Wine Dine and Play: Château Prieuré-Lichine

Quatrieme Cru Tasting

Cantenac, France

Tasted in October 2010

By Sean Overpeck (CFE)

On the first of a two day wine tour, we explored the left bank of the Garonne River With the first stop being Margaux an important appellation in the Haut-Médoc district of Bordeaux, roughly a twenty minute drive (15 miles or 24 km) north of the city. According to the Wine Searcher web page the village of Margaux has a number of prestigious chateaux clustered around it. These include Chateau Margaux, famous for producing first growth red wine that is supple and fragrant. Our stop would take us to Château Prieuré-Lichine in the town of Cantenac which is a Quatrieme Cru (Fourth Growth) of the five growths in the 1855 Classification. The classification of Bordeaux wines was created at the request of Napoleon III, to be presented at the Exposition Universelle de Paris. Showcasing the very best French wines, the classification ranked sixty top Bordeaux reds; fifty-nine from the Médoc and one from Graves. The original rankings still stand 160 years later, with only one change; the promotion of Château Mouton Rothschild to Premier Cru status in 1973; This review will cover my experience, tour, and tasting of the Château.

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Château or Vineyard Owner:

Alexis Lichine

Ballande Group

From vineyards home page:

Thanks to a land donation from the Lords of Blanquefort, the priory of Saint-Didier de Cantenac was founded in the Romanesque era by the Saint-Augustin canons regular of the abbey of Vertheuil around the year 1000. During the Anglo- Gascon period of Guyenne (1154-1453), the abbey was a major stopping-off point in the Médoc for pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela. It also owned the greatest wine estates of the Médoc.

From the 12th to the 18th centuries the priory of Cantenac and its monks not only provided religious services to the Saint Didier parish but also worked the fields. During the reign of Louis XV (1723-1774), the land belonging to the priory of Cantenac was completely turned over to vineyards. During the French Revolution, this church property was not subject to requisition thanks to the activism of its priest. It was only during the period of the First Empire that the Priory of Cantenac and its lands were sold to a dynasty of Bordeaux city-dwellers. Because of its very ancient monastic and medieval roots, Château Prieuré-Lichine is an exception within the Great Classi ed Growths of 1855, the rest of whom originally belonged to either the nobility (the oldest estates) or the bourgeoisie (the most recent ones).

Main review:

The Margaux appellation is, geographically speaking, the largest in the Médoc. It covers the communes (parishes) of Margaux, Cantenac, Soussans, Arsac and Labarde, with specific plots of land permitted and prohibited within each of these. The appellation rules stipulate where, when and how wines must be made in order to earn the AOC Margaux title.

Margaux is famous for producing well-rounded, gently perfumed wines, predominantly from Cabernet-Sauvignon. The downside is that Margaux's wines can seem almost too light and delicate in cool vintages.The grapes permitted for use here are Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Carmenere, Petit Verdot and Malbec. They must come from vineyards planted to densities of 6500 to 10,000 plants per hectare (2631 and 4048 per acre), with specified vine-management techniques.

Two years before this trip I was living in Atlanta, Georgia tasting wines at the different restaurants I worked at, and participating in some wine classes that our Sommelier John Mayfield was giving. He taught us about the Left Bank and the right, what grapes were used in Bordeaux, then expanded beyond to include other French wine regions. Who knew that if you fast forward two years I would be working at a job that afforded me the opportunity to see what he was teaching us in person. As the bus pulled up to the Château entrance seeing the beautiful property, my dream of visiting the major wine regions of the world was coming to a reality, starting here in Bordeaux with Château Prieuré-Lichine.

The tour began in the tasting room with the 2005 vintage, rated as one of the best years for wine in France in over a generation. It was a blend of cabernet sauvignon at 50%, merlot at 45%, and finally Petit Verdot at 5%. It was filled with allspice and ripe fruits, though a bit milder than some of the California Meritage wines that I have had in the past, with a moderate finish.

The Wine Advocate also rated this wine at a 92 and here are there tasting notes:"The finest Prieure-Lichine I have ever tasted, the sensational 2005 has unquestionably benefitted from the improvements made at this property as well as the consultation work of Stephane Derenoncourt. Its dense purple color is accompanied by a glorious perfume of forest floor, blackberries, incense, and cassis. Opulent, with sweet tannin for the vintage, excellent purity, and a savory, broad, expansive mouthfeel that lingers on the palate, it possesses the delicacy of a terrific Margaux as well as enough concentration and power to give it an extra dimension. This wine should be drinkable in 4-5 years, and last for 25 or more. Bravo!”

After the tasting we toured the Château grounds and estate, visiting the grape sorting area as it was October and the harvest was in full swing. Our tour concluded by a visit to the wine cellars, then back on the bus to visit the next winery on the our tour which would be further north in the Haut-Médoc called Château Lachesnaye.

Now lets see how I and the critics rate the wines, plus give you some tasting, cost, and general winery information….

96 - 100	is Extraordinary
90 - 95	is Outstanding
80 -89	is Above the Average
70 - 79	is Below the Average
60 - 69	poor / appalling / “Cac”

Review basics:

Wine, Dine, & Play’s Rating	95
Robert Parker The Wine Advocate	92
Wine Speculator	92
Wine Enthusiast	92-94
Wines Produced	Red: Heritage
Grape Blends	Red: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, & Petit Verdot
Regulatory	AOVDQS Appellation d'Origine Vin De Qualité Supérieure

Other Bordeaux and French Restaurant favorites reviewed on Wine, Dine, and Play:

La TABLE de Joël Robuchon, Paris

Restaurant Le Gabriel, Bordeaux

Château Lachesnaye, Haut-Médoc AOC

Château Lanessan, Haut-Médoc AOC

Vineyard &Tasting Room address:

34 Avenue de la 5ème République,

33460 Cantenac, France

GPS Coordinates:

45.028392 Latitude

-0.655560 Longitude

Tasting Room Information:

Hours:	Monday - Sunday: 09:00 am - 12:pm 2:00 - 5:00 pm Central European Time (GMT +1)
Tasting room:	+33 5 57 88 36 28
Fax:	+33 5 57 88 78 93
Website:	Château Prieuré-Lichine
Email:	Contact Winery
Social Media:	Facebook Link
	Twitter @PrieureLichine
	Pinterest
	Google +
	YouTube
	Instagram

Wine, Dine, and Play’s Favorite Wines

Meerlust Wine Estate Rubicon Stellenbosch, South Africa	Hoopes Vineyard Napa, California, USA
Jonata Winery Santa Barbara, California, USA	La Motte Franschhoek, South Africa
Penner Ash Wine Cellars Willamette, Oregon	Emmolo Winery Rutherford, California, USA
Biltmore Estate Winery Asheville, North Carolina, USA	De Trafford Wines Stellenbosch, South Africa
Silver Oak Alexander Valley, California, USA	Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Napa, California, USA
Ghost Block Vineyards Yountville, California	Bergström Wines Willamette, Oregon
Yarra Yering Yarra Valley, Australia	Eagles Nest Winery Constantia, South Africa
Mirror Winery St Helena, California	Pahlmeyer “Jayson Wines” Napa, California, USA

You can also use these sites for reference on the top wine categories:

Wine Spectator top 100, Food & Wine worlds best wine tasting experience, the Best Wines of the World list, uncorked.com worlds best list, Wines of the World best list, Forbes top wine list, weekly wine buys by Robert Parker, the Tasting Panel’s best wines list, the Wine Enthusiast top 100 list, Kens Wine Guide top 100, best Chilean wines list, Matthew Jukes top 100 of Australia, Top French Wines list, top California wines list, top Oregon wines list, The Italian Wine Connections top list, Taylor and Norton best German wine, best Spanish wines list, best 10 wines from Argentina.

****

The worlds best restaurants, based on the

Wine, Dine, and Play’s Favorites

That have been visited and reviewed on this site…

Alinea Chicago, Illinois, USA	Tetsuya’s Sydney, Australia
The Test Kitchen Woodstock, Cape Town, South Africa	Qui Restaurant Austin, Texas, USA
Vue de Monde Melbourne, Australia	Grill 225 Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Leopard Hills Lodge Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa	La TABLE de Joël Robuchon Paris, France
Quay Sydney, Australia	Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud Dublin, Ireland
At.mosphere Dubai, UAE	The Tasting room at Le Quartier Français Franschhoek, South Africa
Attica Ripponlea, Melbourne, Australia	5A5 Steak Lounge San Francisco, California, USA
Mr. Todiwala’s Kitchen London, United Kingdom	Zuma Dubai, UAE
McCrady’s Charleston, South Carolina, USA	Cook'n' With Gas Bistro Christchurch, New Zealand
Aubergine Cape Town, South Africa	Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire Festival City, Dubai, UAE
Rioja Denver, Colorado, USA	Commanders Palace New Orlean’s, Louisiana, USA
Brick and Mortar Saint Petersburg, Florida USA	The French Laundry Yountville, Napa, California, USA
Constantia Uitsig La Colombe Constantia, Cape Town, South Africa	Restaurant Le Gabriel Bordeaux, France

Reviewed by:

Sean Overpeck (CFE)

Picture below was taken at

Château Prieuré-Lichine wine cellar

About Sean:

I am based out of St. Petersburg, Florida working in the food service industry for the past twenty years, and am currently with the American Embassy as the Executive Chef in Basra, Iraq. Formally I have worked with groups contracting in Afghanistan, and Antarctica, also working in restaurants in and around Atlanta, Georgia prior to the wars. I have also owned a catering company and served proudly in the United States Army Food Service Program. The idea for Wine, Dine, and Play started in late 2012 after a trip to Jordan, when I was asked by friends to write down the experiences from a few Jordanian restaurants, wine from the region that I tasted, and locations of interest such as Petra. Since that time, over 250 articles have been written on restaurants, including fifteen from the worlds top 100 lists of San Pellegrino and the Elite Travelers Guide. There are articles on exotic world locations such as Victoria Falls, and South African Safari’s; food recipes & Grand Food Dictionaries; ethnic country cuisines such as Afghan, and Peruvian; tasting tours of world cities like Charleston, Cape Town, and Dubai; and of course wine from vineyards in California, Oregon, the Carolina’s, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia, with much more to see and write about.

Who is John Galt?

“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,

But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”

-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)