Margaux · fourth growth (4e grand cru classé) in 1855
Château Prieuré-Lichine: available vintages, prices and pairings
The grand vin and its second wine, Confidence de Prieuré-Lichine, vintage by vintage, with the format, the indicative price and what to expect from it today: ready to drink, or to keep. Tick what interests you, and the quote goes out with your selection.
Vintages on the price list
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Two wines, one estate
Same estate, same team, two uses.
Château Prieuré-Lichine
The grand vin. Cabernet sauvignon and merlot, a little petit verdot. Pleasant fairly young, it gains from a few years in the cellar and holds for about twenty years.
Confidence de Prieuré-Lichine
The second wine, merlot and cabernet sauvignon. Ready at around three years, at less than half the price: a Margaux for a big table.
The monks of the priory of Cantenac were already farming these vines, hence the name. The estate was called Prieuré-Cantenac when Alexis Lichine, nicknamed “the pope of wine”, bought it in the 1950s; it now belongs to the Ballande group. At the same time, he also owned Lascombes. The other châteaux of the appellation are on the page Margaux wines.
The vineyard is a mosaic of plots spread across the five communes of the Margaux appellation, 85 hectares in all, on Günz-era Garonne gravels. It is planted with 50% cabernet sauvignon, 45% merlot and 5% petit verdot, vines 30 years old on average. According to the château, the 2015 owes its density to very ripe cabernet sauvignon. In 2016, July and August had 80% less rain than usual; the château likens the 2014, 2015, 2016 run to that of 1988 to 1990. In 2020, not a drop of rain fell from 18 June to 11 August.
What to serve it with
- Château Prieuré-Lichine: lamb (wine with lamb), beef fillet (wine with beef).
- Confidence: roast poultry (wine with poultry), duck magret (wine with duck).
- With cheese: pressed cheeses (wine with cheese).
Which vintage for which occasion
For a wedding, Confidence on every table, the grand vin at the top table (which Bordeaux for a wedding). To know when a second wine is the right choice, see great châteaux' second wines. For a birthday, the birth year, if the table has it (birth-year vintage).
Is Château Prieuré-Lichine a classified growth?
Yes. It is a fourth growth in the 1855 classification, in the Margaux appellation. Confidence, its second wine, is not classified.
Who was Alexis Lichine?
A Russian-born wine merchant and writer who settled in the United States and introduced Bordeaux wines to the American public after the war. He gave his name to the château, which he ran until his death in 1989.
When should you drink a Prieuré-Lichine?
Allow six years before opening it and twenty years of good form, a little more in a great year, a little less in a weak year or in half-bottle; for Confidence, three to ten years. The table applies this rule to each line; it is not a tasting note, and a badly stored bottle ages faster.
Are the prices shown the quote prices?
They are the indicative prices from the price list, incl. VAT, per bottle of the format, excluding delivery. The quote confirms the price, the availability of each vintage and the shipping; the delivery grid gives lead times. For a vintage not in the table, the quote request is still open.