Lagrange - Saint-Julien 1986

Wine Advocate

87 / 100

byNeal Martinthe8/11/2014

Tasted at the château for a 30-year vertical tasting. The 1986 Lagrange is a blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon and 43% Merlot picked between 30 September and 17 October. The aromatics are more cohesive and vigorous than the more flaccid 1985 with degraded red fruit, scorched earth and leather. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly grainy tannins. There is a touch of dryness creeping in during the second half, hints of soy and cedar. The finish is not complex but demonstrates more vigour than the previous vintage. Fine. Drink now. Tasted March 2014.

Wine Advocate

92 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe1/1/1998

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. Black/ruby 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! Anticipated maturity: 2000-2025. Last tasted, 1/97.

Wine Spectator

86 / 100

the2/15/1990

Well made, with moderate richness and layers of cedar, chocolate, and currant that show decent depth and enough of an aftertaste to warrant cellaring for two or three years. Firm tannins; drinkable now.