Château Lanessan Vertical, 2015
Readers will perhaps already be familiar with my previous espousal of the charms of Château Lanessan, an insider’s wine which, while not in possession of a great appellation, certainly offers classic left-bank structure and substance, with more than a modicum of charm, and at a good price too.
I recently called in on the domaine, to meet up with its manager Paz Espejo, to learn a little more about her and the work she has undertaken here since here arrival in 2009, and of course to taste some of the evidence – in the shape of a vertical of wines running from 1998 through to the 2014 vintage – for myself.
Paz Espejo
The domaine is ancient, its origins lying in at least the 14th century, evidence for its existence at this time doming from a deed of sale between the widow of Henry de Lanessan and the Sieur de Blaignan. After that the trail goes cold until it picks up again in the late-18th century, by which time the estate was in the hands of the Delbos family, then a little over one hundred years later it came, through marriage, to the Bouteiller family. It remains in their hands today. It was upon the retirement of Hubert Bouteiller in 2009 that the family decided to look for some new blood to perhaps reinvigorate the estate. The solution was to look outside the family for a suitable replacement, and thus Paz Espejo, a young Spaniard, was appointed as estate manager.
Having first studied biology at a French school in Madrid, Paz packed up her bags and headed for Bordeaux, where she enrolled at the university to study oenology. With her diploma done, she then left France to work in the cellars of Spain, Italy and Argentina before, years later, she once again returned to Bordeaux. She had considerable experience on the technical side, and thus her first post with Calvet was as technical director, but she also took on the management of purchasing. This new role, as well as further experience gained in a subsequent position with Cordier, brought exposure to aspects of wine with which Paz had previously been less familiar, including branding, marketing and distribution. By 2009 she was a complete all-rounder, and her skills and experience in all aspects of wine meant she was ideal for the role of manager at Château Lanessan.
Please log in to continue reading: