2002 Malartic Lagraviere
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Tasting notes
The 2002 Malartic Lagravière has an attractive nose, brown spices infusing the dark berry fruit, cedar and black tea. Not complex, yet fresh and well-defined. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly dry tannins on the entry, smudged dark fruit laced with espresso and black pepper. It feels just a little sultry on the finish. Tasted at the château.
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Mid crimson. Very direct but charmless. Solid and fills in all the gaps on the palate. Racy but the acidity is just a tad too dominant. Neat but not long. (JR)
Minerals on the nose. Very juicy and succulent. Lovely balance and fragrance. Complete. Long. A very popular wine indeed. (JR)
An evolved nose of sweet, smoky tobacco, plums, black currants, and charcoal emerges from this attractive, medium-bodied 2002. Pure as well as seductive, ripe, and delicious, it can be drunk now and over the next 12-15 years. It is already evolved, but there is lots going on and the wine shows ethereal complexity in the aromatics as well as supple-textured, luscious flavors. This is a sleeper of the vintage and an outstanding effort, but I doubt that it will make old bones once past its first 10-15 years of age. This estate continues to make better and better wines that are exceptionally elegant but flavorful as well as ageworthy. Malartic remains under the radar for many wine consumers given several decades of mediocre performances by the previous proprietor. However, all that has changed, and dramatically so.
About the producer
One of few estates classified for both red and white wine production, Malartic-Lagravière was renovated entirely after the Bonnie family purchased it in 1996. They also expanded the property to its current 53 hectares.