89pts Wine Advocate

The 2014 Lassegue, which is the Saint Emilion Grand Cru owned by the Jackson Family, comes in a preposterously heavy bottle with what felt like an armour-plated capsule! It is clearly designed to impress even before the bottle has been uncorked. Deep in color, the bouquet is tightly wound with blackberry, boysenberry and light cedar notes. The new oak comes through strongly for the first 30 minutes, but thankfully it does assimilate after an hour. The palate is full-bodied and has undergone a lot of extraction. It is solid and dense, very powerful and yet what comes through is the winemaking intention rather than the essence of its terroir. However, aeration did benefit this wine, mellowing after an hour and losing just a little of its initial glossiness, manifesting more red fruit and developing a pleasant smooth texture. 

Winemaker Notes

Very beautiful deep and brilliant red color with spices on the nose. A lot of finesse on the palate with nutmeg and white pepper flavors. A very balanced wine that develops a good length on the palate and a mineral finish. Fine and persistent tannins. This vintage of Les Cadrans can age 5 to 10 years.

Blend: 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc

Winery Notes

Located in the appellation of St. Émilion, Bordeaux, France and first built in 1738, the estate was purchased by the Jackson & Seillan families in 2003. The vineyards are southwest facing — bathed in sunlight from dawn to dusk and protected by cool northern winds — on the ‘côte’or elevated slope of St. Émilion, with an average vine age of 40 to 60 years. The côte benefits from exceptional hillside drainage, and unique soil promotes the growth of a deep root system and access to nutrients. Only 3%, or 400 acres, of all St. Émilion vineyards are located on the ‘côte’.