Château Prieure-Lichine 2015

Château Prieure-Lichine is an estate that exemplifies classic Margaux terroir.  The wines have a certain finesse, generosity, suppleness, and charm.  What makes Château Prieure-Lichine a unique property is not just the quality of the grand vin, however.  The simple fact of the matter is Château Prieure-Lichine was a groundbreaking estate that turned Bordeaux from a relatively sleepy, winemaking collective into a tourist destination.  This was largely because of the legendary figure in the world of Bordeaux wine, the Russian American wine critic nicknamed the “Pope of Wine,” Alexis Lichine.  It would be impossible to talk about the history of this property without mentioning his name.  In many ways, Château Prieure-Lichine is an important estate to know – not just for the sake and quality of its wines -- but because it is a property that radically changed the way things were done in Bordeaux. 
 

The history behind Château Prieure-Lichine is a long one, as the property was initially a priory for Benedictine Monks.  The Monks lived at the estate and produced wines for dinners and a variety of religious services.  The wines were of such great quality that they were lauded by Pope Clement.  It was ranked in 1745 by the Bordeaux Intendance Classification as a Third Growth prior to being seized and split up during the French Revolution. Almost a hundred years later at the 1855 Classification, the estate was declared by the négociants a Fourth Growth property.  Château Prieure-Lichine fell into disrepair until the 1950s, dwindling in size to a diminutive 11 hectares.  The rumor is it was purchased by Alexis Lichine for a minuscule sum of 8,000 British pounds.  The property was renamed Château Prieure-Lichine and that’s where the history of the estate gets very interesting.
 
Alexis Lichine, ever the visionary, wanted to make Château Prieure-Lichine a destination, yet when he purchased the property Bordeaux wasn’t exactly a place where tourists went.  He purchased a large sign that said the estate was open for tastings and visitors could purchase wine there.  The sign was placed along the D2 Route de Médoc, much to the chagrin of the neighboring Bordeaux estates who considered Alexis’ approach  “too commercial,” for their tastes.  With all that in mind, the naysayers began to get on board when they started seeing more and more wine lovers purchasing the grand vin of Château Prieure-Lichine.  By the 1970s, Château Prieure-Lichine was able to expand to 58 hectares of vines.  There are actually plantings of vines from Prieure-Lichine in every commune of Margaux.
 
Eventually, Alexis Lichine passed away in 1989 and was buried on property because of his undying love for the estate.  Château Prieure-Lichine was managed by his son, Sacha who eventually sold it for close to 20,000,000 British Pounds to the powerful négociant, the Ballande Group.  As the years pass, the team has implemented a series of strategies to improve the wines at Château Prieure-Lichine, and it’s clear they are succeeding.  For wine connoisseurs who love properties with interesting and complex histories, Château Prieure-Lichine is definitely an estate worth knowing.

"One of the best vintages I have tried from Prieure Lichine - this was excellent during en primeur and even more so now it's in bottle. Restrained elegance and precision are on display, balancing out the oozing, rich damson fruit and the well placed liquorice edging. Well balanced, the fruit is cleanly cut and held, the ripe black fruits spliced in two. Poised, with good ripeness, a standout for me. 50% new oak barrels, Stéphane Derenoncourt consults." - Jane Anson, Decanter Magazine, Ratings: 96, Drink: 2025-2042

"This is a perfumed wine, rich in black currants and acidity as well as firm tannins. It is concentrated and dense while also elegant. The aftertaste boosts the ripe fruit and balanced acidity. Drink from 2025." - Roger Voss, The Wine Enthusiast (2/1/2018),Ratings: 95

"The 2015 Prieuré-Lichine has a tightly wound bouquet, crisp and a little leaner than some of its Margaux compadres. It just feels contained at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with gruff tannin on the entry. There is respectable depth here, but it feels linear and rather predictable towards the blackberry and cedar finish. I would like to see more complexity and personality come through by the time of bottling. It feels a bit bolshie at the moment." - Neal Martin, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (4/27/2016, Issue 224), Ratings: 88-90