Chateau Lilian Ladouys St Estephe 2009 750 ml

Score: 92 Price: $45 Country: France Region: Bordeaux Issue: Mar 31, 2012 Designation: Smart Buys On the toasty, more modern side of the spectrum, with ambitious roasted fig, apple wood and blueberry confiture notes followed by racy graphite, espresso and blackberry pâte de fruit. Not shy, but has the density for balance. Best from 2013 through 2024. 18,080 cases made. Wine Advocate #199 Feb 2012 Robert M. Parker, Jr. RATED 90 Drink: 2012 – 2027 $22-$60 (32) Elegant, with loads of black currant fruit, cherries and dusty, loamy soil notes as well as hints of tobacco leaf, spice box and cedar, it is a medium to full-bodied, nicely textured, fleshy wine that should drink nicely for 10-15+ years. This is the best wine I have ever tasted from this property, which has gone through many changes and frequent listless, uninspiring performances. The change to a better class of St.-Estephe was started by the late Vincent Mulliez, who passed away tragically last year, but who got things started by reducing yields, cleaning up the place, eliminating the TCA that had tainted so many wines in the past, and going with a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. The result is the best wine they have ever made, or at least the finest I have ever tasted from them.