2005 Château Lusseau, 1.5ltr

Château Lusseau is a small estate in Saint-Sulpice-de-Faleyrens in St.-Emilion. It has been in the Lusseau family for more than a century and is today owned and managed by Laurent Lusseau. Laurent Lusseau is also the estate manager and cellar master for numerous estates owned by Gerard Perse, including Château Pavie, Château Monbousquet, Pavie Decesse and Bellevue Mondotte. Château Lusseau has just five acres of vines, many of which are nearly 50 years old. About 600 cases are made annually. The wine is typically 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc.

Saint-Émilion is on the east side of the Dordogne River. At 13,400 acres it is one of Bordeaux’s largest appellations, and perhaps its most picturesque. It is also home to what has been called “the garagiste” movement of upstart, tradition-defying winemakers who produce artisanal wines in styles that are unconventional for the appellation. The village of Saint-Émilion dates from the middle ages and it sits on low hills, surrounded by ancient walls. Like its neighbor Pomerol, Saint-Émilion was not included in the famous Bordeaux classification system of 1855. But a century later a ranking system was put in place, and unlike the classification system for the Medoc, the Saint-Émilion system is reviewed every ten years, meaning that estates can be upgraded or downgraded. There are three rankings: Grand Cru Classé, Premier Grand Cru Classé B and Premier Grand Cru Classé A, with the final ranking being the best. Such legendary Saint-Émilion estates as Châteaux Ausone and Cheval-Blanc are Premier Grand Cru Classé A, along with Châteaux Pavie and Angélus, both added to the classification in 2012. Wines in this appellation are primarily Merlot, mixed with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.