2004 Chateau Lagrange, Saint-Julien, France 750ml

Classic and balanced, cassis, bilberry, touches of rosebud and raspberry leaf. A gentle wine that is easy to drink and easy to love. This was a large crop with yields heading upwards of 60hl/h, which meant careful sorting and green harvesting in the vineyard (Lagrange had been the first in St Julien along with Leoville Las Cases to do so in the 1980s). Eric Boissenot consultant. An old school classic. 60% new oak, 46% 1st wine.

A wine that balances its freshness with deep layers of black fruits. Acidity and black currants work well together. Lagrange is over-performing at the moment: an estate that once made correct wines now offers excitement as well.