Description
Château Lapelletrie Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2017.
A blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Aged one third in barrels and balance in vats for 18 months before bottling.
2017 is quite possibly my favourite vintage of the period 2015 to 2020, partly because of its uniqueness and clear distinction from all the other years in this period. Spring was hit badly by frost for some producers in 2017 but for those like Lapelletrie who were not impacted it was a stunning year of cooler and very dry conditions. I spent a fair bit of time around the vineyards of Saint-Émilion in summer 2017 and the fruit I saw (and tasted) hanging in the vineyards was among the most perfect I have ever seen, anywhere. The reputation of 2017 was irrationally tarnished due to the impact of frost that did impact many unfortunate vineyard owners just not ALL of them (a fact that is often overlooked), and I can assure you if you want to see how good a year 2017 really was, just have a taste of this one, which is unsurprisingly rated an average score of 4.2 out of 5 stars on Vivino after more than 111 reviews.
Very dark colour in the glass, powerful fruit with a woody-earthiness, smoky, meaty, pan juices, mulberry, cigar box – complexity! And then a big and firmly structured palate built for the long run.
Drink now to 2035+