Wine Advisor
Prieure Lichine 1997
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This wine possesses a dark ruby color, sweet fruit in the nose and attack, a light personality, and a dry, fruitless finish. It will need to be drunk during its first 7-8 years of life.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This has turned out to be a very good effort for the 1997 vintage. The saturated dark ruby/purple color is followed by aromas of cigar box, fruitcake, sweet berry fruit, and loamy soil. In the mouth, this is an exceptionally elegant, pure, medium-bodied wine with light tannin in the compact but attractive finish. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2011.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Fine inky purple core. A perfumed fragrant nose. Good structure on the palate which has a moderate level of tannin. Herbaceous, quite minerally finish. Excellent considering the vintage. Tasted April 1999.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A picnic-styled claret, this light ruby-colored 1997 exhibits some candied black cherry and currant flavors, little concentration or length, and a watery finish. Drink it over the next 2-5 years.
About the Producer
Château Prieuré-Lichine is an estate in the Margaux appellation of Bordeaux, ranked as a Fourth Growth in the official Bordeaux Classification of 1855. It is regarded as one of Margaux's most consistent producers and is known for its elegance and suppleness, derived in part from the relatively high proportion of Merlot in the blend. The estate is located in Cantenac (on an official, administrative, level Cantenac is now combined with Margaux), near to the châteaux of Kirwan and Boyd-Cantenac. There are 70 hectares (173 acres) of vineyards in numerous parcels within the Margaux appellation, of which around 40 hectares (100 acres) contribute to the grand vin. Vineyard plantings are 50 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 45 percent Merlot, and 5 percent Petit Verdot. The second wine, launched in 1972 as Château de Clairefont, is now sold as Confidences de Prieuré-Lichine and is made from younger vines. Le Clocher du Prieuré is a Merlot-based Haut-Médoc from vineyards adjacent to those supplying the grand vin. The portfolio is completed by Le Blanc du Château Prieuré-Lichine, a Sauvignon Blanc – Semillon blend from a 1.5 hectare (3.7 acre) plot in Arsac, to the south of Margaux. Red wines are fermented in a mix of stainless steel and concrete vats of differing sizes, with long, gentle extraction. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel, and the wine is then aged for 16 months in barriques, 60 percent of which are new. The second wine sees 14 months in second- and third-fill barrels. The estate was founded as the Prieuré (Priory) de Cantenac in the 10th Century, and for many years was a stopping point for pilgrims on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. While vines were certainly planted from the 12th Century, the conversion of the property to a full-scale wine estate took place in the 1700s. Its current name refers to noted winemaker Alexis Lichine, who owned the estate from 1951 until his death in 1989. The estate was acquired by the Ballande group (which includes the Ballande & Méneret négociant firm) in 1999.
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