Chateau Lusseau St. Emilion Bordeaux, Complete Guide

Learn everything about Chateau Lusseau St. Emilion with wine tasting notes wine and food pairing tips, best vintages, a history of the property, information on the vineyards, and winemaking. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles

The entire holdings of Chateau Lusseau consist of 10 hectares of vines. But Chateau Lusseau is produced from the property’s top 2 hectares of vines. The estate is owned by Laurent Lusseau, which as you probably guessed, is where the property takes its name from.

Laurent Lusseau is the estate manager and cellar master for all of the Gerard Perse-owned wineries, which include Chateau Pavie, Chateau Monbousquet, Chateau Pavie Decesse, Chateau Bellevue Mondotte, and other vineyards in the Cotes de Castillon appellation.

Chateau Lusseau Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

Chateau Lusseau is planted to 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The vines are an impressive 47 years of age. The terroir is mostly sand with gravel.

The vineyard is planted to a vine density of 5,500 vines per hectare. Michel Rolland consults the wine making at Chateau Lusseau.

The Chateau Lusseau vineyard is located close to Chateau Monbousquet in the St. Sulpice sector of Saint Emilion. In fact, it’s just across the street, or perhaps it is more accurate to say across the small, dirt road that is often used by tractors and other farm vehicles kept busy in the Right Bank appellation.

To produce the wine of Chateau Lusseau, the vinification process starts with a seven-day, cold maceration. The wine of Chateau Lusseau is vinified in small, temperature-controlled, stainless steel vats. Malolactic fermentation takes place in French oak barrels.

The wine of Chateau Lusseau is aged in 60% new, French oak barrels for an average of 18 months before bottling. The amount of new oak and length of time in the barrel can vary, depending on the character and style of the vintage.

The best vintages of Chateau Lusseau are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2009 and 2005.

Production of this well-priced Saint Emilion is small. On average, close to 600 cases per year are produced of Chateau Lusseau.

When to Drink Chateau Lusseau, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Lusseau needs some time before it can be enjoyed. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 1 hour or more. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume.

Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Chateau Lusseau is usually better with at least 2-4 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Chateau Lusseau offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 3-10 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Chateau Lusseau with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Chateau Lusseau is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Chateau Lusseau, is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Lusseau is also good when matched with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.