Annual Pilgrimage to Chateau Lanessan (and its 200 year old cellar )

Our 6th visit in as many years as guests in this beautiful Chateau. Good to see the improvements are hitting home and the quality of both the Grand Vin but more importantly the 2nd and 3rd bottlings ( Les Caleches & Sainte Gemme) are showing real signs of improvement.

Lanessan. La Renaissance - http://www.lanessan.com/

Makes for a great visit too!

• 2012 Domaine de Fontlade Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence Rosé

  France, Provence, Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence

  (8/17/2013)

  Light , easy and for the moment. Well round and enjoyable but not in a way memorable, which we guess it's a general rose issue. Would happily have this on any lazy summers day.

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• 2010 Les Calèches de Lanessan 85 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  (8/17/2013)

  Very much a 2010 child, bigger, bolder more muscular than the 2009. Needs some more time in bottle to hit its peak but its already quite accessible as per its design. Good entry level Bordeaux for early drinking, good fruit, lots of dark fruit notes and full on the palate. 85

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• 2006 Château Ormes de Pez 87 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  (8/17/2013)

  Tasted at Chateau Lynch Bages as part of the cellar tour.
  Granted this is young and needs a few more years to develop but still it felt very big and macular with a lot of weight on the palate . Expected it to be a touch more refined but all in all it is a very solid wine with good life ahead of it albeit low in complexity. 87

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• 2006 Château Lynch-Bages 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (8/17/2013)

  Tasted at Chateau Lynch Bages as part of the cellar tour. (highly recomended visit)
  
  The wine is very young but even at this level shows a lot of potential. Masculine but still elegant and baanced expression here. Medium, restrained but very classic nose, good fruit and light minerality. On the palate the tannins remind you of their youth, still very firm, solid and require 5yrs+ to soften up. Classic wine a touch backward but of quality winemaking and with a good future ahead of it. Patience. 91 for now but with good probability of this being a lot better in 5yrs +

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The 1893 vs 1913 were as a tribute to the Papies 20th anniversary with 100yr shift :). Anniversary gifts do not get any better!

• 2004 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 94 Points

  France, Champagne

  (8/17/2013)

  This feels quite ready now but with a very good life ahead. This is a superb comte de champagne and among the best we have come across. Open long nose, with good rich fruit and toast. Lush and round on the palate, quite rounded wine with no sharp edges of youth. Lots of palate action here and really enjoyable full of vitality. Drink now but a bit more ageing time can only help here. 94-95!

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• 2003 Dom Pérignon Champagne 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  (8/17/2013)

  This wine has definitely changed quite a bit in the year since we have tried it last. Seems to have mellowed out and lost that funky edge. Unfortunately it has also gone into a small hibernation and the nose is light and mild. On the palate too it is not singing and at this stage it is not of Dom level. Maybe time will help. 91

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• 1893 Château Lanessan

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  (8/17/2013)

  Straight from the chateau's private library and most likely re-corked in the 50s. Good level and capsule. The cork showed signs of leak and crumbled on removing but the wine was very much alive at 120yrs old! Careful decanting required to avoid clouding the wine.
  Light brownish, copper in colour, looks fragile! The nose started off with light leathery notes and developed some metallic notes as oxygen go to work. On the palate it felt so alive, light, delicate but with lots of palate presence . Kept a solid presence all along and had a pretty solid finish.Put a huge smile on our faces! An amazing experience.

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• 1913 Château Lanessan

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  (8/17/2013)

  Straight from the chateau's private library and most likely re-corked in the 50s. We had this side by side with 1893 and those who didn't know the vintage guess 1950s. This wine is a testament to the early 1900s lanessans who drink so very nicely even at the 100yr mark. The cork crumbled but the wine was very much alive. Still going strong with even notes of fruit, light leather, at times a delicate port edge to it. Much more substance than the 1893 of course. Full of life and palate presence and good length. Chapeau mr Delbos, your legacy should make u proud!

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• 1929 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (8/17/2013)

  Straight from the cellar of chateau Lanessan whose owners the Bouteillers owned Pichon Baron until the late 80s and so kindly took all the library wines with them!
  The fact that this wine was alive let along enjoyable as it was is a testament to great wine making and mother natures kindness. The cork was mouldy with rotten with only a few centimetres of solid cork left that kept the wine enclosed. The bottle was a museum piece and even came with a resident spider. We got maybe 2/3s of a bottle of wine from this most of it lost to time and sediment. But the wine was alive, drinkable and an experience. Granted not sure how close to a proper 1929 this was but can only serve as a testament to how good this wine really is. light brownish in colour, fragile colour but clear. Light notes of oxidation but away from that with presence and vitality. Superb!

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• 1957 Château Beychevelle 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  (8/17/2013)

  This was probably a gift or a result of wine exchange between the chateaus in the 50s as Beychevelle is 500m down the road from Lanessan.
  Luckily this time round we hit a good bottle!The wine is a testament to what great decade the 50s where in Bordeaux. The nose is still open and rich, with leathery, tobacco notes but also with dark fruit notes. On the palate this is very much alive and singing with lots of depth still and weight. Old school Bordeaux, pure, full of texture and structure. Very good length. Beautiful. 94

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• 2012 Château Lynch-Bages Blanc de Lynch-Bages 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux

  (8/18/2013)

  The semilion/muscadelle combo trumps the Sauvignon blanc at this stage and thus the wine is fuller, richer, fruitier and lush. Has definitely seem some oak but in the right amount. Well round and ready at this stage, well made and not just a pretty name, something we assumed it would be. Not magical but pretty solid. 90-91 and drink now.

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• 2010 Château de Sainte Gemme 83 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  (8/18/2013)

  A well round and easy going red. This style achieved by the quality of the elevage and not by drowning it in oak. The fruit here is solid, good quality and although on the simple side still makes for nice easy drinking. Don't ask it for too much, much like it didn't ask u to pay too much for it, and you will have a nice lazy lunch wine. 83

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• 2009 Les Calèches de Lanessan 86 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  (8/18/2013)

  The 2009 pedigree shows very well here with a lush, round full fruit , forward in style but also with a firm side. Entry level claret by design forward but with no abuses ripeness, extraction and oak. Now setting in it's stride and quite enjoyable in its simplicity. 86

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Another great visit and so lucky with the wines too!A Priviledge. Thank you Gildine & Guillaume