2010 Malartic Lagravière

[AlexR]

I’ve always liked Malartic Lagravière, especially as the wine has always been reasonably priced. I knew the previous owner, M. Jacque Marly and have since enjoyed the company of Alfred-Alexandre and Michèle Bonnie, the Belgian couple who have owned the château since 1990.

I think that Marlartic Lagravière is one of the most beautiful wine châteaux in Bordeaux as I'm sure BWEers who have visited there will agree.

I’m generally more enthusiastic about the red than the white.
I’m also a great fan of the Bonnies’ other château, Gazin Rocquencourt, also a Pessac Léoganan. This is a sleeper and great value for money as far as I’m concerned. It’s a pity that the name is so hard to pronounce or remember for an English-speaking person!

Anyway, I was invited to a wine dinner at Château de France in Léognan a few years ago and each participant was given a bottle of wine at the end.
Mine was 2010 Malartic. A friend visiting from England knew the previous owner, M. Marly, so I thought he would enjoy tasting the wine while in Bordeaux.

This turned out to be a good decision because it showed extremely well. The color was fantastic and hardly showed any age. The wine had a great bouquet with hints of violet, incense, graphite, and cassis. The tannins were oh so smooth and the aftertaste long and elegant. The wine had no flaws except, if I were being picky, I thought it showed a little too much alcohol on the finish. I checked the label and saw that the alcohol content was 14.5. But this is mere quibbling… 2010 Malartic Lagravière is more of an old-style Bordeaux and the sort of Pessac-Léognan similar to a fine Margaux that I love. It was drinking very well at age 15 with a balance between fruit and tertiary complexity that suits me to a tee, even if the wine has a long future ahead of it.

[JCNorthway]

I like hearing about experiences like this. Thanks for sharing.

[DavidG]

I have fond memories of the BWE lunch at Malartic Lagraviere in 2005 with M. Bonnie. It was indded a beautiful setting. So glad your 2010 showed well. Thanks for the note.

[dstgolf]

Great story Alex. No question one of our favorite visits in 2005. Great hospitality and lunch with tasting overlooking the vineyards. I've also been fond of the red and lesser degree white. I bought a case of the 2007 white on futures and man there was a ton of oak. It has finally come into its own sharing a bottle at Jim's BWE reunion this past Summer in Lewiston. I think it showed well.

I haven't seen the Gazin ROCQUENCOURT before..

[stefan]

The estate is indeed beautiful, and we have enjoyed the red wine for a long time. But I have not tasted Gazin Rocquencourt.

[barsacpinci]

I’m just the opposite. I prefer the white to the red. One of my favorite white Bordeaux. The 2014 I had recently was delicious.