chateau prieure lichine 1985

"the lands of the prieuré de cantenac, founded by the monks of the vertheuil abbey in the romanesque period, were devoted to mixed farming and stockbreeding, even though renowned wines were already being produced. it was not until the middle of the 18th century that the entire estate was devoted to vines. the prieuré vineyard was then listed by the intendance of bordeaux as the 3rd vineyard in the grouping of the parishes of margaux and cantenac. at the end of the revolution, the estate was acquired by mr durand delains, a bordeaux wine merchant. promoted to 4th growth in the 1855 classification, the estate was affected by successive crises, phylloxera and the 1929 crash. when alexis lichine, nicknamed ""the pope of wine"", acquired it in the early 1950s, the vineyard was in a sorry state. he devoted all his efforts to rebuilding the vineyard until his death in 1989. today, château prieuré lichine is owned by the ballande group, which has sought the advice of stéphane derenoncourt. located not far from château margaux, the prieuré lichine vineyard has the particularity of being located in the communes of cantenac, arsac, labarde, soussans and margaux. it is one of the most fragmented estates in the médoc. its terroir is composed of gravelly soil and a high proportion of merlot. the wines are generally quite supple and have a good capacity for ageing. let's talk about the wine. this one is made from a majority of 65% or 70% cabernet sauvignon. it is completed by merlot and, to a lesser extent, petit verdot. these are harvested in small crates. the grapes are sorted, and the vinification is defined by a twenty-day vatting period and barrel ageing (45% in new barrels and 55% in one-wine barrels). tasting reveals a wine with powerful and complex aromas and a surprisingly fine mouthfeel. a great wine, for sure."