Landes Cuvee Trad. Lussac St. Emilion - 2016 61.5L

Landes Cuvee Tradition Lussac Saint Emilion is made from 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc

Color: deep ruby intense color.
Aroma: racy and aromatic nose with aromas of ripe red fruit.
Taste: this wine is silky, round and smooth first taste, with aromas of raspberries, and blackcurrant, powerful and complex finish.

Landes Cuvee Prestige Lussac Saint Emilion is made from 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc

Color: deep dark ruby intense color
Aroma: racy and aromatic nose with aromas of ripe red fruit, floral notes, wood and spice with a touch of vanilla.
Taste: this wine has a good structure and some powerful aromas of raspberries, blackcurrant, vanilla and it is powerful with a complex finish. The oak is present but not dominant. The tannins are quite well integrated already.

Average age of the Vines: 60 years Yield : 50 hectoliters / hectare. Grape picking: harvest by machine. Vats: Stainless steel thermoregulated and computerized. Fermentation: 45 to 50 days with a final 35°C warm steeping. Winemaking: Malolactic fermentation in new oak barrel. Ageing: 16 months in new French Oak barrels from Allier and Limousin. Annual production: 10,000 bottles. (833 cases)

Review:

"Aromas of violets, cherries, currants, chocolate and praline. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins. Creamy with a flavorful, juicy finish. Drink from 2023."

- James Suckling (March 2021), 91 pts

Landes Grand Heritage Lussac Saint Emilion is made from 100 percent Merlot.

First vintage of this wine was 2010 to pay tribute to the founding father of Chateau des Landes - Paul Lassagne. He gave the family a great legacy of terroir, passion and know-how to craft this great cuvee produced from a selection of the finest grapes that are vinified and aged in 600 liter French oak foudres, just like it was done in the old days. The resulting wine is complex and aromatic offering bold aromas and flavors of dark berries, floral tones, spice, oak and vanilla. The palate is onctuous and powerful, well structured with ripe tannins. Well balanced and a complex finish. 

Average age of the Vines: 60 years Yield : 50 hectoliters / hectare. Grape picking: harvest by machine. Vats: Stainless steel thermoregulated and computerized. Fermentation: 45 to 50 days with a final 35°C warm steeping. Winemaking: Malolactic fermentation in new oak barrel. Ageing: 16 months in new French Oak barrels from Allier and Limousin. Annual production: 10,000 bottles. (833 cases)

Review:

"The flagship cuvée is the 2016 Chateau des Landes Grand Heritage, which is all Merlot from older vines that spent 16 months in new oak. It’s more backward and tight at the moment, yet has classic black fruits, charcoal, and graphite notes, with plenty of oak. I like its mid-palate, and it’s nicely concentrated, yet the cellar will be your friend on this one. Give bottles 2-4 years and it should keep for more than a decade."
- Jeb Dunnuck (March 27th 2019), 90+ pts

Luccianus Amphore Lussac St. Emilion is made from 100% Cabernet Franc.

Luccianus is the name of Gallo-Roman origin designating the town of Lussac and its vineyard dating from the 4th century. This 100% Cabernet Franc is produced from the estate oldest vines of 100 years of age and is a return to ancestral aging techniques. The amphora aging gives out a very expressive wine with a superb aromatic radiance and very silky tannins all without a woody note.

The wine shows a beautiful deep purple color. The nose is complex and rich with intense notes of fruits and spices. The palate is round and powerful with silky tannins.

Review:

"Plums, berries and orange peel on the nose. It’s full-bodied and round-tannined with a lovely, juicy texture and a flavorful finish. Delicious and attractive. Made in amphora. Can age, but will intrigue now. Drink or hold."
-James Suckling 93 Points

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Bellevue Cotes de Bordeaux-Castillon Cé Ma Cuvée is made from 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc

The wine is made with 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. Average age of the vines is 50 years old (everything is between 40 and 60 years old).

Cé Ma Cuvée is a tribute from Michel Lydoire to his 2 daughters:
Cé is for Céline. She is like the Merlot grape varietal. Pleasant and calm.
Ma is for Marina. She is like the Cabernet Franc grape varietal. Tough and with a lot of character.

The color is deep and inky. 
The nose is spicy, fruity and oaky with some nice vanilla and coconut aromas. 
The mouthfeel is complex, with ripe red and black fruit flavors. Some spiciness and integrated oak flavors.

The wine starts as the Vieilles vignes, but some wine is aged in 500-liter American Oak Barrels for 18 months. 
They are using a mix of different toastiness for the barrels. Some high toast and some are medium toast.

This is a fun wine that can be enjoyed with any food, charbroil burgers, grilled vegetables, cheeses ... or even with dark chocolate desserts.

Review:

 2015 Castillon Cotes de Bordeaux Cé Ma Cuvée Céline Lydoire focuses this wine on Bellevue's old Merlot plots, blending in Cabernet franc from southern exposures on gravelly soils. It's her top selection, treated to 18 months in new 400-liter oak barrels; she started making it at the behest of her French customers, who wanted a step up from her cool and refreshing Cuvée Tradition. This is just as cool, but more saturated in its distinctly Castillon fruit flavor—think wild strawberries and blueberries with an earthy mineral undercurrent. That silky fruit gains its supple impression from the new oak, which boosts the textural richness. As I thought about how to score this wine, I found myself writing, "If that were from California, I'd be all over it." Absolutely. But it's also got Castillon limestone clarity. And, it's $27. Buy a case. You won't be sorry -Wine & Spirits 93 Points

Bellevue Cotes de Castillon Cuvee Vieilles Vignes is made from 65% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc.  Aged in mostly new oak barrels (90% French oak and 10% American oak), and some Château Haut Brion 2nd Barrels.

The wine offers a rich and intense bouquet of blackcurrant, blackberry and strawberry. It is smooth and full in the mouth with a velvety texture. Acidity combined with firm but well-integrated tannins are a fine supporting cast to the black fruit flavors at the end.

Review:

"Céline Lydoire grows this wine at her family’s 34-acre estate in Belvès, the vines growing in clay-limestone soils. Her old-vine fruit is often a gentle and delicate take on Castillon, and this 2016, while solidly built, is shy, with a persistent flavor undertow of black raspberries and dark chocolate. The flavors keep giving in the end, showing the stamina to age. - J.G."

- Wine & Spirits (June 2021), 91 points