By Chateau Prieure-Lichine
2017 Margaux

Vintage
The year 2017 will remain in our collective memory in Bordeaux because of the devastating spring frosts that occurred over the last ten days of April. In Margaux, the frosts hit hardest on April 27th and 28th, causing damage that hadn't been witnessed since 1991. After a cold winter - and a shortfall in water - the vine cycle began around the usual dates at the end of March with fast, even shooting. And then came April 27th - a night that would greatly impact the rest of the season. One-third of the Prieure-Lichine vineyard was hit, with potential crop losses ranging from 40% to 100%. From that moment on, the whole team went into action - working through the plots repeatedly, tidying up the vines and removing secondary shoots in the frost-affected plots, and keeping a particularly vigilant eye on those spared. After the beginning of May, with sunny weather and milder temperatures, vine vegetation growth accelerated, and the first flowers presented themselves ten days ahead of the normal schedule. This flowering occurred in fine weather conditions, and the vines were healthy. Heavy rainfall at the end of June provided the soils with enough water to see the vines through until the end of the cycle, and the summer months proceeded smoothly.

Vineyard Details
Vineyard Composition: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot
Total Surface Area: 85 hectares (210 acres)
Surface Area of Vine: 77.5 hectares (191 acres)
Average Vine Age: 30 years
Soil: Gunz-era Garonne gravel
De-leafing: On one side of the row in June for the Merlot
Harvest Dates: September 14th to 26th (Merlot), September 27th to October 3rd (Cabernet Sauvignon)
Harvest: Grapes picked into small crates. Vibrating sorting tables. Manual sorting and optical line. No crushing. Gravity flow vat filling.

Harvest
Harvesting dates were early, and the crop size was what we had expected in the plots spared by the frosts. Our reactivity enabled us to be precise in the harvesting dates, with full ripeness achieved in all preserved sectors. The nice surprise was that the Cabernet Sauvignon displayed a silky, tannic mouth-feel and precise aromatics of small red berry fruits. In these difficult years, the great Margaux terroirs shine through and demonstrate their ability to maintain the quality potential of a vintage despite the vagaries of the weather.

Winemaking Details
Blend: 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot
Yield: 37.00 hl/ha
Vatting: 25 to 27 days
Aging: 50% new barrels, 50% second-fill barrels
Owner: SAS Chateau Prieure-Lichine
Winemaker: Etienne Charrier
Consultant: Stephane Derenoncourt
[Information provided by DHI Selections]

Chateau Prieure-Lichine 2017 Margaux
From: Margaux, Bordeaux, France
Rating: 93
Winery: Chateau Prieure-Lichine
Region: Bordeaux
Variety: Bordeaux-style Red Blend
Wine Type: Red
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Issue Date: 3/1/2020
This fruity wine will bring out black-currant flavors along with spice. The tannins are already soft leaving just a dry core to this balanced wine. Drink from 2024.
Reviewed By: Roger Voss

Chateau Prieure-Lichine Margaux 2017
Friday, January 10, 2020
Country: France
Region: Bordeaux
Vintage: 2017
Score: 93
A floral and lightly spicy red with redcurrant undertones. Medium-bodied with firm, silky tannins that are polished and poised. Give it time to open. Shows depth and intensity at the end. Try after 2022.

Chateau Prieure-Lichine, Margaux, 4eme Cru Classe, 2017
Tasted by: Jane Anson (at Lascombes, 20 Nov 2019)
Part of: Medoc grand cru classe 2017: panel tasting results
Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040
Points: 93
Producer: Chateau Prieure-Lichine
Vintage: 2017
Wine Type: Still
Colour: Red
Country: France
Region: Bordeaux
Appellation: Margaux
Sweetness: Dry
Closure: Cork
Body: Full
Oak: Oaked
Subdued aromatics on the attack. Brambles, tannins and liquorice abound, this is good quality but not jumping out of the glass and the austere side of 2017 is dominant right now. Well built, and this is one that I suggest giving a full eight years in bottle before getting into its drinking window.

2017 Prieure-Lichine
Producer: Prieure-Lichine
Place of Origin: France, Margaux, Medoc, Bordeaux
Color: Red
Grape/Blend: 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot
Rating: 92+
Drinking Window: 2025 - 2047
From: 2017 Bordeaux - Mirror, Mirror on The Wall... (Mar 2020)
The 2017 Prieure-Lichine is powerful and dense, with quite a bit more structure and tannic heft than it showed en primeur. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but there is no question the 2017 has developed into a pretty potent Margaux. The signature red fruit and floral notes are there, but readers will have to be patient waiting for them to fully emerge. En primeur, Prieure-Lichine was charming, but from bottle it is far less forthcoming. This deep, robust Margaux appears to have a bright future in the cellar. Tasted two times.
By: Antonio Galloni on December 2019

2017 Chateau Prieure-Lichine (Margaux)
Points: 92
Showing deep color, the wine opens with coffee bean, black cherry, wet earth and floral tenors. Soft and silky, round and full bodied, there is abundant sweet, fresh dark red fruit with a touch of oak and thyme in the finish.
Tasted Apr 26, 2018

Chateau Prieure-Lichine Margaux 2017
Score: 91
Wine Type and Color: Red Still
Reviewed By: James Molesworth
Drinkability: Drink now through 2030
Primary Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon
Secondary Grapes: Merlot, Petit Verdot
Issue: March 31, 2020
Region: France / Bordeaux / Margaux
Caressing in feel, with a silky structure underneath layers of warm plum, blackberry and black cherry puree flavors. Subtle black tea and alder notes curl around the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2030.

2017 Prieure-Lichine
Rating: 89
Producer: Prieure-Lichine
Wine Region: France, Bordeaux, Margaux
Variety: Proprietary blend
Color / Type / Sweetness: Red / Table / Dry
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Drink Date: 2020 - 2030
Medium to deep garnet-purple color, the 2017 Prieure-Lichine is composed of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, aged [...] in French oak barrels, 50% new. It rocks up with expressive blackcurrant cordial, stewed plums and boysenberries scents plus suggestions of unsmoked cigars, cedar chest and cardamom. Medium-bodied, the palate has a solid frame of chewy tannins and bold freshness supporting the muscular black fruits, finishing on a stewed tea note.
Published: Mar 16, 2020

2017 Chateau Prieure-Lichine
Producer: Chateau Prieure-Lichine
Location: France, Bordeaux, Margaux
Color: Red
Rating: 89
Tasting Date: 2/26/2020
Maturity: 2020 - 2030
Reviewed By: Jeb Dunnuck
Source: 2017 Bordeaux From Bottle
Medium ruby/plum-hued, the 2017 Chateau Prieure-Lichine is a charming, delicious effort loaded with red and black currants, toasted spice, and dried herb-like aromas and flavors as well as maybe a hint of chocolate. Textured, medium-bodied, and balanced, it's already approachable yet will keep for over a decade. The blend is 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot, aged in 50% new oak.

Ch Prieure-Lichine 2017 Margaux
Producer: Ch Prieure-Lichine
Appellation: Margaux
Region: Bordeaux
Country: France
Colour: Red
Score: 15.5/20
When to drink: 2021 - 2030
Published on: 5 Oct 2021
Date tasted: 16 Sep 2021
Reviewer: Tom Parker MW
Tasted blind. Deep ruby colour. Wild fruit on the nose - full of briary fruit and pomegranate. There is a ferrous note to add to the complex and slightly odd array of aromas. This follows into the palate, which is savoury - notes of dried earth together with chalky and plentiful tannins. There are elements to like here but it is a bit too wild for such a young wine. (TP)