Château Lanessan, Haut-Médoc 2016

2 Reviews

A deliciously drinkable Lanessan with refreshing, red-fruit notes and ripe, grainy tannins and an attractive savoury finish. Starting to drink well now. This well-placed property, with vineyards across the border from Beychevelle and Branaire-Ducru in Saint-Julien, has undergone a renaissance.

£21.50 Bottle

£129.00 Case of 6

Low stock

Code: CM27851

Wine characteristics

Red Wine
Medium-bodied
Cabernet Merlot
75cl
Now to 2030
13.5% Alcohol
no oak influence
Cork, natural

Château Lanessan

This cru bourgeois property is very well placed. It lies just across the stream which divides the Haut-Médoc from Saint-Julien, on a ridge of Bordeaux’s famous Garonne gravel, and is in sight of both Beychevelle and Branaire-Ducru.

Technically it has been in the same family since 1793, when it was purchased by Jean Delbos. In 1907, his granddaughter married into the Bouteiller family in 1907, who continues to own the property to this day. Since 2009 it has been run by the energetic young winemaker Paz Espejo.

The vines – a mix of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot, 4% petit verdot and just 1% cabernet franc – now cover 45 hectares and have an average age of 30 years. Once harvested, the grapes are fermented in temperature-controlled concrete tanks, before being aged in oak barrels for 12 months (around 30% of the barrels are new in each vintage.)

As old vintages have shown, Lanessan is capable of making excellent claret, although there is some vintage variation. The Society tends only to buy from this château in its best vintages – in these instances the wine can age for between six and 15 years.