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Five from Chateau Lezongars

It was in 2002 that I first noticed Chateau Lezongars. In truth though I could hardly fail to notice - Russell Iles, son of proprietor Philip, sent a trio of samples for me to try. Samples were a novelty in those days! Since that early tasting I have since met Philip himself, in early 2008, and tasted through many more of the Lezongars wines; but not all of the wines it seems, and that was something Philip seemed determined to put right. Just a year later he sent some more bottles - another half-dozen, in fact - in order to try and fill in the gaps.

The Lezongars vineyard covers 45 hectares, of which 60% is Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, although Philip plans to plant more Cabernet Franc (there is a tiny plot already in existence) and so these numbers will certainly change with time. The fruit sees a mix of machine and hand harvesting, and three cuvées of Premières Côtes de Bordeaux result. The first two are the entry-level Chateau Lezongars and then the L'Enclos du Chateau Lezongars; these are both blends of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with very similar proportions, but the latter also benefits from the addition of the product of that aforementioned plot of Cabernet Franc. The third in this vinous threesome is the Spéciale Cuvée de Lezongars, which is two-thirds Merlot and one-third Cabernet Franc from a 3-hectare plot of 20 year-old vines harvested at an average yield of 35 hl/ha. It is perhaps the top wine in the trio.

The wines tasted here particularly featured the latter two cuvées; there was one bottle of Chateau Lezongars, the 2005, which I was particularly looking forward to tasting in view of the vintage's reputation, but sadly it was afflicted by cork taint. So below are my notes on the remaining five wines. Quality was generally very good indeed. For more information, see my Chateau Lezongars profile, or visit the Lezongars website. (25/2/09)

Five from Chateau Lezongars - Tasting Notes

Tasted in February 2009. All my notes on the wines of Chateau Lezongars, including those below, are collated under my Chateau Lezongars profile. Click to locate stockists.

L'Enclos du Lezongars (Premières Côtes de Bordeaux) 2000: This particular cuvée shows plenty of aromatic promise on the nose, which opens out after a very short time in the glass to give some finely perfumed fruit, violets, bonfires and smoke. Later more meaty, rusty, dark and characterful. It is certainly delightful. A fine palate, some weight, quite a polished character, with some substance underneath, backed up by ripe tannins. Despite the elegant perfume there is some juiciness to this wine, a delicious, fresh, oak-free character. Sappy and just a little tannic still on the finish, savoury and nicely composed, with good structure underneath the floral fruit, this is a wine that will continue to drink well and perhaps improve for several years yet, although I wholeheartedly recommend tucking in now if you have any. Really good stuff here - sufficiently so for me to make it my Wine of the Week. 17+/20

L'Enclos du Lezongars (Premières Côtes de Bordeaux) 2001: Nowhere near as concentrated, or as deeply coloured, as the Speciale Cuvée from the same vintage. The nose starts off in a muted fashion, before displaying some stewed fruit character, together with a green edge to the aroma profile. The fruit eventually settles into what is best described as burnt raspberry, with a mature, iron-tinged note. The palate has a good texture on entry, which moves towards oily in the midpalate, where it is missing some fruit and substance. It is firmer here too, showing some tannins and acids not quite matched by the depth of fruit, which seems a little stretched out here, with the same green edge seen on the nose. What I miss here is vigour and precision. 14/20

L'Enclos du Lezongars (Premières Côtes de Bordeaux) 2003: There is early maturity here, a little rusty-mahogany tinge in amongst the many red hues, although there is still a fine depth of colour. The nose here, once given some time to open out, gives plenty of pleasure; although at first there is a little baked fruit, this is some overwhelmed by attractive cherry notes, and a stony, slightly hard definition to the aroma which I really like, and plenty of bright, minerally character. The palate is nicely defined at the beginning, not short of substance but it is nicely packaged with dry tannins which are not overbearing at all, despite the hot vintage, and decent acidity too. In fact this is just about ready, leaving a gentle but ripe and well buffed layer of tannins at the finish, but otherwise this all comes together very nicely on the palate. This would be great with a steak right now. Really very good indeed. 16.5+/20

Speciale Cuvée du Chateau Lezongars (Premières Côtes de Bordeaux) 2000: This cuvée has aromas of dark chocolate, mint and dense black cherry fruit, although it remains very fresh despite all this. It has a full but nicely delineated palate, rich but with decent acidity, and raspberry and chocolate-toffee nuances. Deep, structured, with ripe fruit and a velvet-silk texture, and ripe, almost creamy tannins. There is a lot of elegant and well-polished, creamy, almost chewy substance here. This is good for drinking now, provided this sort of rich and ripe flavour profile suits you, and substance is important. I would prefer to look at it again in a few years time, as it surely has the potential. This is one to watch. 17+/20

Speciale Cuvée du Chateau Lezongars (Premières Côtes de Bordeaux) 2001: Although now nearly eight years old, this wine still possesses a splendid and vibrant colour in the glass, with an amazingly youthful raspberry-pink hue at the rim, and a dark claretty core. The nose is fairly classically styled, and certainly enticing, with aromas of peppered meats, dark and violet-tinged fruits, and the softness of white chocolate with the hardness of iron filings. The palate starts off in a similarly hard vein, showing a huge amount of grip at first, rich in tannins, and in fact it is a little reminiscent of the 1986 vintage. With a little air the tannins and also the acidity, which is pretty firm, start to play a little more kindly and we can see the texture and flesh alongside. Overall though this is a real vin de garde, dominated by its tannins, which desperately needs time to show its best. Nevertheless, right now it does give some aromatic pleasure, and makes good drinking with appropriate air. Good potential though, if you have the appropriate patience to cellar it. 17+/20