Château Mahon-Laville, Bordeaux Supérieur has a deep purple hue and pleasing aromas of spice, blackberry and subtle oak. Its robust flavour reveals supple, ripe fruit backed by smooth tannins and a long, lingering finish. An exquisite wine, ideal for any opportunity when Bordeaux is called for!

Critic Review

Decanter Magazine: 90Pts
Drinking Window: 2024 - 2030

"Velvety texture on the palate, this is totally charming in a slightly rustic and austere but also round and filling way in that it combines ripe tannins with high toned, concentrated blackberry fruit and marked, toasted wood, liquorice and clove spices. It has angles but also layers giving a punch of flavour, acidity, freshness and long length. You can sense it's been well worked with a captivating element to it. A lovely wine with lots going on though I'd still hold on to it for at least another year before opening."
Georgina Hindle

About the Producer

The 14-hectare Château Laville in Sauternes is Jean-Christophe Barbe's family property. Professor of Oenology at Bordeaux University, he is mostly famous for his outstanding Sauternes (Decanter 2015 Sweet Bordeaux Trophy over £15), but also produces some stunning reds, albeit on a fairly small scale. Although the domaine is mainly planted with white grapes, JeanChristophe has set aside a 1.3 hectare vineyard of red varieties, which is sold as 'Château Mahon-Laville'. Thanks to the team of pickers that are constantly on hand at Château Laville (to perform the various passes through the vineyard required to make top Sauternes), Jean-Christophe is able to wait and pick the Merlot and Cabernet grapes when they are ripe (which can be an issue in this part of Bordeaux), rather than when he has pickers available.

Vineyard and Winery

Jean-Christophe's original 1.3 hectares planted with red grape varieties are located in Laville, on a plot of land called Mahon, lending its name to this wine. Soils are predominantly clay and the average age of the vines is 15 years. The work that goes into it - leaf stripping to expose the fruit, crop thinning before véraison to lower yields and aid ripeness - all add to this great value Bordeaux.

The grapes were hand picked and spent three to four weeks on skins fermenting at 28°C-30°C. Malolactic fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks at temperatures of 22°C, followed by ageing for 12 months in barrel.