Chateau Lanessan

France > Bordeaux > Médoc

 

Description:
Bouteiller is one of the most famous names in the Médoc. For many years the family owned Château Pichon-Longueville Baron in Pauillac, before it was acquired by the AXA insurance empire, and Hubert Bouteiller was president of the Conseil Interprofessionel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVC) for several years. Today he directs three important properties in the Haut-Médoc: Lanessan, a cru exceptionnel; Lachesnaye, a cru bourgeois supérieur, and Sainte-Gemme, a cru bourgeois.

Lanessan is the flagship of the Bouteiller properties. Jean Delbos bought the property in 1793, and through marriage the estate has remained in the family ever since. It has been incorporated as a vineyard for over 400 years, and was unfortunately left out of the famous 1855 Médoc classification because Louis Delbos, the owner at the time, neglected to send samples for the judging. The property lies right on the southern border with Saint-Julien and borders Château Branaire-Ducru. Over 40 hectares (100 acres) are planted in vines, of which 75% are Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The average age of the vines is about 40 years, and yields are deliberately kept low.

Lachesnaye is a smaller property (50 acres), located just to the southeast. It was acquired in 1961 by Jean Bouteiller to augment his holdings at Lanessan, and in the following year Château de Sainte-Gemme was added. Both of these estates have equal proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and they are vinified slightly differently than Lanessan, being somewhat softer and more precocious. Sainte-Gemme is even smaller (25 acres), and takes its name from the word gemstone. For many years it was owned by the same owner as Lachesnaye, and was rarely sold separately. Today both estates have profited immensely under the Bouteiller ownership and are now producing first-rate wines.

No discussion of Lanessan would be complete without mentioning the Horse Museum, constructed by Jean Bouteiller, a champion equestrian. He built a special building in 1951 to celebrate his passion for riding, and over the years it has become one of the area's showpieces. The museum is complete with stables, a saddle-room, a tackle-room and a carriage house, in which several antique phaetons and coaches are on display. All have been carefully preserved in their original condition, and the museum can be visited the year round.
 

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Website: http://www.bouteiller.com