I have to confess something: I hesitated for a long time before writing this post. This wine, you see, made me doubt my ability to grasp all its subtleties.
Let’s start with a little history:
The Lilian Ladouys vineyard was founded in the 18th century. Over the years, the estate has had several owners and undergone many transformations, but it has always been recognised for the quality of its wines.
In 2008, the Lilian Ladouys vineyard was acquired by the Lorenzetti family, owners of the prestigious Château Pédesclaux in Pauillac. Since then, significant investment has been made to modernise the facilities and improve the quality of the wines that run across the property’s 47 hectares.
The Lilian Ladouys 2018 is a red wine from the Saint-Estèphe area, in the Médoc in Bordeaux. It’s produced from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, and was aged in oak barrels for around 12 months.
Now that the introductions are done, on to the tasting:
I found this wine very hard to understand; on the first glass I was surprised, because it isn’t like the Saint-Estèphes I’d tasted in the past. I have a particular feeling about this terroir — perhaps because my father was born there…
I was expecting a powerful wine with plenty of body and as tannic as you like! In short, the “Saint-Estèphe” trademark!
And then, as if by magic, you come across a wine of unsuspected balance. A soft yet pronounced nose, but an elegant robe. On the palate, this wine tenderly caresses you. And there go my preconceptions, blown to pieces.
Once all that was set aside, I had to pour another glass and start again from the beginning — and there, this wine’s balance will trap you, and the length on the palate is present and subtle. It will take a lot of willpower to share it with the other guests around the table.
This 2018 is already good to drink, but with a lot of perseverance you can also wait a few years to be surprised all over again.
At around €25, it will go with a fine piece of meat….
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