Château Lilian Ladouys, Saint-Estèphe 2003
20th August 2007
I am always suspicious when the word ‘chocolate’ is used to describe wines. The same goes for cigar boxes, leather, and all the other strange things to which wines are routinely compared. But “chocolate” seems especially dubious. If a wine really did taste of chocolate, we would surely not think this a point in its favour. We would make choking noises and call for an ambulance.
So when a friend of mine recommended a red Bordeaux to me as “scrumptiously chocolatey” I could not help smiling.
“It really is,” he insisted.
“Of course.”
He reddened. “Look, I’m not joking. If you don’t believe me, try it.”
“I will,” I promised. “As soon as the Côte d’Or runs out.”
Afterwards I looked the wine up in a reputable guide. “Strong notes of chocolate,” it said. I shrugged and supposed my friend had been reading the same book.
Then I bought the wine. It was delicious: full-bodied, crammed with fruit, yet at the same time unmistakably redolent of . . . chocolate.
I cannot explain it. Of course the wine does not actually resemble a bar of Lindt. But amid all its flavours something cocoa-like does come through. Either that or I am going mad.
I suppose this only shows that when discussing wines, impressions will only get you so far. What matters are the facts, as Mr Gradgrind would say, so here are a few. This wine is a Saint-Estèphe called Château Lilian Ladouys. It is classified as a Cru Bourgeois Supérieur. It is made up of 58% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. They make around 230,000 bottles of it each year, and have been doing so since since the late 1980s. A bottle costs about £12 in the UK, $24 in the US. And there is a good chance that it will remind you of chocolate.
