60 Second Wine Reviews: Lagrave-Martillac 2015

As a lover of all things Bordeaux, it rather puzzles me why the wines of the southerly Graves region are relatively hard to come by in the UK, when compared to their Médoc and Libournais counterparts. All the key factors which make Pauillac, Pomerol et al. successful on these shores seem to be in place. For starters, the wines are the classic Bordelais blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, the former of which does particularly well on the rich veins of gravelly (graves) soils. The climate is slightly warmer than the rest of Bordeaux, meaning that the riper, plusher styles of wine so popular in the UK are found more readily in Graves, and with less vintage variation to boot. There's even an official classification in play of the region's best estates, which should please the 1855 anoraks. Yet, still the area struggles to gain traction in the UK. Why?

In all honesty, I'm not sure. Certainly, one factor that cannot be ignored is the difference in output between Graves and the Médoc. In terms of acreage, both regions are comparable; however Graves produces only half as much wine as its more northerly sibling. This is most likely due to the urban sprawl affecting Graves: whereas the Médoc is a rural, sparsely populated area, Graves rubs shoulders with the city of Bordeaux itself, competing for space with heavy industry, infrastructure and real estate. In fact, the estate which I'm reviewing here - Château Latour-Martillac - is enclaved almost entirely by the commune of Martillac, whose residents populate the same gravelly soils as the vines.

Anyway, I digress. Put simply, the Lagrave-Martillac 2015 is lovely, and is exactly the sort of wine that would do very nicely on the shelves of UK outlets. Lagrave-Martillac is the second wine of the aforementioned Latour-Martillac, a classified property in the premium Pessac-Léognan subregion, and it provided exactly the sort of drinking experience one would hope for from a great vintage like 2015. The nose is classically Bordeaux: blackcurrant, bramble and plum fruits caress the senses - all fresh and well-defined - with a pleasing note of graphite and some vanilla oak too (after aeration). The palate is very well balanced, with the structural components all hitting the sweet spot of my Goldilocks range ('not too acidic, not too alcoholic, just right!'). The tannins, will quite grippy now, should soften with age, allowing the wine to gain complexity over a five year period. I'd happily drink sans food, but equally a Sunday roast would do very nicely indeed.

Tom's Rating: Oz Clarke once described Pessac reds as "occupying a useful halfway house between the sternness of the Médoc and the mellow lushness of St Emilion". I dare you to disagree after trying this lovely 2015 example.

Available at: Lay & Wheeler, £15 (i.b.)