With the inspirational philosophies of François Mitjavile ingrained in our thoughts, we headed to our next appointment. Château de Lamarque, a gem of a property in Haut-Médoc with whom we have enjoyed a long and strong vinous relationship. The drive from Saint-Emilion would take a while but as a South Londoner, I had keenly felt the rivalry of the right bank / left bank divide simmering all day and now I was excited about crossing the that river divide. The journey had been fairly drab along main roads but now we were beginning to get nearer and see familiar communes on signs… I was slightly thrown by one which had Macau and Pauillac (so many witty remarks to be had but I left it)…. I was poised like a bird watcher, twitching to glimpse the ‘big guns’. And then suddenly we were off and running….the majestic gates of La Lagune appeared on our right and the roll call of legendary properties came and went as we jinked our way along the racing curves of the famous D2 route de Pauillac. At one point, our driver performed an extravagant U-turn which brought into play Grand-Puy-Ducasse – I was instantly smug that I had snapped up a case of their ‘09. Oh come on, if a wine merchant can’t childishly be excited about a visit to the Médoc, then we’re in the wrong job!
We were met at Château de Lamarque by the beautifully elegant Marie-Hélène Grommand d’Evry (pictured above, right) with a beaming a smile and genuine warmth and affection; there was even a Union Jack flying alongside the Tricolore (I doubt I would have been so friendly with a group of 18 rosbifs, well over an hour late, trampling all over my freshly raked courtyard!). We proceeded to the tasting room and cellars and one began to get a feel for how beautiful the property is. An imposing 14th century castle built to defend the Médoc from the Vikings, with all the grandeur and nuances of a splendid fortress. What a shame we arrived too late for sunset!
The history of Château de Lamarque is extremely distinguished and has been passed down through 7 generations since 1839. Marie-Hélène was hosting us by herself as Pierre-Gilles (her husband) was in Asia… He looks after the cellar and the markets whist Marie-Hélène ruthlessly manages the vineyards. The wine has undergone large investment since the 1960s with techniques used to produce the best Haut-Médoc can offer with crop thining, lutte raisonnée, careful parcel sorting and analysis, concrete vats for fermentation (habillage by stunning wooden barrel shells) and carefully handled extraction. Lamarque has 3 sites and this is where the have come into their own in developing a system for really understanding each site and getting the best quality blend possible. This has lead to Cabernet Franc being replaced by Petit Verdot. Lamarque’s 3 sites are not next to the Château property but on gravelly soil with the best site neighbouring Chasse-Spleen and Poujeaux.
Château de Lamarque 2006: soft and supple with good mineral depth. Still ripe fruit flavours mingling with spicy notes, coffee, toast and an elegant finish. A very well-made claret. Best to decant for a couple of hours as still got some weight.
Château de Lamarque 2008: crimson red, a nose of lovely red fruit and floral intensity with tobacco, broader structure yet with integrated tannins and refined peppery, minerally backbone. Will reward cellaring
Château de Lamarque 2010: full bodied, big ripe fruit, very pure fruit and a balanced balancing the with huge tannins and refreshed by acidity. Could be final blend, Will need cellar time but should be a great vintage.
We crossed the courtyard to enter the main house. We found ourselves in an intoxicatingly impressive, red reception room surrounded by military artifacts and portraits and coats of arms. Being bloke heavy, we all manfully assessed the impressive array of ancient firearms on show – as if at some medieval gun amnesty – such was the display and all neatly laid out or mounted on walls. Marie-Hélène had arranged for us to try the 2009 here; as I mused over the liquid in my glass, I noted family artefacts including a photo with Charles De Gaulle and a letter from Emile Zola ….esteemed company indeed. The 2009 was singing from the glass, sweet ripe black and red fruit toasty aromas leading to a really generous and ripe palate with complex spices and soft creaminess. This must be one of the greatest Lamarque vintages. An explosion of flavour, and richness but as always wrapped within that elegant, traditional style. Terrific!
Champagne to refresh the palate (do we do this enough in UK? It is a fantastic way to revitalise the sinews) and Marie-Hélène chatted easily with us in English and French. The Château is very homely for all its oppulent grandeur; a real sense of a family home and the mood was relaxed. Each of us had handwritten menu and place card again emphasing the personal touch and attention to detail of the proprietors. The next pleasant surprise was the 2007. This is drinking really well. It continued to open in the glass to reveal deliciously pure raspberry, summer berries, black cherry and violets with spice and cigarbox on a structured finish.
Our main of veal was then matched superbly with a Double Mag of Château de Lamarque 1995. Glorious nose of truffles, underbrush, minerality and figs. Again the freshness of the wine shone through. The palate had velvety tannins, a creamy texture, with a long complex finish of pepper, orange zest and mocha. A really balanced and pure wine.
Despite the time, Marie-Hélène insisted on a quick tour of the library of wines in the medieval cellars and a quick look in the chapel. The property is simply amazing.
We headed back on our coach knowing we’d enjoyed a privileged evening. All talk of ‘un cheeky pression’ to toast the evening were quashed as we realised quite how quiet Pauillac on a Monday night can be. I knew we should have stayed in Macau!