Chateau Prieure-Lichine

The history of Chateau Prieure-Lichine dates back to the Benedictine Priory that owned the land during the Middle Ages. The monks first cultivated grapes for service at dinner and at religious ceremonies, and gradually the wines were also sold to others, providing a very useful income for the monks.

The practice was well established by the 18^th century, with the sales record showing the existence of Le Prieur de Cantenac, the forerunner of today’s estate, at a price comparable with others ranking today at third growth. During the French Revolution the church lost the estate, and the state divided and sold the property of the Priory, giving rise to many properties in existence today.

The vineyard was purchased by a man named Durand, who later sold it to Pages. Upon his death he bequeathed it to his widow, and during this time the estate was ranked a quatrieme cru in the 1855 classification. However, there were several change of hands, and coupled with the disasters of the day, including the oidium, phylloxera, depression and the wars, the quality deteriorated.

When Alexis Lichine came shopping for an estate, the condition of Cantenac Prieure, as the property was known, was quite bad and the vineyard had contracted to a mere 11 hectares. Alexis finally decided to acquire it in 1951 at a price of £8000. Over the years he acquired more plots, expanding the vineyard to 58 hectares, from neighboring estates like Brane-Cantenac, Durfort-Vivens, Giscours and Palmer.

He also invested in repairing the chai, as well as the chateau which has a section dating back to the 14^th century. In 1989 Alexis died and bequeathed the estate to his son Sacha, who further expanded the property to increase the vineyards to 70 hectares. Sacha also engaged Michel Rolland as consulting oenologist. He later sold the estate to the Ballande Group in 1990.

The vineyards are widely spread in the Margaux commune, with most lying to the north of Cantenac, on gravel soils that characterize Medoc. The vines are 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, at a density of 8500 vines/ha.

Manually harvested, the grapes are sorted and crushed before fermentation in temperature-controlled concrete vats with maceration between 3-4 weeks. Must is pumped over twice daily to submerge the cap, and then the wine is transferred to oak for up to 16 months, with 55% of new oak. Racking is done every three months before bottling.

The grand vin is Chateau Prieure-Lichine at 20000 cases per annum, with a second wine called Chateau de Clairefont of about 7000 cases. A white wine is also made, called Blanc de Chateau Prieure-Lichine.

I have recently tasted the 2006 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Appearance
Bright and clear, this wine is of deep ruby color, with legs.

Nose

Clean, the nose shows medium (+) intensity aromas of oak notes of cedar and toast, pungent spice of liquorice, ripe black fruit of blackberry and dark cherries, maturity notes of tobacco, animal notes of leather. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry with medium acidity, medium (+) tannin of ripe and velvety texture, the wine has medium alcohol and a medium (+) body, showing medium (+) intensity on flavors, showing ripe black fruit of blackberry and dark plum, oak notes of cedar and toast, sweet spice of nutmeg, pungent spice of liquorice. The wine has a medium (+) finish.

Conclusion

Very good quality Margaux with a good concentrated nose showing wide, complex aromas, the wine is in balance and got a robust structure, showing ample of flavors characters and also has sufficient intensity. The finish is also quite long and overall a wine one can enjoy now and ready to drink, but has the potential to further develop for another 4-6 years.