Any conversation on Bordeaux can be overwhelming, including around 6,000 Bordeaux Chateau within 61 appellations of Bordeaux, which are planted on a wide variety of different soils and terroir. Add to the conversation the differences in vintages and availability, and one can see where eyes start to glaze over. In short, it is a lot of wine that all tastes different. Even avid Bordeaux collectors stick with the brands they are comfortable with over the years. For there to be an estate that becomes a rising, shining star amongst many remarkable wineries is worth investigating. We have included Chateau Lilian Ladouys in our annual Bordeaux pre-offering for quite a while and have kept annual house stock due to increased demand. And it is one of Gundy’s favorites. I thought it was just another great Bordeaux at a great price. Boy, was I wrong. There is so much more to this story. This is an amazing hidden gem in the Bordeaux collective.

It’s difficult to call a Chateau Lilian Ladouys a “rising star” in Bordeaux when it’s been around for centuries. The winery can be traced back to 1564 when it was held in fief by Jacques de Becoyran, lord of Lafite. Château Lafite Rothschild is, in fact, just a few hundred meters away from the Estate. The winery was first listed as a top property in 1850 by Cocke et Feret, the go-to wine experts' trade publication of the day. Yet despite a long history of rule and recognition, Ladouys fell into disarray during the wars of the 20th century. They saw its vineyards divided and forgotten for decades until the 1980s when it was purchased by Christian Thiéblot, who refurbished the Estate and renamed it after his wife, Lilian. The seeds for a new renaissance in St. Estephe were planted by the couple as they modernized the production and reinvested in the vineyards.

In 2007, Lilian Ladouys was purchased by Jacky and Françoise Lorenzetti, the current co-owners of Issan. Jacky Lorenzetti earned his fortune as the founder of Foncia, a massive French and European real estate company. Lorenzetti also owns the rugby team “Racing Metro 92”. (Similar in status as owning the Celtics.) Through an ambitious replanting program that sought to regenerate the gravel and clay soils by assigning specific varietals to various parcels based on terroir, today, the Lorenzetti family has the Estate back on top in a significant way. The Lorenzetti family continued adding to their portfolio in the Medoc with the purchase of Chateau Pedesclaux and a smaller estate, also located in Pauillac, Haut Milon.

Due to their hard work and upgrades in the vineyard and winemaking, in 2020, Lilian Ladouys was classified as a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel! To achieve this accolade, a panel of judges has blind-tasted the 5 previous vintages from Château Lilian Ladouys. If they deem every vintage to be a great example of Haut Medoc wine, then Château Lilian Dadouys can use this special award on their label starting in the 2018 vintage and utilize it for the next 5 years. Following the expiration, to keep using the Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel status, they’ll start the process again. In 2020, a jury tasted 5 vintages of Ladouys, and 2019 was among those wines. There are only 14 Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel out of 249 designated Crus Bourgeois du Medoc. You can see why Jeb Dunnuck exclaims that Lilian LaDouys is a “perennial overachiever,”

To get an idea of where Bodeaux Lilian Ladouys is located, let us go to a virtual Google map. Leaving Chateau Lafite Rothschild, hang a left on D2 and pass its neighbor Cos d Estournel on the right; next Chateau Lafon-Rochet will be to your left, and the next Estate on your right will be Chateau Lilian LaDouys. What a neighborhood of world-class terroir.

Today, the 200-acre Left Bank Bordeaux vineyard of Lilian Ladouys is planted to 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc. This represents two significant changes over the years in the vineyard previously dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyards of Chateau Lilian Ladouys are spread all over the appellation, providing a wide range of terroirs. They have vines south of the appellation, not far from Chateau Cos d’Estournal. To the north, they own vines neighboring Chateau Calon Segur. Recently, in 2018, the Lorenzetti family purchased two neighbor estates, Château Clauzet, and Château Tour de Pez, adding these to the Lilian Ladouys vineyard to almost double its planted area to 190 acres of 25 to 40-year-old prime vineyards.

Vinification of Chateau Lilian Ladouys takes place in temperature-controlled, stainless steel vats. Forty-eight vats in total are used. The vats range in size from 54 hectoliters to 172 hectoliters. Malolactic fermentation takes place in tanks, with the exception of 10% of the fruit, which goes through malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels. The wine of Chateau Lilian Ladouys is aged on average in 40% new French oak barrels for between 14 and 16 months.

Château Lilian Ladouys 2019, a vintage that is fresh yet sumptuous. The tannins are velvety, the balance exceptional: here is a wine similar in some ways to 2016 or 2018, yet even fresher and more aromatic.

Sporting a nice depth of color, the wine pops right off the bat with its nuances of black cherries, currants, thyme, mint, tobacco leaf, spice, and smoke. Medium/full-bodied, fresh, and vibrant, the fruits with its chocolate and minty overtones linger in the slightly dusty, long finish. This will age and develop for at least 2 decades or more. Drink from 2025-2040. The Wine Cellar Insider 94 Points

From a large 113-acre estate, this wine is dense, structured, and full of dark coffee and spice flavors allied to rich tannins. Blackberry fruits shine through this texture promising aging. Drink from 2026. Cellar Selection Wine Enthusiast 93 pts

The 2019 Lilian Ladouys has a powerful, quite burly bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit, wine gums, touches of blueberry and violet. It feels more Margaux than Saint-Estèphe! The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, fine grip, just a hint of piquancy, and a lovely estuarine/briny influence that defines the classic finish. Vinous 93 pts

Sweet currant and berry aromas with some very flowers follow through to a medium body, with firm and creamy tannins and a flavorful finish. I like the walnut and chocolate undertones. 59% merlot, 37% cabernet sauvignon, 3% petit verdot and 1% cabernet franc. Better after 2023. James Suckling 92 pts

This château continues to bring the goods, and their 2019 Château Lilian Ladouys offers a medium-bodied, supple, elegant, and certainly delicious style, as well as complex notes of redcurrants, darker mulberries, cedary spice, and dried herbs. It shows the elegant, more mid-weight side to the vintage, yet the balance is spot on; it has ripe tannins, and it’s going to keep for 15+ years. Best After 2022 Jeb Dunnuck 91 pts

Lovely, expressive nose of sweet ripe fruits. The tannins are a bit too present at the moment; they take over and have a drying effect due to their quite high acidity. There is definitely a core of ripe dark fruits with herb and liquorice edges but this needs more time to integrate. Decanter 91 pts

Offering up aromas of sweet berries, cherries, licorice and spices, the 2019 Lilian Ladouys is medium to full-bodied, ample and charming, with a giving, easygoing profile and a clean, precise finish. It’s a competent effort that shows none of the appellation’s stereo typically hard edges. Best After 2021 Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate 90 pts

Lilian Ladouys, St Estephe 2019

I found two very knowledgeable Bordeaux geeks to help me with the adjectives for this wine. Tim Gunderman, our resident Bordeaux guru, and Ian, who is English, so he must know a lot about Bordeaux. Between the three of us, we are old enough to remember when “terroir” meant dirt. Pouring the wine, the color was dark, inky ruby, and had compact aromas of blackberry, cassis, and lead pencil. The mouth has a lush, silky texture, as you would expect from a Merlot-based wine, with focused fruit and hints of cumin and spice—balanced tannins with integrated acids. Tim tried it later and exclaimed, “Wow, that blew up !!! black fruit leather coffee and a very classic feel to the wine. I am glad I have already bought some of this. I can’t wait to see it in 5 years.” The wine drinks very nice now and can effortlessly age for another 10 years. We all decided this is a great wine to buy now and open one bottle, another next year, and so on. Advice I have difficulty following. At this price, Jeb Dunnick was right: the wine is an overachiever. Don’t wait too long; I will sell out quickly.

Regular Price: $27.99

*Sale Price is on 6 or more bottles

Wine is packed in a 6-bottle wooden case

Quantity is very limited

*Wine pricing for these wine promotions are held for two weeks after the email offer.

We can hold wines in unpaid reserves for two weeks to allow you time to pick up your wine. If it takes you longer than that to pick up your wines, give us a call, and we can process your wine and move it to paid reserves.

Orders must be done by replying to this email. The reason is that I need to keep control of the inventory in one central spot. Emailing or calling your favorite wine geek at one of our four stores may not get your orders in on time to be counted or processed and this creates a helter-skelter for us to get you the wine. For the same reason, ordering on our online Web Store is linked to our regular price, and this sale price is only offered on the email platform. It is also why it takes me some time to respond due to the deluge of orders that I sometimes get. We haven't reached the efficiency or volume of Amazon yet. Thank you in advance for your patience.

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Cheers!

—John Hannum, Fine & Rare Wine Specialist

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