-Maubert passed into the hands of the Segur family at the end of the 1600s, was written of enthusiastically by Thomas Jefferson in the 1780s and achieved First Growth classification in 1855. In 1963 the Marquis de Segur sold a controlling stake in the “Societe Civile du Vignoble de Château Latour” to the Pearson Group, a British company which led a wave of new investment and renovation. New vineyards were purchased, from which ‘Les Forts de Latour’ is sourced, and the winemaking facilities were modernised. Allied Lyons purchased a majority stake in the estate in 1989, and then sold it to François Pinault in 1993. This began what may be considered the most successful period in the estate’s history; under the auspices of winemaker Frederic Engerer, Château Latour has produced some of the finest Bordeaux wines ever. Since 2012, Château Latour does not sell their wines en-primeur; instead they cellar their wines until they are ready for drinking.
TASTING NOTES
A brilliant offering, which should be drinkable much earlier than the blockbuster 2000, the 2001 Latour boasts an inky ruby colour as well as a glorious bouquet of black currants, crushed stones, vanilla, and hints of truffles and oak. The beautiful integration of tannin, acidity, and wood is stunning. The wine flows across the palate with fabulous texture, purity, and presence.
FOOD PAIRING
Tricky to pair a First Growth wine – one never wants to distract from the experience of the wine itself; but a beef wellington would not be amiss here.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
Despite its precociousness this wine will last 20-25 years.
1995 Chateau Latour
Regular price £748.50 Save £-748.50Also Available - 2001 Vintage
ABOUT THE WINE
Of the all First Growth Bordeaux chateaux, in the modern era Latour is perhaps most worthy of the classification. The name is believed to date back to the 14th Century and a fortress in Saint-Lambert, which included a tower “en Saint-Maubert”, subsequently lost to history. The tower pictured on the label is in fact a dovecot for pigeons built in the 1620s. Château Latour de Saint-Maubert passed into the hands of the Segur family at the end of the 1600s, was written of enthusiastically by Thomas Jefferson in the 1780s and achieved First Growth classification in 1855. In 1963 the Marquis de Segur sold a controlling stake in the “Societe Civile du Vignoble de Château Latour” to the Pearson Group, a British company which led a wave of new investment and renovation. New vineyards were purchased, from which ‘Les Forts de Latour’ is sourced, and the winemaking facilities were modernised. Allied Lyons purchased a majority stake in the estate in 1989, and then sold it to François Pinault in 1993. This began what may be considered the most successful period in the estate’s history; under the auspices of winemaker Frederic Engerer, Château Latour has produced some of the finest Bordeaux wines ever. Since 2012, Château Latour does not sell their wines en-primeur; instead they cellar their wines until they are ready for drinking.
TASTING NOTES
A fragrant, densely packed beauty. Cassis and vanilla, with stony minerality, exceptional concentration and a wonderful aromatic purity. Develops in the glass to reveal more oak-influence, with vanilla, toast and a hint of tobacco. A classic to be savoured.
FOOD PAIRING
Tricky to pair a First Growth wine – one never wants to distract from the experience of the wine itself; but a beef wellington would not be amiss here.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
The ’95 Latour is something of a sleeper, requiring some 20 years of maturity. Showing well from 2015 – with the potential to improve until 2050.
2005 Chateau La Lagune
Regular price £134.80 Save £-134.80ABOUT THE WINE
Chateau La Lagune and its 71.23 hectares of vineyard are located in the north of the Haut-Medoc appellation, in the commune of Ludon-Medoc. Chateau La Lagune's history can be dated back to the 16th when the vines were planted. However, it was not until 1730 that its winegrowing activity began. In 1957, Georges Brunet, a real estate entrepreneur and agricultural engineer took over the property and completely revolutionized the chateau and rebuilt the estate. He replanted the vineyard and expanded the estate. In 1964, Jeanne Boyrie became the first female estate-manager. She is renowned as one of the most conscientious, meticulous and able managers in Bordeaux. Following her death in 1986, her daughter Caroline Desverges took over. In 2000, Chateau La Lagune became the property of the Frey family.
TASTING NOTES
Its glorious 2005 has soft, sweet, ripe blackcurrant and black cherry fruit which blossoms within a lovely fragrant Margaux-style freshness and racy acidity. With lovely concentration, elegance and poise this should be a terrific bargain and looks sure to rival, if not surpass, their fabulous 1982.
FOOD PAIRING
We love this paired with some wine braised red meat or with aged cheese.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
This is the finest wine made at this estate since 1982, and possibly the greatest La Lagune of all time.
2012 Chateau des Landes, 'Tradition'
Regular price £12.55 Save £-12.55ABOUT THE WINE
Located in the appellation of Lussac Saint Emilion, Chateau des Landes is a family winery founded in 1952. At the start Paul Lassagne had to manage working at the local tile factory during the night and during the day in his vineyards. His dream, to leave the factory and fulfill his passion for making wine. In 1979, Daniel, Paul's son, joined with his father, his wine studies completed, to develop the family property. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc.
TASTING NOTES
Dense garnet color with haloed purple highlights. Heady aromas of red fruits entangled in menthol and spice. The taste is structured and greedy, like a giant fruit basket.
FOOD PAIRING
Steak, grilled vegetables, lasagne, roast duck, veal loin.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
This wine is probably still a bit young so give it plenty of air if drinking it now, or hold onto it for another year or two and enjoy it even more.
2006 Chateau Langoa-Barton
Regular price £86.25 Save £-86.25ABOUT THE WINE
The Barton family, the current owners of Chateau Langoa Barton are able to trace their Bordeaux roots all the way back to 1722, when they left Ireland to start a new life in Bordeaux. In 1821 they bought an estate in St. Julien, Pontet-Langlois, which they renamed Langoa Barton. The 25-hectare estate is marked out by its relatively cool terroir vineyards are spread throughout the centre of the appellation, all inland away from the Gironde. Highly traditional winemaking, with only 50% new oak, makes this estate less showy than many of its counterparts, but allows it to shine with bottle-age typical recommendation is 15 years from vintage.
TASTING NOTES
The 2006 Chateau Langoa Barton has a lifted nose of small dark cherries, blackberry, incense and marmalade - quite showy for Langoa Barton, full of joie-de-vivre. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, ripe and demonstrating impressive density plus a firm grip. Mouth-coating, yet well-balanced; a delightful vintage from an ever-reliable chateau. Rewards time in the decanter.
FOOD PAIRING
Steak, beef burgers, aged hard cheeses.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
Out of all the 1855 Classified Growths, it is the only chateau that is still in the hands of the same family who owned it at the time of the classification.
2009 Chateau Lascombes
Regular price £70.50 Save £-70.50ABOUT THE WINE
Chateau Lascombes, a Margaux ranked Second Growth in the 1855 classification, bears the name of its first owner, Chevalier de Lascombes, born in 1625. At the turn of the 18th century, Jean-Francois Lascombes, a counsellor at the Bordeaux Parliament, dedicated his wealth to making a great wine at Lascombes. The existing chateau was built in 1867 by Chaix D'Est Ange. Alexis Lichine took over the property in 1952. He completely restructured Chateau Lascombes and renovated the vineyard and cellars, giving this large vineyard new life. In 1971, he sold everything to the English brewer, Bass-Charrington. Since its purchase in April 2001 by Colony Capital, a new era has begun for this property.
TASTING NOTES
The wine has a beautiful blueberry-scented nose with hints of acacia flowers, liquorice, graphite and some subtle charcoal and background oak. Clearly a modern style of Margaux, it is pure, seamless, full-bodied and opulent, and the high glycerin and silky texture of 2009 are brilliantly displayed in this wine.
FOOD PAIRING
Venison, creamy dishes, hard cheese are a perfect pair with this wine!
2011 Chateau Lascombes
Regular price £131.50 Save £-131.50ABOUT THE WINE
Château Lascombes, 2ème Cru Classé in 1855, bears the name of its first owner, Chevalier de Lascombes, born in 1625. At the turn of the 18th century, Jean-Francois Lascombes, a counselor at the Bordeaux Parliament, dedicated his wealth to making a great wine at Lascombes. The existing chateau was built in 1867 by Chaix d'Est Ange. Alexis Lichine took over the property in 1952, and oversaw a significant restructuring of the vineyard and cellars. In 1971, he sold to the English brewer, Bass-Charrington, who sold the estate to its current owners, American company Colony Capital in 2001.
TASTING NOTES
An unusually high proportion of Merlot was used in 2011 – easier to ripen, in this cool vintage. Bright, dark-berry fruit and dusty chocolate characterise the aromas; the palate is similarly bright and fresh, with an undertow of firm tannin. Toasty oak, blueberry, liquorice and forest floor add complexity to this exceptionally well-made wine. Approachable from 2018, with ageing potential until 2030.
FOOD PAIRING
Venison, creamy beef dishes, hard cheeses.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
A fascinating example of how winemakers, by tossing aside the usual blend, can produce truly exceptional wines from inimical vintages.
1999 Chateau Leoville-Las-Cases
Regular price £304.05 Save £-304.05Also Available - 2003 Vintage
ABOUT THE WINE
The largest of the three ‘Leoville’ properties, with 97 hectares of vineyard spread throughout the appellation of Saint-Julien. Classified 2ème Cru, the wines of this estate are unquestionably of 1er Cru quality. The history of the estate can be traced back to 1638, when all three Leoville properties were one, and were the site of many winemaking and viticultural innovations which remain in use to this day. After the French Revolution, the estate was split into the Leovilles Barton, Poyferre and Las Cases. Following acquisition in 1976, the estate has achieved ever-growing esteem under the ownership of Michel Delon.
TASTING NOTES
A really rather excellent – and long-lived, for the ’99 vintage – example of Leoville-las-Cases. Powerful, muscular, densely structured, a triumph which compares very favourably to First Growths.
FOOD PAIRING
Venison, game, red meat, complex dishes. Nothing too powerfully flavoured, as it will overwhelm this venerable wine.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
Although, by French law, they are unable to set aside their Classification, Leoville Las Cases withdrew from the Conseil des Grands Crus Classés in 1988 (the only Classified estate to have done so) on the basis that it is misleading and out of date – an unsurprising stance, since any update would almost certainly see Las Cases elevated to 1st Growth status.