Ch. Lagrange

Ch. Lagrange has been Classé Grand Cru since 1855. The property is located in the west of the Saint-Julien appellation in the heart of the Médoc. Château Lagrange was known in the Middle Ages as the Noble House of Lagrange Montei. Records of the successive owners go back as far as 1631. The beginning of the 20th century marked a period of decline for Lagrange. Changes in ownership and lower yields of lesser quality meant the estate had to be broken up. Lagrange went from an estate of 280 hectares in1840 to 157 hectares by December, 1983. In the early eighties Lagrange was purchased by Suntory, Japanese company that invested in the estate and managed not only to renovate it, but completely re-invigorate it. Under Suntory, plantings on the estate have increased from 57 to 115hs, making Ch. Lagrange one of the largest single vineyard properties in the Médoc. Marcel Ducasse, was recruited successfully directed the estate until May 2007, guiding the efforts to completely restructure the domain. After his retirement, Bruno Eynard, who had spent 17 years as the estate's technical director, took over management and is still there today. Located entirely within the appellation of Saint-Julien, the vineyard is located over two North-South rises of Gunzian gravelly soil. In parts large and coarse and in others finer, this gravel is combined with sand or iron-rich clay. The centre of the domain is the highest point of Saint-Julien at an altitude of 24 meters. The estate is 157 hectares, 115 of which are used for growing vines. The red grape varieties planted on the estate are those that typically thrive on the Médoc terroir. The majority of the estate is planted with red varietals - 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot, with the white varietals Sauvignon (60%), Sémillon (30%) and Muscadelle (10%) planted over 4 hectares. The grapes at Ch. Lagrange are all hand harvested the estate has invested in new smaller (220hl) stainless steel tanks and 56 vats to allow plot by plot fermentation. Ch. Lagrange has also invested in the use of co-inoculation techniques that allow alcoholic and malolactic fermentation simultaneously, in order to help save energy and reduce the carbon footprint of the estate.