Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One of the finest of the lesser known Graves chateaux, La Louviere has been making terrific wine since the late eighties. Both vintages performed well in my 89/90 blind tastings. The 1990 exhibits a saturated purple color, a less-evolved nose of black fruits, smoke, and grilled meats, full body, low acidity, and intense, concentrated fruit, all crammed into a layered, pure, sweet, fruity, ripe wine. While not yet mature, it is delicious to drink.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Famous for both its red and white wines, Graves is a large region, extending 30 miles southeast of the city of Bordeaux, along the left bank of the Garonne River. Red wine producing vineyards cover well over three times as much area as the whites. In the late 1980s, the French created the separate appellation of Pessac-Léognan within the northern confines of Graves. It includes all of its most famous properties, and the southern suburbs of the city Bordeaux itself. In French "graves" is a term used to indicate gravelly soils.