1986 CHÂTEAU LAGRANGE 1986

(1-1996) On its tenth anniversary a lovely, rich, velvety colour; harmonious bouquet though tannin detectable; surprisingly sweet, good fruit, lovely texture and flabour. Complete. Without wishing to be condescending, an unpredicted high mark.

(1-1998) Here is a classic example of a wine that is showing significantly more complexity and richness from the bottle than out of cask, although it was certainly a potentially outstanding wine when tasted from the barrel. In a vintage that produced a number of enormously structured, rich, concentrated wines, Lagrange is a blockbuster wine that seems capable of lasting 30-35 years. Blackruby in color, with a closed-but-burgeoning bouquet of spicy new oak, black fruits, and flowers, this muscular, full-bodied, tannic wine is packed with fruit, and is clearly one of the great long-distance runners from this vintage. I admire how the significant investment made by the Japanese owners in this property has paid off with a thrilling, albeit amazingly backward, wine. The finest Lagrange to date!