A Cru Bourgeois Supérieur
Cussac-Fort-Médoc, Bordeaux, France
Overall Rating: 92 Points
Tasted in October 2010Article Updated in September 2019
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
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Château or Vineyard Owner:
Bouteiller family
Château Director :
Paz Espejo
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| Courtesy of Château Lanessan |
The Bordeaux wine region contains about 7,000 Château’s and accounts for one-third of quality French wine. The region is located in the southwestern portion of France near the Atlantic coast. It spreads 60 miles around the city on the biggest estuary in Europe along 3 rivers, the Gironde, Garonne, and Dordogne. Château Lanessan is one hour from the city of Bordeaux near the town of Cussac-Fort-Médoc, owned by the Bouteiller Family Estate since the 18th century. Eight generations of the same family have lived here. The vineyard consists of 45 hectares (110 acres) of vines within a larger single 80-hectare (200-acre) plot. As part of a wine tour in 2010, Château Lanessan was the second stop we made for a wine tasting, a vineyard tour.
The Bordeaux wine region is defined as the area around the city of Bordeaux within the Gironde department of Aquitaine. The Bordeaux region is divided naturally by the Gironde River into a Left Bank area which includes the Médoc and the subregions of St-Estephe, Pauillac, St.-Julien, and Margaux and a Right Bank area which includes the subregions of Saint-Emilion, Pomerol, Bourg, and Blaye. Additional wine regions include the area of Graves, southeast of the Médoc and include the sub-regions of Pessac-Leognan, Sauternes, and Barsac. Across from the Graves, on the Right Bank, is the Entre-Deux-Mers area between the Garonne River and Dordogne River. At first, it all sounds very confusing, but over time you get to know the differences and what wines come from where. If you are a modest wine drinker like I am, then you will be happy with the name Bordeaux Red on the bottle, as I can not afford any of the extremely high end 1855 classification wines.
Château Lanessan is a Bordeaux wine estate in the Haut-Médoc appellation, located on the Left Bank of France’s Bordeaux wine regions in the commune of Cussac near Fort Médoc. The estate held a rating of Cru Bourgeois Supérieur until this specific classification was annulled.
The earliest documentation indicates Dame Paironne la Montagne, the widow of Henry de Lanessan, sold the estate on January 15, 1310, to Sieur de Blaignan, under the reign of Edward King of England and Duke of Guyenne. It was acquired in 1793 by Jean Delbos, previously a shipowner. In the 19th century, Lanessan (then named Dubosqc) was listed as a Quatrieme cru by Lawton in 1815 and received highly favorable mentions in Cocks and Féret. Following a decision by Jean Delbos' son Louis, Lanessan did not to submit samples to the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, in the belief that the World's Fair ranking would add nothing to the estate's already sound reputation, and that the selection amounted to "bureaucratic nonsense.”
In 1858 the cellar master of Château Lanessan, Jean Pineau, was hired by the Spanish Marqués de Riscal to come to the Rioja to improve the quality of the Spanish wines. Château de Lanessan was built 1878 by André Delbos in a mock-Tudor style, and its cellars built in traditional Médoc style. Following the marriage between Marie-Louise Delbos and Etienne Bouteiller in 1907, the family name changed, and in 1961 Jean Bouteiller started to expand the family's holding, initially acquiring Château Lachesnaye, and Château de Sainte Gemme in 1962.
The vineyard area extends to 40 hectares (99 acres), with a grape variety distribution of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. An average of 220,000 bottles of the Grand Vin is produced per year. Lachesnaye also held a rating of Cru Bourgeois Supérieur while this classification was in effect. A neighboring estate of Lanessan, Château Lachesnaye is currently owned by the Bouteiller family as well. Château de Sainte Gemme previously belonged to the owners of Château Lachesnaye, who sold its wine under the Lachesnaye name. The estate was acquired in 1962 by Jean Bouteiller, who began production under the Sainte Gemme label in 1982.
This was my favorite stop on the first day of the two day Bordeaux wine tour. The tastings were very nice, and the tour of the property was just outstanding, seeing new and old equipment for the production of their wines. The property is huge, containing several other estates, and I highly recommend you arrange a visit when you do a Bordeaux wine tour yourself.
Bouquet and palette Notes:
Wine & Grape:
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Nose (Bouquet):
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Palette Experience:
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Château Lanessan
AOC Haut-Médoc
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Winemaker: Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot an, Petit Verdot Harmonious, elegant, rich |
Winemaker: Multilayered, elegant nose. A lovely structure on the palate with fleshy tannins and a long finish. |
Les Calèches de Lanessan
AOC Haut-Médoc
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Winemaker: More-ish, chewy, fresh Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. |
Winemaker: Silky, chewy tannins. Attractive fresh and aromatic finish. |
Château de Sainte Gemme
AOC Haut-Médoc
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Winemaker: Blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc Luscious aromas of black fruit and sweet spice. |
Winemaker: Velvety, chewy tannins. The sustained finish of red fruit jelly and blueberry |
Voyage de Lanessan
AOC Haut-Médoc
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Winemaker: A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Fruity nose of berries and cherry with a slight peppery hint. |
Winemaker: Silky and fleshy on the palate with a chewy finish and hints of licorice and red fruit compote |
Now lets see how I and the critics rate the wines, plus give you some tasting, cost, and general winery information….
Review basics:
| Wine, Dine, and Play’s Rating | 92 points / 5 of 5 stars An Extraordinary Tasting Experience |
| Wine Enthusiast | 84 points on the 2011 |
| All Accolades | Place link from vineyard web page here |
| Wines Produced | Red: Heritage |
| Grape Blends: | Red: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, & Cabernet Franc |
| Regulatory | Appellation d'Origine Vin De Qualité Supérieure Cru Bourgeois Supérieur |
European Union:
France:
Wine tasters that work for Robert Parker, Speculator, and others base their reviews on a single wine giving it a specific point system rating. These reviews and accolades are the make and brake to a winery, as all media and most wine drinkers will look at this ratings and judge on purchasing the wine or bypassing to a neighbor winery. The ratings are given for Wine Dine and Play with the overall experience in mind, not just the wine. From the tasting of the wines, prices, customer service, property, and the style of the winery. I also rate what category it falls into, boutique or a commercial giant for example.
Bordeaux Heritage wines have their place in history as being some of the best in the world. It all comes down to what you like to drink as you are the buyer. You can find the same quality wines for a lot cheaper elsewhere around the world. From France, I enjoy the Châteauneuf-du-Pape and greater Cotes du Rhône area of wines but will enjoy a Bordeaux of Burgundy wine from time to time as well. From my tasting and tour of Château Lanessan, I would compare this wine to a few other cabernet and merlot or Meritage blends I have had in the past such as La Motte Estate winery in Franschhoek, South Africa which had some excellent blends reminding me of the Bordeaux, and California the Johndrow Vineyards Wine Tasting located in the Napa Valley. I would also say that my tasting at Yarra Yering, in the Yarra Valley of Australia had several similar notes, and also was a fantastic wine to compare to a French Bordeaux, even though they were not too fond of the French at this winery.
Other Bordeaux and French Food and Wine Reviews on Wine Dine and Play:
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Lanessan’s Baby Brother with a castle
Haut-Médoc AOC, Bordeaux, France
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Wine tours and restaurants
Bordeaux, France
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Quatrieme Cru Tasting, Margaux AOC
Cantenac, Bordeaux, France
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Restaurant Le Gabriel Haute Gastronomique French restaurant & bistro in Bordeaux, France
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary by country”
Vineyard and Tasting Room address:
113 Lanessan,
33460 Cussac-Fort-Médoc
France
33460 Cussac-Fort-Médoc
France
Tasting Room Information:
Hours:
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Monday - Sunday: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm Central European Time (GMT +1) |
Tasting room:
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+ 33 5 56 58 94 80 |
| Fax: | + 33 5 57 88 89 92 |
| Website: | Château Lanessan |
| Email: | |
| Social Media: |
Facebook Link |
| YouTube | |
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