Region: Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France

Vintage: 2011

Composition: 62% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, & 8% Cabernet Sauvignon

History: The Lassegue estate in Saint-Emilion is the result of the passion of two couples and their families: Jess Jackson and his wife Barbara Banke, California visionaries in the world of wine, and Pierre Seillan and his wife Monique de Bordeaux. The ornate sundials that adorn the façade of the beautiful 17th-century castle of Lasségue are the symbol of the extraordinary solar exposure of our vineyard and the theme of our label. Lasségue is the essence of opulent, ripe and rich Cabernet Franc, a wine of great elegance and finesse, the dense Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon adding smoothness and roundness to the wine. With a voluptuous, layered and complex structure, the wine shows a character that reflects the limestone and clay of the hillsides.

Tasting Notes:

Brilliant glowing ruby color, and in a vintage considered austere, it is full, with notes of ripe blackberries and a lifted intricate aromatic bouquet of fresh violet, sage and mint. On display are classic Bordeaux aromas of leather, baking spices and graphite. A polished wine, it yet possesses a wild, herbal quality, almost a garrigue. It is reminiscent of herbs grown on the side of rocks, and a forest floor just after rain. Grown in limestone soils, the Cabernet Franc elevates the blend with surprising, soft notes of rose petals and wild strawberries. From the Merlot comes the expansive texture and rich but subtle mineral overtones, invoking the sandy clay soils in which the varietal achieves its most refined expression. There is a velvety softness to the wine, the silky tannins move in crescendo towards a pressingly long finish. The wine will age magnificently for decades to come.