Wine Advisor
Prieure Lichine 2012
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2012 Prieuré-Lichine is soft, open-knit and totally inviting. Sweet floral notes meld into the typical Prieuré Lichine red stone fruits. Already quite expressive and totally delicious, the 2012 should offer readers a long and broad window of pure pleasure. The silky, persistent finish points to a bright future. The 2012 is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. Stéphane Derenoncourt and Julien Lavenu are the consulting winemakers.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
Good full red. Expressive aromas of medicinal black cherry, minerals and flowers. Juicy and supple, offering deep flavors of sweet red fruits, minerals and herbs. Plump and fleshy in the middle, but toughens up on the back end. Still, I view this as a noteworthy success for 2012.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2012 Prieuré-Lichine has a beautifully-defined bouquet with ebullient blackberry and raspberry fruit, touches of iris flower and orange blossom coming through with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, well-judged acidity, cohesive and structured with a nicely proportioned, slightly tarry/tobacco-tinged finish that has a Pauillac-like bent. This is a pleasant surprise. Tasted blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This restrained, but cleanly made, solid Margaux possesses a dense ruby/purple color as well as plenty of red and black currant fruit notes intermixed with notions of graphite and camphor. A reticent, medium-bodied wine reveals a slight deficiency on the mid-palate, but it picks up in the finish with attractive fruit and light to moderate tannin. Drink it over the next 12-15 years.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted from a barrel sample at en primeur. The Prieure-Lichine has a very satisfying, well-defined bouquet with fine blackberry, cedar and wilted violet scents. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannins and a structured, almost rigid finish that is just missing a little fleshy fruit to fill it out. Fresh, but it needs a little more substance. Tasted April 2013.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Performing much better from bottle than barrel, this is a super effort from Prieuré Lichine. This inky purple-colored wine displays beautiful floral-infused blueberry and blackberry fruit as well as cassis. It is medium to full-bodied, stunningly pure, gorgeously textured, and quite long and impressive. This is a top success in the vintage, capable of lasting 20 or more years.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2012 Prieuré-Lichine is soft, open-knit and totally inviting. Sweet floral notes meld into the typical Prieuré Lichine red stone fruits. Already quite expressive and totally delicious, the 2012 should offer readers a long and broad window of pure pleasure. The silky, persistent finish points to a bright future. The 2012 is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. Stéphane Derenoncourt and Julien Lavenu are the consulting winemakers.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Plenty of good and ripe fruit here. Full body, with fine tannins and a fresh finish. Balanced and pretty. I like it slightly better than the 2012.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
A wine with blackberry, spice and licorice character. Medium to full body, firm tannins and a fruity finish. Subtle and fine. Shows class. Lovely tannins. Drink in 2016.
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.
