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Chateau La Louvière

Around Bordeaux there are a number of estates which, despite being excluded from the upper echelons of the relevant classification systems, still seem to take on the level of kudos more readily associated with estates in possession of a more ennobled ranking. Examples might include Potensac, which no doubt benefits from the association with Léoville Las Cases, the two estates being under the same ownership. In St Emilion, Faugères perhaps, or maybe even Teyssier would do to illustrate my point; estates with no notable ranking, but which nevertheless turn out excellent wines, admittedly in very different styles in the latter two cases. In Pessac-Léognan we have a good example in La Louvière; although not ranked among the classified estates of 1959 the wines are frequently of good quality and can, in some cases, stand up well against those from more famous properties.

The story of La Louvière begins in the late 14th Century with a plot of land named sometimes Lobeyra, sometimes Loubière and sometimes, thankfully, Louvière - all of these names remind us of the wolves (Latin: lupus) that still purportedly roamed the forests of Léognan at the time. The owners from 1398 onwards were the Guilloche family, seemingly a collection of poets and politicians. It was during the early 16th Century that they consolidated their position at La Louvière, first Pierre and then Jean de Guilloche acquiring tracts of land to augment their estate. The property grew to a considerable size, but it did not necessarily afford them a simple and straightforward life; Pierre, a local Provost, was killed in the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre, a violent Catholic uprising against the Huguenot Protestants that was the worst killing spree of the French Wars of Religion. The estate thus passed to his son Jean, who married a noblewoman named Roquetaillade, and his family continued their ownership until selling the property to Arnaud de Gascq in 1618, the abbot at Saint-Ferme. Just two years later he passed it to the Carthusian Order of Notre Dame de Miséricorde in Bordeaux, and the monks worked the estate - paying particular attention to the vineyards, naturally - until it was lost to them in the Revolution.

Confiscated and sold as a bien national in 1791, the new owner was a wealthy wine merchant named Jean-Baptiste Mareilhac, who also subsequently owned Rieussec. It was he that was responsible for the construction of the château which still stands there today; an attractive property with clean lines, it was the work of François Lhôte, a pupil of the celebrated architect Victor Louis. The property, complete with interior decoration by the Flemish artist Lonsing, has been protected by listed status since 1991. There was work in the vineyard as well, and by the time Jean-Baptiste's grandson Alfred was in charge during the second half of the 19th Century the wine had established a good reputation. It was not until 1911 that the property changed hands again, coming to Alfred Bertrand-Taquet, a man who subsequently went on to become mayor in 1919. He ran La Louvière until World War II, after which it was unoccupied for fifteen years, before the estate and vineyards were rescued from an ignoble fate when they were purchased by André Lurton in 1965. Thus, as the Graves classification was drawn up in the late 1950s, the property had stood half-derelict; it is not perhaps surprising that La Louvière was excluded from the shortlisting of properties, the list which was eventually moulded into the classification that still stands, unchanged, today. Since then La Louvière has been renovated and restored, as is the case with many of the estates Lurton has acquired over the years.

Today the La Louvière vineyard totals 61.5 hectares, with 13.5 for white varieties and 48 for red; the soils are mostly gravel, with some areas of limestone. The vines have an average age of approximately 22 years, and are planted on 101.14, Riparia gloire and 3309 rootstocks at a density of up to 8500 vines/ha. With regard to the white varieties, Sauvignon Blanc accounts for 85% of the vineyard, with 15% Semillon; these are harvested by hand in several tries before fermentation in oak barrels at a temperature of up to 23ºC, before 12 months ageing on the lees with bâtonnage. The red varieties include 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 3% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. After harvesting by hand these are fermented in a mixture of stainless steel and concrete tanks, with temperatures allowed to rise to 30ºC. The wine then sees up to 12 months of oak, up to 75% new each vintage, before an egg white fining and bottling. The grand vin, be it red or white, is Chateau La Louvière, and there are second wines in both colours named L de Louvière. The whole process is overseen by cellarmaster Olivier Cornu, with consultation from Denis Dubourdieu on both the red and white fermentations.

Mature vintages of La Louvière have not crossed my lips that often, with the 1994 red being the only potential candidate; on both occasions I have really enjoyed this wine. In more recent vintages, however, there have also been some sterling efforts, for both white wines and red in 2005 and 2006, and the white 2007 was also of good quality; I did not taste the corresponding red wine from this latter vintage. In 2003 the white was very typical of the vintage and thus not really to my liking, although the red was more interesting. What is more the wines remain good value, and are certainly worth considering as an alternative to the classified wines of the region. (28/8/08)

Contact details:
Address: 149 Avenue de Cadaujac, 33850 Léognan
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 56 64 75 87
Fax: +33 (0) 5 56 64 71 76
Internet: www.andrelurton.com

Chateau La Louvière - Tasting Notes

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Chateau La Louvière Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2008: There is a little reduction on the nose here, but there are plenty of interesting Sauvignon nuances apparent, with notes of white pepper and lemon cream. The palate is substantial though, with nice density at the start, and moderate acidity. Good midpalate structure, a firm grip too. This has quite a fleshy style, with good grip and structure. It could just do with a little more vigour. From my 2008 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 15.5-16.5+/20 (April 2009)

Chateau La Louvière Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2007: A lovely, smoky barrel note here, still accompanied by some plump stone fruit, all melded together in a rounded, harmonious style. The palate is clean and fresh, lightly textured, with some notes of capsicum here. A good and slightly fat and juicy style, with a fine core of acidity. From a tasting of 2007 Pessac-Léognan at two years of age. 16.5+/20 (October 2009)

Chateau La Louvière Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2007: This has a nutty nose from the oak, and is showing a good depth and even some fruit complexity even at this embryonic stage. Lovely weight on entry, great substance, broad and well structured, complete and rich in flavour. And best of all a fine seam of acidity too. This is really good, and if representative of the quality here this has fine potential. From my 2007 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 16.5-17.5+/20 (April 2008)

Chateau La Louvière (Pessac-Léognan) 2007: Quite a nutty nose here, with a layer of bright, black cherry fruit. The palate seems very lean on entry though, quite supple, with just some gentle tannins through the midpalate. A quiet and very subdued style of wine, although it is at least fresh and pretty. From a tasting of 2007 Pessac-Léognan at two years of age. 14.5+/20 (October 2009)

Chateau La Louvière Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: Very green, minerally, grassy and certainly interesting. Lots of flesh on the palate, a soft character, firm acids and lots of texture. This doesn't have the concentration of flavour I hoped for, perhaps this will open out more in time. Needs to integrate too. From a tasting of 2006 White Graves. 15.5-16+/20 (April 2008)

Chateau La Louvière Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2005: A very chalky, rocky and interesting nose, with notes of herbs, especially thyme. Full, fleshy, with a fine showing of plump fruit on the palate, ripe but with a citrussy-pithy freshness and a bit of grip. This has an attractive style, and a decent acid backbone and some substance. Good herby finish. From my tasting of 2005 Bordeaux at two years of age. 16.5+/20 (October 2007)

Chateau La Louvière Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2005: Sauvignon Blanc 85%, Semillon 15%. A lovely nose here; there is cream and minerals, freshly pulled weeds and grass. This is attractive, although with Sauvignon Blanc very plainly dominating at the moment. Quite firm and powerful on the palate, showing a lot of lovely flavour and style, just perhaps not the defining acidity that would make it truly fine. Very good though. 17/20 (February 2008)

Chateau La Louvière (Pessac-Léognan) 2005: Rather dark on the nose, slightly brooding, not open and expressive like some of the other wines. But there is a very good feel to it, a restrained character, dense and dark berry fruit, with nuances of perfumed aromatics around the edges. The more time I give it the better it seems. The palate has a creamy start, and then some structure comes in to underpin it in the midpalate. Like a number of other wines it isn't completely together at the moment, and so it is perhaps lacking a little harmony today, but all the desired components are here. We have rather polished, shiny fruit, decent grip especially towards the finish and nice acids. Appealing wine and good value perhaps? From my tasting of 2005 Bordeaux at four years of age. 17+/20 (November 2009)

Chateau La Louvière (Pessac-Léognan) 2005: This has a very good Graves typicity, with a dry, minerally, bright, perfumed, appealing style. The palate is similarly styled, rather reserved and structured, with some gravelly, perfumed fruit. There is just a touch of flesh, and overall this is very classic and stylish. Nicely covered tannins, and good acids. Soft, tannin-infused finish. Very nicely done. From my tasting of 2005 Bordeaux at two years of age. 17+/20 (October 2007)

Chateau La Louvière (Pessac-Léognan) 2004: This has some appealing character on the nose, although I find that it is still showing a trace of toffee-vanilla oak which has yet to integrate. But there is plenty of nice, bright fruit here too. The palate is rounded, in fact a touch fat, with a gentle grip. The fruit seems to be showing a little more complexity than previously, with elements of smoke, tobacco and cigars. The tannins are rather gentle, and it has moderate focus. It could be more vigorous or defined but all the same it has good points. From my assessment of 2004 Bordeaux at four years. 15.5/20 (November 2008)

Chateau La Louvière (Pessac-Léognan) 2004: A lovely presence of fine and crunchy fruit on the nose. On the palate, pure black fruits, with a fine mineral and liquorice component. It has a little more plumpness than I was expecting here after the fresh style which marked this wine's aromatic profile. It has a good character, but it is not as expressive on the palate as on the nose, and it is lacking some definition here too I think. Nevertheless, it is good. 15/20 (February 2008)

Chateau la Louvière Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2003: A fresher, slightly citrussy, slightly minerally nose. Full palate, rounded and very dry honey notes. But once again the problem is low acidity and an unfocused impression on the palate. Another to avoid. This is clearly not a vintage for dry white Bordeaux. From my 2003 Bordeaux assessment. 13/20 (October 2005)

Chateau la Louvière (Pessac-Léognan) 2003: A rather reluctant nose, although it does have a fine, pure, primary fruit character. Full and ripe style on the palate, with an admirable texture and presence. Nice tannic structure, quite firm, a good grippy style, but rather spoiled by insufficient acidity I thought. Merely good. From my 2003 Bordeaux assessment. 15/20 (October 2005)

Chateau La Louvière (Pessac-Léognan) 1994: Only a year or two since I last had a bottle, but this wine was beginning to drink well then. Today it has a deep red colour, still showing just some early maturity, and lots of maturing style on the nose. There are some fresh red fruits, deep, ripe and yet crisp and fresh, alongside aromas of tobacco leaves, the gentlest touch of undergrowth, and little notes of dark, smoky coffee grounds too. Fresh yet rounded, still quite firm and grippy through the midpalate, but with plenty of deliciously slightly bitter flavours, more tobacco and red fruits. A firm, warming finish. This is very pleasing to drink, shows great typicité, and should improve over some years yet. From a 1994 Bordeaux tasting. 17+/20 (April 2007)

Chateau La Louvière (Pessac-Léognan) 1994: A good deep, brooding wine, showing plenty of colour although marked by a mature hue. Delightfully classic Graves nose; slightly earthy, with tobacco and leather tones. Rather soft palate, somewhat unfocused, with low acidity, but showing lovely extract and some nice maturing fruit, before a twist of more primary blackcurrant at the finish. Just a little dry tannin in the finish as well. Little length. Lacks the verve and precision of a great wine, but lovely nevertheless. Drink now and over the next 5-8 years. 16.5+/20 (July 2005)