TN: 1999 Lanessan

A huge bargain for current retail at $29.99, I consumed half of the bottle about two weeks ago and poured the rest to the top of a 375ml and stuck it in the cellar.

The first half was good to go on pop and pour, with velvety tannin and dense layers of plum and red currant. Not a rustic wine at all but the fruit had a nice briary aspect that I often find in Savigny Les Beaune. I finished the second half last night with ribeye, it displayed more acidity in the mid palate making it a nice pairing with the steak.

I have three more bottles and if I held them to maturity, I’d say well-stored bottles are at minimum 5 years off if not longer. Just enough complexity to make it a thoughtful drink in addition to being a tasty one.

Lanessan is one of the most consistent CB’s and a great QPR. I picked up a case of 2000 for £14 a bottle ($22) a year or so ago which is 5 years off being ready. A bottle of 82 was a real treat 5 years ago.

I just bought a six pack of 03s for $10@ at K&L, looking forward to opening one. I’ve bought a bunch of 09, 10 and 11 bottles. I’ve only opened an 09, but it was a really nice wine.

I had a 2003 last night and it is showing really well.

Good deals, fellas. It’s too bad there aren’t more retailers with well-stored, aged cheapies, but it’s understandable why that is.

Cool, this is a vintage of Lanessan that I have not tried. Stunned that it held up for so long after being opened.

Prices have gone up. I was a bit surprised at $30 for the 99 but it looks like the lowest is $25 now. A few years ago K&L had 96, 00, 01 and they were all pretty cheap.

I live in MA, aka wine pricing hell, so don’t go by what I paid :slight_smile:. Still it’s worth the $30 imo.

Robert I was surprised, too. I poured half immediately into a screw cap 375ml, literally up to the very top of the bottle beyond where a ‘full’ 375ml btl would be filled. So there was no air space, or a minuscule amount, and I stored the bottle in my basement, both of which I’m sure helped retard oxidation.

K@L was blowing out the 99,03 and 2010 for 19.99, bought as many as I could. Some of the best QPR out there.

I just bought 4 of the 03 375s. I like Clyde’s line: “old school plus hot vintage equals delicious”. :slight_smile:
For some time I’ve also been picking up magnums on PA. So far my only 2014 Bordeaux purchase has been magnums of Lanessan for $29.99!

Ha, that’s what I’ve been saying about the 2003 Sociando Mallet.

This is why the 2009 is so good too.

I bought a case of the 2003 Lanessan as futures when it was $13 per standard sized bottle.

I tried one 2003 on delivery and I was very impressed, but it was a much fruitier, riper Lanessan than I’d ever experienced.

I can’t remember which bodega it is, but one reason why Rioja has some Bordeaux influences was that way back when, a bunch of Lanessan winemakers ended up migrating to Rioja, and making the wines in the style that they had grown accustomed to.

So there is some DNA connection between the old school Riojas and Lanessan.

Kind of like Dominus and Pomerol.

I’m sipping on the 02 right now, this is not a good wine, though the notes from CT indicate it might be an outlier compared to other vintages.

I just order a case of the 2014 for $16 a bottle and 375s for $8.

Old school plus cold vintage may equal not so awesome.

I think the other side of the adage applies as well. Modernist producers do much better, to my tastes, in cool vintages like 02 and 04. Monbousquet, Lascombes, Smith Haut Lafitte, and producers like that do really well in off vintages. But I think they may go over the line in vintages like 03, 05 and 09?

I’m not a Bordeaux aficionado, what was 1999 like in terms of weather and the wines (generally speaking)?

They were less tannic, and approachable young. They have held up well, although I wonder if people who bought them early saved them. If I had to think of other vintages to compare them to maybe 83, 88, or 01.

I agree with Chris’s observation - a typical weather year, and traditional vinification/elevage etc. may not be so exciting.

I had a 375 of 2003 Lanessan last night, and it was really good. Nice ripeness to the red fruit, but not baked or overripe at all, and nice tobacco and earthy complexity to it. Just very easy to drink and to enjoy, right out of the (half) bottle without decanting.