Château Lanessan: Vineyards
The vineyards of Château Lanessan are located close to the northern boundary of Cussac-Fort-Médoc, near the three major drainage channels – the Jalle du Nord, Chenal du Milieu and Jalle du Sud – which act as a boundary between the vineyards of the Haut-Médoc to the south, and those of St Julien to the north. The vines sit on an elevated sliver of land which runs roughly east-west, the soils underfoot gravelly (as seen in the image below), and when I first visited the estate in 2015 there were 45 hectares of vineyard in production. This was surrounded by 145 hectares of woodland, to the north (around the drainage channels), west and south. Much of this woodland is also in the possession of the Bouteiller family, and is actively managed.
Since then, however, much has changed. Active expansion and planting brought the vineyard area up significantly, and if we include the vineyards producing the wines of Château Lachesnaye and Château de Sainte Gemme by the time the business was acquired by Treasury Wine Estates in 2020 the Bouteiller family held sway over something like 80 hectares of vines. The property has seen further expansion under the new owners; there are 20 hectares of new vines planted since the change of hands, complete with irrigation system (permitted when young vines are concerned), and extensive replanting of established parcels has also taken place.
The current estimate is that by the time the 2028 vintage arrives, the estate’s vineyard will have grown to a remarkable 95 hectares. Having said that, only a fraction of this vineyard will be dedicated to the estate’s wine, with the largest part being channelled into other Penfolds projects.
