Lilian Ladouys 2019

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 stereotypically hard edges. Drink 2021-2039.

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Lilian Ladouys comes bounding out of the glass with expressive scents of crushed blackberries, cassis and boysenberries with touches of dried Provence herbs, charcoal, clove oil and espresso. The medium-bodied palate is charged with energy, offering firm grainy tannins and electric freshness to support the tightly wound black fruits, finishing with loads of invigorating herbal and mineral sparks.
A property to watch—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 77 hectares. These additional vineyards are composed of gravelly soils of the same level as the best blocks of Lilian Ladouys. Soils are a typically Saint-Estèphe mix of sandy-gravel and clay with some limestone deposits. It is planted at 8,500-10,000 vines per hectare, with an average vine age of 36 years in 2019.