2018 Chateau Lanessan Haut-Medoc Bordeaux 750 ml

In the world of French wine, it’s hard to believe how much one simple oversight can reverberate for generations.

In the 19th century, Château Lanessan was regarded as a Fourth Growth in Bordeaux’s Left Bank, just south of Saint-Julien. Thanks to then-owner Monsieur Dubois’s overconfidence, the wine was never submitted for the 1855 classification that still dictates Bordeaux prestige today.

Lanessan is still one of red Bordeaux’s greatest values, thanks to its stellar terroir and First-Growth-level winemaking team. Decanter called their 2018 a “serious take on the vintage,” and we couldn’t resist its beautifully earthy black fruit, plush texture, and finesse. 

Now in their eighth generation of ownership, the Bouteiller family have been stewards of Château Lanessan since 1793, and in the last 20 years they have restored it to the perch it held in the 19th century. They made improvements in the vineyard and the cellar, steadily lowering yields and adding an optical sorting machine in 2012—but the best decision they made was to hire one of Bordeaux’s most gifted consulting winemakers.

Éric Boissenot, Lanessan’s enologist since 2004, has consulted for Lafite, Latour, Margaux, and Mouton Rothschild—not to mention 36 other classified growths. His picking and blending decisions have been integral to the château’s quality revolution.

Lanessan’s 79 acres of 30-year-old vines grow in deep Garonne gravel beds, just like its immediate neighbors to the north: Second-Growth Château Gruaud Larose and Fourth-Growth Château Beychevelle. You can see why, prior to 1855, Lanessan’s terroir and popularity made it a de facto Fourth Growth. 

The château’s bad decision to sit out the classification was a HUGE win for Bordeaux lovers. Who needs classification when you’re overdelivering at this level?