Although most of those estates ranked in the 1855 classification lie within the famous communes of St Estèphe, St Julien, Pauillac and Margaux, there are five (discounting the obvious exception of Haut-Brion) that do not. Perhaps most notable of these is La Lagune, the highest ranked of the handful, and the southernmost classed growth estate of all the Médoc. Driving north from Bordeaux through the Médoc, along the D2, La Lagune is the first estate that you meet, and for this reason it is sometimes light-heartedly referred to as the premier grand cru of the region. Neither this estate''s location nor its epithet should, however, distract Bordeaux savants from the true worth of this estate; here is a very good source of wines indeed.
The history of La Lagune, once known as Grand La Lagune, begins in at least the 17th Century. The origins of the name are uncertain; a common suggestion is that it is derived from a nearby lagoon (lagune in French) although there is no evidence that such a body of water ever existed anywhere near the chateau, and thus without any other plausible explanations the name remains a mystery. The earliest documented proprietors of the estate are the Seguineau family, who were instrumental in establishing La Lagune''s early reputation. It was during their tenure that vineyards were established, and they were also responsible for the construction of the chateau at La Lagune, a rather understated single-storey affair in a chartreuse style designed in 1715 by Victor Louis, a renowned architect who was subsequently responsible for the celebrated Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux in 1780. There was active viticulture and the consequent sale of wine as early as 1724, and probably for years before that, although it was many years before the chateau developed the favourable reputation that it enjoys today. The Seguineau family maintained control of La Lagune during the 18th Century, as the estate survived the Revolution intact, no doubt in part because they were not of great nobility, but also because the land was in the shared ownership of many different family members. In 1819, however, La Lagune was acquired by Jouffrey Piston, and under his direction the wine''s reputation was firmly established; it was thanks to his efforts that, as mentioned above, the estate was ranked as a troisième cru in 1855. He was succeeded by his son, who subsequently sold the estate to Louis Sèze in 1898, it then passing to his son-in-law Galy in 1911. Following his time at the helm, however, the previously successful La Lagune began a spiralling deterioration, not an uncommon theme for Bordeaux at the time. It was inherited by a number of different owners, none of whom were of a position to make significant investments in the estate, and after phylloxera and oidium this further pushed the vineyard into decline. The vines accounted for 50 hectares at the turn of the century, but by 1954 this had dwindled to just four. La Lagune was undoubtedly on the brink of extinction.
It is here, at the darkest moment for the property, that La Lagune''s modern revival began. The chateau and vineyards were purchased in 1958 by Georges Brunet, an agricultural engineer, who expanded the estate with the acquisition of a neighbouring plot Petit La Lagune, and together the estate took on its modern name of La Lagune, neither petit nor grand. Brunet undertook a whirlwind redevelopment, overseeing replanting of the entire vineyard and the construction of a modern winery, and within just a few years of his purchase the estate was once again turning out wines which fitted its status as a classed growth. Brunet, however, did not stay long. In 1961, in order to finance the purchase of Chateau Vignelaure in Provence, the estate was sold to René Chayoux of Champagne Ayala, an individual fortunately in the necessary financial position to build upon Brunet''s efforts. The chateau was restored, and there was further work on the chai, including the installation of 26 epoxy resin-lined stainless steel fermentation vats, together with a novel system of airtight pipes for transporting the wine from vats to the barrel area, thereby completely avoiding contact of the wine, which is moved by pneumatic methods, with oxygen.
Today the estate is in the ownership of the Frey family, who acquired Champagne Ayala (and thus La Lagune) in 2000, subsequently selling the Champagne house to Bollinger in order to fund their acquisition of the Rhône négociant firm Jaboulet, which had been floundering since the death of its patriarch, Gérard. Caroline Frey was installed as winemaker, continuing a fine tradition at La Lagune instigated in 1964 when the estate, then under the direction of Chayoux, was the first in Bordeaux to appoint a female manager, Jeanne Boyrie. Boyrie, who stepped into the shoes of her husband who had ran the estate up until his death, was in charge until she died in 1986; she was succeeded by her daughter, Caroline Desvergnes, who had been working on the estate since 1972. Today the estate is overseen by Pierre Vital, who holds sway over 80 hectares of vineyards (dominated by a single block of 57 hectares) entitled to the Haut-Médoc appellation, planted on a croupe of Mindelian gravel. This is a sandy-gravelly mix, laying over a Quaternary gravel, an arrangement that resembles the terroir of Graves somewhat, at an altitude of 15 metres above sea-level which aids drainage, especially important with these slightly more moisture-retentive soils. The vines are 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and an unusually high 10% Petit Verdot, planted at 6500 vines/ha; there was once a significant portion of Cabernet Franc but this now seems to have disappeared from the vineyard. The vines are trained higher than they once were (this is true for most of the top vineyards of Bordeaux) to improve foliage surface area, and the vineyard is managed on sustainable lines; the estate has Agriculture Raisonnée et Norme Environmentale certification. As might be expected, the harvest is by hand into small baskets, and the yield is typically 40-45 hl/ha.
In the cellars Caroline Frey oversees the fermentation, with consultation from Denis Dubourdieu. Following automatic sorting on a vibrating table and manual sorting thereafter, there is destemming and a third sorting. After a light pressing the fruit is fed by gravity into 72 temperature-controlled steel vats, where there is a maceration followed by fermentation. In December there is tasting and blending, and the wines then go into oak. There was once an invariable policy of 100% new wood for the grand vin, Chateau La Lagune (typically 33000 cases per annum), a longstanding feature of the wine, and a practice more commonly associated with first growths; it certainly tended to make the wine stand out in blind horizontal tastings, but not necessarily for the right reason. Under Caroline Frey this figure has been reined in, and is now more like 55%, and the wine will rest there for up to 18 months; after their second year the old barrels are shipped off for use at Jaboulet. The second wine is Moulin La Lagune (about 8000 cases per annum) or Chateau Ludon Pomies Agassac prior to 1998; this wine tends to favour Merlot more than the grand vin, as it accounts for up to 40% of the blend, and will see only 12 months in oak, with only 30-40% new barrels. Finally there is a third wine, introduced with the 2004 vintage, this being Mademoiselle L; this Haut-Médoc originates from vines contiguous with the La Lagune vineyard and is intended for early drinking.
I have frequently found the wine produced at La Lagune to be big, tannic and masculine, no doubt helped along by all that oak. Nevertheless it is of good quality, and as the vintages mature the oak is well absorbed by the wine, leaving us with a substantial drink which is good value. Some have suggested that it deserves a higher rank than troisième cru. I am always fearful that this obsession with determining which estates should be promoted or demoted may detract us from more worthwhile activities, such as determining which estates are turning out good wines at good prices. La Lagune has often been a candidate for inclusion on just such a list, with a number of young vintages such as 1996 and 2000 showing great potential, and 1983 being one of my favourite older vintages. Unsurprisingly the 2005 was no slouch either. Now under the direction of the Caroline Frey there is clearly a new direction, seen most clearly with the reduced use of new oak; whether there have been any more overt changes in the style of the wine remains to be seen, but I think I have good vibes about continued quality here. (4/3/04, updated 23/11/05, 31/5/07, 6/5/09)
Contact details:
Address: 83 avenue Europe, 33290 Ludon-Médoc
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 57 88 82 77
Fax +33 (0) 5 57 88 82 70
Internet: www.chateau-lalagune.com
