Tasting Notes
JancisRobinson.com 17
Very bright crimson. Concentrated, confit nose. Not especially noble or complex but there is some freshness at least. Quite firm tannins on the finish. And the alcohol is obvious even though it’s only 13.5% on the label. Lots of pleasure. Comfortingly long – for next time I have a sore throat…?
Anticipated maturity: 2009-2015
Robert Parker 90
A blend of 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot and 13% Petit Verdot, the ’95 Lagrange is surprisingly muted on the nose ” perhaps one of those 1995’s that has gone into its shell a little. A little herbaceous, slightly meaty in fact. Comparing it to the 1996, it certainly has less freshness and vitality. The palate is fleshier, but lacking the sense of purpose and breeding of the 1996. Ripe blackberry, raspberry, graphite, cedar and dried blood. Good length, but not as well defined as the 1996 on the finish and I think this will drink sooner. Tasted September 2008.
Vinous 89
(44% cabernet sauvignon, 43% merlot and 13% petit verdot) Medium ruby-red. Flamboyant aromas of smoky black cherry, beefsteak tomato, roasted herbs, espresso, underbrush and truffle. Smooth and fat, with sweet dark berry flavors and lush texture, if not the normal clarity of Lagrange. Finishes with tongue-coating tannins that arrive late. Just now reaching its peak. A merlot-oriented wine, notes Ducasse, and ultimately less fine-grained than the vintages based more heavily on cabernet. "1995 was considered great at the outset, but we don’t find it to be an exceptional year," Ducasse added.
