Anson: Château Lassegue vertical 2009-2018

Somehow Château Lassegue can get overlooked in the starry firmament of St-Emilion, despite being owned by the legendary Barbara Bankes of Jackson Family Wines, and being made by iconic winemaker Pierre Seillan.

Scroll down to see Jane Anson’s Château Lassegue vertical tasting notes and scores

Perhaps it’s because the attention is so often focused on Seillan’s cult La Verité wines in Sonoma, or because its location is just a little off the main drag.

It’s situated past Châteaux Bellefont-Belcier and Tertre Rotebouef as you head into the commune of Saint-Hippolyte, planted on the steep sides of a slope that leads up to Château de Ferrand and Château Destieux, and that are made up of a mix of hard Asteries limestone and the sofer clay-studded Molasses de Fronsadais.

The 2022 classification – with the results coming in September of next year – might be the moment that it receives the recognition that it undoubtedly deserves.

History

Lassegue was bought from the Freylon family in 2003 by Jess and Barbara Jackson-Bankes, with the location chosen in partnership with Seillan.

Its purchase is the story of the friendship between Jess Jackson and Pierre Seillan.

The two men had already created a groundbreaking project when Seillan moved to Sonoma county in 1997 to create a range of terroir-driven wines that became La Verité.

They had since collaborated at Tenuta di Arceno Arcanum in Tuscany, but this was the first time they worked together in France, just a few hours from Seillan’s hometown of Montresuc-sur-Gers, and even after Jackson’s death in 2011, the two families continued to work together.

See the Château Lassegue 2020 en primeur tasting note and score

I always enjoy tasting with Seillan, whether in Bordeaux or Sonoma, as he is both extremely down to earth and extremely outspoken.

I knew, for example, that he would have an opinion on the 2020 vintage that would not be the same as everyone else’s (‘it reminds me of 1975 in the Médoc, when there were very low yields and the wines were stubborn and difficult as they aged’), and that he would give an unusual account of the vintages we were here to taste (‘I don’t always like great vintages because they hide the terroir with their sunshine’).

Tasting

This vertical saw us taste through the same 10 vintages that the St-Emilion classification board will be assessing, and you’ve got to think that Seillan and Bankes must be feeling pretty confident.

Last time around, they had only been at the property for a decade, and the classification isn’t known for rewarding newcomers too quickly (Jean-Luc Thunevin just might be the exception here, as it took his Château Valandraud 21 years from its first vintage in 1991 to be parachuted in as Premier Grand Cru Classé B).

But another decade on, and they have created a wine that combines true vintage character with its own distinct and unchanging personality – touches of saffron and turmeric that come up again and again in my tasting notes are not things that I find in many St-Emilion properties.

Its barrels come entirely from its own cooperage, Tonnellerie Quintessence, using oak from 18 different forests, bought at auctions that their own team attend, and today the next generation has taken over, with Pierre’s son Nicolas taking a leading role from the 2015 vintage.

Whether all this will be rewarded next year remains to be seen. But it’s a reminder that, for all the issues and frustrations of the St-Emilion classification, it was set up to allow a reward system for hard work and investment, and to draw attention to clever winemaking at all levels.

Let’s hope that decent aim doesn’t get overshadowed this time around.

See Jane Anson’s Château Lassegue vertical tasting notes and scores

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