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Château Chasse-Spleen 1989

I have been pulling some random bottles from the cellar recently, in many cases wines and vintages I have not taken a look at for ten or sometimes twenty years. I thought it might be interesting to come back to some of these wines and see how they have turned out; in doing so I figured at the very least I would learn something about the wine, but I figured I might learn something about myself along the way.

For example, my knowledge of the wines of Bordeaux and the Loire Valley has changed over the years (I would like to think it has improved – be kind and agree with me please!). And my familiarity with seriously old vintages – as far back as the first few decades of the 20th century – has also developed, and this is important. After all, how seriously should a critic’s judgements and predictions be taken without a knowledge of past vintages, a track record from which to extrapolate? And what of my palate and its preferences, might that have changed too? Am I perhaps more – or less – critical than I used to be?

There’s only one way to find out, so I kick off here with the 1989 vintage from Château Chasse-Spleen, which I last featured as a Weekend Wine 16 years ago, back in April 2008.

Arguably the leading property in the Moulis-en-Médoc appellation, the origins of Château Chasse-Spleen lie in the 18th century, although like many Médoc estates there was probably viticulture here for centuries before that. The property came into being under the aegis of André Pierre Gressier, who bought the vineyard in 1760. From the morass of vines owned by Gressier’s descendants Château Chasse-Spleen (as well as Château Poujeaux) would eventually emerge, making its first appearance under this name in texts dating to the 1860s. Why ‘Chasse-Spleen’ though? Something to do with a poem by Baudelaire, or a throwaway comment by Lord Byron? I explore both possibilities in my Château Chasse-Spleen profile but the truth is, nobody really knows.

Château Chasse-Spleen 1989

The early 20th century was not an easy time for Château Chasse-Spleen; by this time the property was in German hands, which resulted in its confiscation during the Great War. It would be decades before salvation came, not until it was acquired by Jacques Merlaut during the 1970s. He passed it to his daughter Bernadette and her husband, but after their tragic deaths in a hiking accident in 1992 the next generation took it on. The Villars sisters Claire and Céline stepped up, Claire running the property while her younger sister finished her studies in 2000, after which Céline Villars (later joined by her husband Jean-Pierre Foubet) took on full responsibility. They remain in charge here (and at Château de Camensac) today, as well as at neighbouring Château Gressier Grand Poujeaux, which they bought in 2003.

Today the estate is flying high, with a vineyard rich in old vines, with more than half the exploitation aged over 50 years, the result of a very restricted approach to replanting. As well as the grand vin, sourced from vines dominated (just, at 52%) by Cabernet Sauvignon, Céline and Jean-Pierre also produce a little-known white wine from 3 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle. Historically the wines have proved themselves (well, the reds have – the white vines were only planted in 1990), and while I thought the 1962 was a little tired when I tasted it a couple of years ago, I know others rated it higher than me. The 1949, tasted at 70 years of age back in 2019, however, was exemplary, and a recently encountered bottle of the 1983 was also showing well, even if overtly mature.

So, back to the vintage at hand. The 1989 Château Chasse-Spleen, a wine from the Bernadette Villars era, immediately displays a fading and aged hue in the glass, although there is still a convincing density to its core. There follows a quite wonderful nose which transitions through various expressions of mature Bordeaux, starting off with layers of fungal decay, old leaves and undergrowth, which I find completely enticing. This would have been enough for me, but with time in the decanter it then reveals layers of tobacco and leather, before it bursts into confident song with a core of black olive, black tea leaf and antiseptic cream which dutifully marches on until the decanter has been drained. The palate is correspondingly silky and evolved, and shows more texture and a little underpinning of extract as it evolves in the glass, with beautiful presence and confidence, leading into a finely poised finish. Dry and savoury, but certainly not dried out, this has fine substance, and is a delightful example of the 1989 vintage. Looking back at old notes I think this is showing as expected, although today I think I am less generous with my scores than perhaps I was twenty years ago. No rush to drink my remaining two bottles though, for my palate anyway. Perhaps they will surpass that 1949 I enjoyed so much, given sufficient time? Fingers crossed. The alcohol on the label is 12.5%. 92/100 (22/7/24)

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