Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere 2021

A fresh and refined Pessac-Leognan red wine

The estate

Under the leadership of the Bonnie family, the majestic Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere has experienced a spectacular growth. This Grand Cru Classe of Graves enjoys an exceptional location, with its vineyard superbly situated on an outcropping of gravel. Home to state-of-the-art technical facilities, Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere shines bright within its appellation with white and red wines that stand out among the most beautiful of Pessac-Leognan.

The vineyard

Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere 2021 is a Pessac-Leognan wine that stems from 73-hectare vineyard, of which 66 hectares are used for the production of red wines. The vines, which are 28 years old on average, are planted on dry gravel and clay soils. The subsoil comprises shell limestone with veins of clay.

The vintage

Although the mild winter and early spring favored an early budding, this growing stage was slowed down by a particularly cold and dry second half of spring. Thanks to late pruning, the heavy frosts that occurred on April 6th and 7th had little impact on the vineyard. Despite the heavy rainfall in May, the flowering recorded, under pleasant conditions at the end of May-beginning of June, was uniform and rapid. Thereafter, the unstable weather conditions punctuated by stormy episodes until mid-July led to a strong mildew pressure and a very active vegetative growth. The dry period stretching from the end of veraison to the beginning of the harvest was beneficial and refined the ripening of the grapes. The harvested grapes are healthy, dense and reveal a beautiful aromatic freshness.

Vinification and aging

The hand-picked grapes are rigorously sorted before being vinified with the utmost precision in small truncated wooden or stainless steel thermo-regulated vats. Vatting for 3 weeks. Early blending before aging on fine lees in French oak barrels (65% new oak).

The blend

Cabernet Sauvignon (67%)

Merlot (32%)

Cabernet Franc (1%)

Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere 2021 red wine: Characteristics and tasting tips

The tasting

This vintage perfectly showcases the layers of each grape variety. The ripeness and suppleness of the Merlot grapes blend harmoniously with the density, freshness and balance of the Cabernet grapes with their slightly velvety tannins.