Why it matters
The producer
Les Domaines Delon brings together four Bordeaux properties, each with its own vineyard holdings and history. Château Léoville-Las-Cases traces its origins to early seventeenth century plantings. Château Nénin, Clos du Marquis and Château Potensac complete a portfolio that reaches from Saint Julien to Pomerol and northern Médoc.
The Delon philosophy is built around wines made for meals. Fresh ripe fruit is preserved through ageing, with careful attention to the balance between acidity and oak. The portfolio therefore joins distinct estate histories to a shared approach to drinkability and maturation.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Saint Julien is home to Château Léoville-Las-Cases and Clos du Marquis, with Clos du Marquis created from distinct terroirs adjacent to Château de Léoville. Pomerol is the home of Château Nénin. Château Potensac sits on a high point in northern Médoc, close to the river.
The geography creates different bottle roles across the range. Léoville-Las-Cases is Cabernet Sauvignon led in the 2016 vintage, while Nénin's vineyard is led by Merlot. The portfolio moves between the firm classic Bordeaux style of Léoville-Las-Cases and the fuller Pomerol character found in Nénin.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Château Nénin is harvested entirely by hand and matured for 15 to 18 months in French oak. Depending on the vintage, around a quarter to a third of that oak is new. Oak ageing allows gradual oxygen exchange and can add spice and texture as the wine develops.
The vineyard is planted with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon on Oligocene deposits covered by Dordogne alluvial gravel. The planting balance places Merlot at the centre of the Pomerol wine, with the two Cabernet varieties in supporting roles.
Wines to know
The range in view
The portfolio holds four separate wine positions. Château Léoville-Las-Cases is a wine from Saint Julien. Château Nénin is the Pomerol property, covering 32 hectares and planted with 78% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Clos du Marquis is a separate vineyard beside Château de Léoville, with its first vintage released in 1902. Château Potensac is the northern Médoc property, covering 60 hectares. The range therefore includes a classified Saint Julien wine, a Merlot led Pomerol, a separate Saint Julien wine and a northern Médoc estate.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Choose Château Léoville-Las-Cases. It is the portfolio's 1855 Second Growth from Saint Julien, and the 2016 vintage contains 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc. Top vintages take 15 to 20 or more years to develop, giving the bottle a clear place in the range as the long lived classified Bordeaux wine. Nénin supplies the Merlot led Pomerol contrast elsewhere in the portfolio.