A common question is how we find great wines to offer at such great prices. For the most part, the wines find us, and we curate which wines to write about, but that’s not the whole story. To begin with, all of our wine staff at Yankee Spirits have been in the industry since, well, forever. Wine is not a widget to us but a passion we possess, and most of us can’t think of doing anything else. Because we have been immersed in wine for so long, we all have our favorite areas and specific wines of interest that we follow and look for opportunities to buy and promote them. Our enthusiasm for a bottle of wine sometimes is manifested in having too much in inventory, which makes our accountants nervous. This is a long segue to try and justify putting on sale a wine that is near and dear to Tim G’s heart and mine, Lanessan 2019. A wine that has a great history and tastes really good vintage after vintage. The problem is we have a lot of 2020 Lanessan arriving, and we need to reduce our inventory, not sell it out, but just reduce it.

Lanessan’s story goes way back. The documented history of Lanessan dates back to 1310 when records show that Dame Paironne la Montagne, the widow of Henry de Lanessan, sold the estate to Sieur de Blaignan. In 1793 it was purchased by Jean Delbos, a Bordeaux négociant, and it has remained in the family ever since. In the mid-1800s, Lanessan had an excellent reputation as a quality wine producer, and the wines had a great following. In 1815 they were considered a Quatrieme cru (Fourth cru) by Lawton. They were highly rated in Cocks & Féret, the Bordeaux wine directory in 1850, considered the most comprehensive information source on Bordeaux’s wineries. It seemed business was going so well that in 1855, Louis Delbos, the manager at the time, refused to submit samples for consideration in what is now the most famous classification in wine history. Apparently, Louis thought the classification was just a World’s Fair publicity stunt and regarded the procedure as “bureaucratic nonsense.” The decree came from Emperor Napoleon himself that ranked the great wines of Bordeaux’s Médoc into the five-tier growth system we still recognize today. David Peppercorn MW says Lanessan is one of the best Haut-Médoc estates not to have been classified in 1855, adding that it would probably have been classified as a fourth growth. Still, the then proprietor (Louis Delbos) refused to send samples, “a piece of high-handedness that has cost Lanessan dear.” Therefore, whenever enthusiasts peruse the one official ranking of top Bordeaux estates, Lanessan’s name is nowhere to be found. Had the samples been submitted, according to Robert Parker, the wine would deserve at least the fifth place (Cinquième Cru Classé) and be worth twice what it is now.

Chateau Lanessan is located just outside the commune of St. Julien, nearby the property of famed second-growth Gruaud Larose. Their wine is old-school in style, delicious, and harbors a reputation for being very long-lived. The terroir is primarily gravel-based soil. Chateau Lanessan is planted to 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. On average, the vines are 30 years of age. The vineyard is planted to a vine density of 10,000 vines per hectare. Close to half of the land owned here is not used for vines. While there are 111 acres planted to grapevines, the remainder of the property features 50 acres of parkland. Here you also find beautifully manicured gardens and even a large space for growing vegetables and horse riding trails. 

Aside from their evident passion for wine, equestrian activities have always been a part of the makeup of Chateau Lanessan. They have numerous stables, which were constructed at the same time as the chateau in the shape of a horseshoe. As horses and carriages played an essential part in the history of Lanessan, the estate also maintains a museum devoted to historical carriage featuring family horse-drawn carriages rides, full saddlery, and period stables with marble mangers. This, along with a glass of Lanessan, sure beats Chucky Cheese!

Vinification at Chateau Lanessan takes place in traditional concrete vats. Malolactic fermentation takes place in vat. The wine is aged in a combination of 33% new French barrels, 33% one-year-old French oak barrels, and 33% two years old French oak barrels for an average of 12 months.

The Chateau Lanessan 2019 is an intense wine with a purple color and aromas of black fruit and floral nuances. A lively attack then gives way to a silky structure on the palate. The Chateau Lanessan 2019 is a balanced, powerful, and fresh wine on the finish.

Cabernet Sauvignon 54%, Merlot 36% and Petit Verdot (10%).

The nose offers fruit, a little depth, and a controlled power. There are notes of fresh roasted berries, pulpy blackberry, and, more slightly, fleshy/ripe cherry combined with subtle touches of violet, vanilla, and a discreet hint of iodine, lily, and an imperceptible hint of sweet blond tobacco (in the background). The palate is fruity and offers freshness, minerality, good definition, fine tension, acidity, suavity, fine sapidity, and a fine straightness. On the palate, this wine expresses juicy/pulpy blackberry, ripe/acidic red berry, and slightly cherry notes combined with hints of violet, racy minerality, and fine toasted and almond notes. The tannins are racy. Some salinity on the finish. VertdeVin 91 pts

Fruity nose of ripe blackberries, currants, chocolate orange, and oyster shell. It’s medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Balanced and fresh with some spicy and salty notes to close. Drink from 2023. James Suckling 92 pts

Bright, fresh, and vivid, with smoke, dried flowers, spice, tobacco, and cassis on the nose, the wine is full of ripe, sweet, red and black fruits, espresso, and herbs on the palate that offer staying power that keeps on going, right through to the finish. This should age quite nicely. Drink from 2024-2037. Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider 92 pts

The 2019 Lanessan is a powerful, deep wine. Grilled herbs, pepper, sage, mint, and tobacco lend notable aromatic intensity. The Cabernet is especially marked here. Lanessan is pretty assertive in 2019. There is quite a bit of Cabernet savoriness and tannin. Drinking window 2024 – 2034 Vinous 91 pts

Lovely texture here, deep and intense but also smooth, with high-toned blackcurrant and black cherry. There’s a pleasing chalky dryness to the tannins and an appealing minerality that comes through. Solid core, well presented, but not hugely long. Drinking Window: 2022 – 2030 Decanter 90 pts

The 2019 Lanessan continues to perform very well, wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet berries, licorice, and fresh tobacco. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with rich, powdery tannins and a vibrant core of fruit, it’s a fine effort from a property with immense potential. Drink Date 2022 – 2045 The Wine Advocate 90 pts

Chateau Lanessan 2019

If you have followed the ministries of Tim Gunderman, you are probably already a disciple of the wines of Chateau Lanessan. If not, now is the time to join the fold. I tasted the wine with John and Erin, and we fell in love all over again with this wine. It pours with an opaque deep, ruby-red color with the color all the way to the rim—aromas of leather and earth, some spice, and a hint of mint. In the mouth, it has a chunky full body, with black fruit and Calamata olive with some salinity. Silky moderate tannins round it out and has a long olive and black currant finish. Let it breathe for a while; this wine will reward you with more complexity and makes for a great food wine. I look forward to what this wine rises to in a couple of years. This is definitely a great addition to anyone’s cellar to watch how it matures. A wine that historically should cost twice as much.

Regular Price: $24.99

Internet Average: $26.00

*Sale Price is on 6 or more bottles

Wine is packed in a 12-bottle case

Quantities are limited

*Wine pricing for these wine promotions are held for two weeks after the email offer.

We can hold wines in unpaid reserves for two weeks to allow you time to pick up your wine. If it takes you longer than that to pick up your wines, give us a call, and we can process your wine and move it to paid reserves.

Orders must be done by replying to this email. The reason is that I need to keep control of the inventory in one central spot. Emailing or calling your favorite wine geek at one of our four stores may not get your orders in on time to be counted or processed and this creates a helter-skelter for us to get you the wine. For the same reason, ordering on our online Web Store is linked to our regular price, and this sale price is only offered on the email platform. It is also why it takes me some time to respond due to the deluge of orders that I sometimes get. We haven't reached the efficiency or volume of Amazon yet. Thank you in advance for your patience.

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