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Château La Louvière Red
Château La Louvière has many fascinating facets. The sumptuous architecture of the château building dates from the late 18th century, but winegrowing here goes back more than 700 years. The first vines were planted circa 1310, although modern winemaking dates from the 17th century and was handed down by able monks from the Carthusian monastery in Bordeaux, who had acquired considerable talent as viticulturists and winemakers. The people who produce the wine in the 21st century have inherited these time-honoured methods, adding just the right amount of innovation and modernity to make the utmost of the outstanding terroir. La Louvière's red wine has a dark colour and an elegant bouquet with delicate hints of oak...
Wine style
Full and Complex
Grape blend
Cabernet Sauvignon 64% / Merlot 30% / Cabernet Franc 3% / Petit Verdot 3%.
Weather
Temperatures were much higher than average from February to June, with much less rainfall than usual. There were already signs of drought at the end of Spring.
Tasting Comment
Appearance
This 2011 from the best-known of André Lurton's estates in the Pessac-Léognan appellation has a truly beautiful and very deep garnet-red colour. The purple highlights are a sign of careful ageing.
Nose
The wine is remarkably young, and will undoubtedly preserve its pure fruitiness (redolent of strawberry and raspberry) for many years.The nose displays Virginia tobacco and vanilla aromas, among others, that will undoubtedly merge into a complex bouquet after three or four years in bottle.
Mouth
The wine is very balanced and elegant on the palate. It has restrained power that is somewhat hidden by velvety tannin and well-integrated oak. The aftertaste is typical of its terroir: smoky, with grilled notes. Like its predecessors, 2011 red La Louvière is well-suited to classic French cuisine: stews, confits, red meats, and game, as well as poultry in a sauce.
Ratings and reviews
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2015 Edition - In keeping with the image of the château, the wine is also very elegant. It is tremendously well-balanced, and its beautiful dark colour attracts from the very first. The discreet bouquet has overtones of peony, raspberry, blackcurrant, and spice. Backed up by well-integrated toasty oak, the flavour is enhanced by elegant, firm, rich, silky tannin. 2017-2022 / Haunch of tender veal.
A brilliant success for Andre Lurton, the 2011 La Louvière displays abundant notes of creme de cassis and licorice intertwined with subtle smoke and oak, medium to full body, sweet, velvety, well-integrated tannins and surprising depth as well as texture. The wine builds authoritatively on the palate with no hard edges. It is another example of the success Pessac-Leognan and Graves enjoyed in 2011. This sleeper of the vintage should age well for 10-12 years.
Fresh, fruity, and spicy nose with hints of wood, cedar, and pepper. Lovely, soft, juicy, and very fruity from beginning to end. Peppery, slightly hot finish, but the fruit has the last word. The balance and grip are also good. Fine length. Complexity: 13+/20. Pleasure provided: 16/20.
Oaky with black fruit flavours. Round, soft and attractive on the palate. Already very flattering and best enjoyed young. Well-made.
Smooth and flavoursome.
Note of plum, rose and star anise make this an abundantly charming, smooth prospect. The palate is structured as well as opulent and generous, with velvety fruit.
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Wooded nose, spicy, and very balsamic with its evolution. It associates a very nice touch in mouth, tender, with a vivifying freshness. A Very greedy wine.
Marked, nearly ripe tannin, but the richness is fairly well under control, and the wine remains balanced and reliable. Drink from 2018 to 2028.
This estate is currently undergoing a sea-change, with half the vineyard replanted to match varietals with the terroir, which explains the high percentage of young vines in this blend. Not highly concentrated, but nicely fruity.
Most expressive nose so far, pure and deep, almost some sweetness on the nose. There is a nice mix of ripe fruit and tannic grip, tightens on the finish, but not too edgy. Graves smoothness in fact, if not quite as pronounced on the finish as the preceding wine, but that should fill out in barrel. A strong performance from an often underrated wine!
Sleek damson plum and currant fruit is stitched with a perfumy black tea note. Not big, but nicely focused. (James Molesworth)
This wine is on the lean side, although there is attractive black-currant fruit at the core. The wine is developing its weight into an expression that will be more substantial. (Roger Voss)
Well-extracted, slightly earthy blackcurrant fruit, good ripeness and good natural concentration. Very good medium term. Drink 2015-2025.
For the moment, the wine is closed in by the tannins' natural austerity, but its frank character is nonetheless apparent.
Inky blackish crimson. Whole line-up very deeply coloured, Fragrant clean fresh dark cherry and cassis and a touch mineral. Both dry and juicy on the palate. Refined texture and freshness of fruit. Lithe and bright. Fruit is not especially dense but nice harmony. (Julia Harding)
Fairly subdued on the nose, but it's all there if you give it time. This has coffee beans on the palate, and soft blueberry fruits, overall a quiet, faurly gentle experience. Pleasant. Touch sharp on the finish, but you have to be paying attention.
Consumption period
2016 - 2026
Our suggestions
White meats
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Game
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Cheese |
Red meats
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Ground
Surface
46.00 ha
Soil
Deep gravel
Winemaking
Grape harvest
By hand with small deep crates
Others
Graft stock
101.14 - Riparia gloire - 3309
Plant food
Traditional, limited impact
Plant density
8,500 vines per hectare
Wine average age
26 years
Grape variety
Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot
Pruning type
Double Guyot with debudding
Fermentation
In stainless-steel temperature-controlled tanks with patented cap-breaking system and concrete tanks with pigeage
Fermentation temperature
28 to 30 °C
Malolactic
Yes
Wine maturing
For 12 months in oak barrels (40-50 % new) with racking
Wine montage
Egg white
Maturing potential
Subject to vintage, expressive between 3 and 5 years, can age 15 to 30 years.
Oenologist consultant
Michel ROLLAND and Mikaël LAIZET.
Recipes
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