Winemaker Notes
With a proportion of Merlot identical to the 2009 and 2010 vintages, Château Lilian Ladouys 2021 is characterized by elegant notes of fresh fruit, a rich, charming and captivating nose revealing spice-filled aromas of incense and bitter cocoa. The ample and velvety mouth presents a well-bound, fine and structured frame, supported by Cabernet Sauvignon.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A rocking, upfront, textured, medium-bodied effort, the 2021 Château Lilian Ladouys offers lots of both red and black fruits, some spicy, herbal notes, fine tannins, and outstanding length. Based on 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, it's a pleasure-bent, balanced, impeccably made Saint-Estèphe that will evolve for 10-15 years.
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James Suckling
Black currants, cocoa nibs, dried herbs and graphite on the nose, with some peppercorns. It’s firm and focused, savory, with a medium body and sleek, firm tannins. Nicely polished. 53% cabernet sauvignon, 40% merlot, 6% petit verdot and 1% cabernet franc. Drink or hold.
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Vinous
The 2021 Lilian Ladouys turned out well. Medium in body, with pretty, forward fruit, the 2021 is very nicely balanced. Succulent dark plum, spice, new leather, menthol and dried herbs build into the silky finish. –Antonio Galloni
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Wine Spectator
Round and almost fleshy, this has a nice filling texture with sweet, sour and sharp fruit - lovely bright and fresh raspberries and strawberries with tangy blueberries and cooling mint and wet stones giving minerality. Still quite a lean wine, streamlined and finessed, not layered or weighty but well presented and easy to enjoy. This will also age as it still feels a little young and tight.
Barrel Sample: 91
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.
Deeply colored, concentrated, and distinctive, St. Estephe is the go-to for great, age-worthy and reliable Bordeaux reds. Separated from Pauillac merely by a stream, St. Estephe is the farthest northwest of the highest classed villages of the Haut Medoc and is therefore subject to the most intense maritime influence of the Atlantic.
St. Estephe soils are rich in gravel like all of the best sites of the Haut Medoc but here the formation of gravel over clay creates a cooler atmosphere for its vines compared to those in the villages farther downstream. This results in delayed ripening and wines with higher acidity compared to the other villages.
While they can seem a bit austere when young, St. Estephe reds prove to live very long in the cellar. Traitionally dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, many producers now add a significant proportion of Merlot to the blend, which will soften any sharp edges of the more tannic, Cabernet.
The St. Estephe village contains two second growths, Chateau Montrose and Cos d’Estournel.