Home > Producer Profiles > Bordeaux Profiles > Chateau Lilian Ladouys

Chateau Lilian Ladouys

The wines of Lilian Ladouys are not ones that I have frequently encountered. Imagine my surprise, then, when confronted with a line up of recent vintages, a mini-vertical no less, at a tasting in London. Nonchalantly chewing a stick of gum, the woman was pouring the wines in the most laid-back, disaffected manner that might be possible. Her manner was disconcerting, and rather disinterested in the tasting, and in how the wines were showing, it would seem. Would this be reflected in the character of the wines at all?

The Lilian Ladouys label What is known of the history of Lilian Ladouys begins in 1654, when the property was in the ownership of Jacques de Bercoyan, a Bordeaux magistrate. By this time the estate was already known as La Doys, an obvious precursor to the Ladouys of today, although the origins of this name remain unclear to me. From Bercoyan the estate passed to the Barre family who acquired it during the 18th Century, and who maintained their dominion over these vineyards for 150 years. Under their tutelage the estate produced wines of high quality judging by the opinions of the time, which ranked Lilian Ladouys considerably higher than most would place it today. By the early 20th Century however, during the difficult years between the two wars, the estate had deteriorated, and it was sold off in a piecemeal fashion. Today, however, under the directorship of Pierre Fougere who heads up the Société Chateau Lilian Ladouys, there has been investment and reported improvements. And for some years now the wines have been made under the auspices of Georges Pauli, so there should perhaps be some optimism that they may once more be as glorious as the estate's 18th Century reputation suggests they can.

The estate covers 48 hectares spread in a disparate fashion across the St Estèphe appellation, with more than ninety plots of vines in existence. About two-thirds of the vineyard is situated on well drained soils rich in coarse gravel, with pebbles up to 8 cm across dominating. The remaining vineyards are, as we might expect for St Estèphe, clay over a limestone bedrock. The varieties planted are 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, and the vines have an average age of up close to 40 years. Once harvested the fruit is fermented in temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats, before transfer into oak barrels, of which one-third are new with each vintage; the wine will remain here for 18 months before fining, filtration and bottling. The grand vin is Chateau Lilian Ladouys, of which there are perhaps 20000 cases per annum, and the second wine is La Devise de Lilian, has a production more in the order of 5000 cases.

The vintages shown on the day ranged from the 2001 up to, omitting the 2002, the 2005. They were obviously young wines, and I enjoyed the opportunity to taste them. The 2005 was certainly the best of the bunch, with a little more substance than the preceding vintages, but all in all I thought that the wines still fall short of what we might expect from the published 18th Century opinions, and also given the estate's proximity to the likes of Cos d'Estournel. Perhaps the pourer's disinterested manner was appropriate? (2/5/08)

Contact details:
Address: Chateau Lilian Ladouys, 33180 St-Estèphe
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 56 59 71 96
Fax +33 (0) 5 56 59 35 97
Internet: www.chateau-Lilian Ladouys.com

Chateau Lilian Ladouys - Tasting Notes

Click to locate stockists.

2005

Chateau Lilian Ladouys (St Estèphe) 2005: A nose of cigars, freshly rolled tobacco leaves, singed fruit and a little tomato leaf. A soft style on the palate, with more of that tobacco character to the fruit as was found on the nose. There is acidity, yet it doesn't seem to form a good frame for the wine. A grippy finish. Certainly an interesting wine. 15+/20 (February 2008)

2004

Chateau Lilian Ladouys (St Estèphe) 2004: There is red cherry fruit here, which is subtle, and tinged with smoke. The palate is softly composed, but underneath there is a firm, slightly burnt character and grip which carries through to the finish. There is not a lot of character to discuss here. 14.5/20 (February 2008)

2003

Chateau Lilian Ladouys (St Estèphe) 2003: This does not have a very expressive nose despite the vintage, and the palate displays a similarly closed down character. It is rounded, showing chewy grip and a huge wall of tannin. But there is acid here too; nevertheless, it displays the heat of the vintage all too plainly. Rustic indeed. 13.5/20 (February 2008)

2001

Chateau Lilian Ladouys (St Estèphe) 2001: Finally in this line up, a nose to smile about. Here there is an elegant, gravelly, slightly meaty perfume, with aromatic fruit maturity. A delicate palate, not brimming with structure although it has decent acidity. There is a burnt edge to it, like that found in other vintages. Soft tannins. Some good qualities here. 14.5/20 (February 2008)