93 Wine Enthusiast

"Just a small proportion of Merlot smoothes out the hard Malbec edges in this impressive cuvee from Chateau Lagrezette. It is certainly powerful, the wood prominent but not too dominant. With advice from Michel Rolland, this shows great polish without losing entirely that mineral, dark edge. Age for 5–6 years." -Wine Enthusiast

"Very suave and spicy, with a toasty aroma and loads of dark plum, blackberry and cassis flavors. The luscious finish echoes the fruit and features lots of meat, dark chocolate and stone. Impressive for the vintage. Malbec with Merlot. Drink now through 2015. 450 cases imported." -91 Points Wine Spectator

WINE:
"This cuvee is produced from the oldest vines of the estate, situated on the Causse and on the third terrace of the Lot. Yields are kept between 25 and 30 hl/ha and the total annual production is approximately 10,000 bottles. A blend of 92% Auxerrois (Malbec) and 8% Merlot, the two grape varieties combining to give a wine that is both powerful and round, the Cuvee Dame Honneur is aged 24 months in oak barrels and is blended just before bottling. A true vin de garde, the Cuvee Dame Honneur will age gracefully over some twenty-five years."

"The soils are clay and limestone. The average age of vines is 25 years. The consulting oenologist is Michel Rolland. Vinification starts with a four-day cold maceration, followed by fermentation at 30 °C and prolonged maceration at 28 °C. Daily pumping-overs. Malolactic fermentation occurs in new oak barrels. Fermentation vessels are temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. The wines age for 24 months in new oak barrels (Saury). The total production is 10,000 to 11,000 bottles." -Winery