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Bordeaux · France

Producer profile

Château Prieuré-Lichine

Cantenac Margaux château, classified Quatrième Cru, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot wines.

Place
Bordeaux · France
Known for
Parcel vinified Margaux red wines
Wine context
Cabernet Sauvignon · Merlot
Editorial basis
World of Wine editorial profile · 6 sources

World of Wine editorial profile · Source list ↓

Atlas locationBordeaux · France45.03° N · 0.66° W

At A Glance

Field
Detail
Place
Cantenac, Margaux appellation, Bordeaux Left Bank
Classification
Quatrième Cru
Main grapes
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot
Range
Château Prieuré-Lichine and Confidences de Prieuré-Lichine
Defining feature
Parcel by parcel vinification in concrete tanks

The Producer

Château Prieuré-Lichine is a Quatrième Cru in the 1855 Bordeaux Official Classification, a category that places it among the estates ranked as fourth growths in that classification. It sits in Cantenac within Margaux, with a range led by the grand vin Château Prieuré-Lichine and the secondary wine Confidences de Prieuré-Lichine.

The grand vin is vinified parcel by parcel in 34 concrete tanks of varying sizes. Malolactic fermentation occurs in barrels, followed by ageing for up to 16 months in French oak, with 55 to 65 percent new barrels.

Place

Cantenac is the commune named in the estate address, Margaux is the appellation, and Bordeaux's Left Bank is the wider setting. An appellation is a regulated geographic name, so Margaux narrows the wine's geography from the Left Bank to a defined area. The commune locates the château within that appellation.

Wines

The range is split between the grand vin, Château Prieuré-Lichine, and the secondary wine, Confidences de Prieuré-Lichine. The current vineyard composition is 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 51% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, with the grand vin vinified parcel by parcel before barrel malolactic fermentation and oak ageing.

Confidences de Prieuré-Lichine 2023 brings redcurrant and raspberry with fresh acidity, and is austere at present. Roasted oak accompanies blackcurrant, cedar, cocoa, tobacco, plum, coffee and vanilla.

Final Word

Groupe Ballande acquired Château Prieuré-Lichine in 1999. Harvesting has included grain to grain sorting since 2009.

Sources

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Where to go next

placeRead the Bordeaux guideSee Château Prieuré-Lichine in the wider setting of Bordeaux.mapFind Château Prieuré-Lichine on the mapKeep the producer, its region and nearby places together.learningUnderstand Cabernet SauvignonRead the quick library guide to Cabernet Sauvignon, which is listed with this producer.