Description
Château Lesquireau Desse, Haut-Médoc
Every so often I’m reminded that most wine lovers, including most sommeliers I know, don’t have wine cellars. Orson Welles may have said “we will drink no wine before its time,” but let’s face it: It happens way more than any of us would like. It truly is the next level of wine appreciation to buy and store bottles for future consumption—which is why we’re eternally grateful to the merchants of Bordeaux for doing it for us. There’s no other red wine region in the world with so many perfectly stored, well-priced aged bottles to be had, so yes, of course we go nuts for wines like today’s 2011 Haut-Médoc from Château Lesquireau Desse.
Who wouldn’t want to drink a decade-old Left Bank Bordeaux, a wine right in its sweet spot, at this bargain price? I know I never pass up the chance, especially when the wine is such an authentic, old-school treat. There’s a tremendous amount of souped-up, consultant-engineered Bordeaux out there these days, but as luxurious and technically sound as they may be, they often lack soul. Lesquireau Desse’s 2011, by contrast, oozes soul—thanks at least in part to its perfect maturity. At this price, there’s no other way to put it: this wine is a gift!
It is also the product of a small, family-run property in the village of Vertheuil. Fifth-generation proprietor Benjamin Lasserre currently runs the show, overseeing 3.2 hectares of vineyards along a plateau just north of Saint-Estèphe. Noteworthy neighbors include Château Sociando Mallet and Château Charmail, and in Vertheuil there’s a coming-together of the two main Bordeaux soil types. Lasserre’s Merlot vines (about 50% of total plantings) are rooted in its preferred clay/limestone mix (more readily associated with locales further away from the Gironde Estuary), while the Cabernet Sauvignon is planted in sandy gravel.
Along with everything else, Lasserre is a cooper who makes some of his own barrels for aging his wines. Today’s ’11 aged in a mix of 500-liter and 225-liter barrels for about 14 months, but time has allowed the oak-derived flavors to fade into the background. This is first and foremost an elegant, balanced Bordeaux with modest alcohol and lots of savor for enjoying with food. At a decade of age, I’m not expecting a fruit bomb, but I was especially impressed with all the beautiful secondary aromas that have begun to emerge as complements to a silky core of red and black fruit.
Although it should continue to evolve gracefully over the next few years, this 2011 is really in a perfect place right now: Decant it carefully (there won’t be a lot of sediment, but keep an eye out) just before serving in Bordeaux stems at 60-65 degrees and you’ll be amazed at how much wine you get for less than $30. In the glass, it’s a medium garnet red with slight bricking at the rim, unleashing aromas of red and black plum, Bing cherry, cranberry, sweet pipe tobacco, anise, leather, bay leaf, and crushed rocks. Time has polished the tannins to a fine grain, but they still have some grip, and there’s plenty of freshness for food. In fact, what stood out most about this wine for me was how perfect it’d be with a traditional Bordelaise sauce ladled over a tender cut of steak. It’s got the kind of meaty savor so many young, heavily extracted wines lack, and that’s always fine by me. This is truly a rare treat, so treat yourself to more than one. Cheers!
