WTN: 2005 Lanessan

This has gotten some positive reviews, both professional and otherwise. Thought I would dip into one and see what I thought. A nice QPR, but not a blow-your-hair-back wine.

• 2005 Château Lanessan - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc (8/9/2009)
  Dark red to rim. Medium intensity nose of cassis with hints of cedar and dusty tobacco. Medium body, nice balance, cassis and berries on the palate, thins a little on the mid- and back-palate, tannins present but not biitter, short finish. Very good but not close to a blockbuster, very nice for $22. Parker says this will last 20 years, I'm not so sure.

Posted from CellarTracker

thanks, have a couple. For the price I don't need a blockbuster!

this is one of my favorite properties and the first really good bordeaux i ever had - the '55 in '69. beautiful buildings that include horses and a formal garden. the owner has invented an ingenious machine to help sort the grapes. the berries go down a conveyer belt and hit a steel cylinder turning in the opposite direction. the solid, sound berries hit it and bounce over. the soft, compromised berries splat against it and are scrapped off on the near side. the thing is that you can't necessarily tell by looking and you can't feel each berry, so....... they are one of the few chateau where you can actually buy wine and have numerous vintages available.

[Jenise]

The few Lanessans I've had have never been blockbusters, they seem to delicate to earn that kind of moniker even in the best years, but that lightness is exactly what I appreciate about it. We just drank our last 2000 (too early); wish I had the 05.

The few Lanessans I've had have never been blockbusters, they seem to delicate to earn that kind of moniker even in the best years, but that lightness is exactly what I appreciate about it. We just drank our last 2000 (too early); wish I had the 05.

What would you do with it? I guess drink it when you are my age, or ten years older than I. It would do me no good whatsoever. My 1996 Lanessans are still too young.

I almost responded to Matt's 2006 Talbot post with the same sort of message. I have a 2004 Talbot that I bought a couple of weeks ago to see if I could tell how much I might like it when it matured. I then put it in the cellar and said, NO I won't do it. There are probably sexual predators that have the same sort of conversation with themselves. From now on if I think I might like a wine when it grows up I will just take the chance and buy a case without sampling anything. I recently destroyed a '99 D'Issan and said, enough, - enough, - enough.

Edited to add day two TN:

Yeah, this was a lot younger than I usually open Bdx, but I was curious, having never had a Lanessan before. Still has persistent fruit, and tannins have mellowed a bit on day 2. I may have been hasty in selling its longevity short. I wouldn't be surprised to see this go 20 years, maintaining it's elegant, non-blockbuster style. I'll probably open my next one in 5 years.

Thanks for the note. This is also a favorite property of mine for QPR BDX. I currently cellar the 95, 00, and 05. I recall sharing a bottle, I believe it was the 85, with David Creighton and Joel & Sally Goldberg at a restaurant in the Loire back in 03, and it was drinking beautifully...

[David M. Bueker]

Folks,

Any of you fans of La Prade? That tends to be my go-to "bargain" Bordeaux these days.

Haven't tried La Prade, not sure we see it locally, though I haven't sought it out. I'll keep an eye out for it. It's a Thienpont/Derenencourt effort. Is it "modernly" ripe/fruity/oaky?

[David M. Bueker]

The 2000 wasn't so big/rich, though the 2005 is more so. It's got plenty of tannin though, so I am just going to let it settle down a bit.

The 2000 wasn't so big/rich, though the 2005 is more so. It's got plenty of tannin though, so I am just going to let it settle down a bit.

David, they had the `00 Lanessan on the tasting bar downtown today. Very enjoyable and I thought drinking nicely.