Stefan and Heike Paeffgen, Château Le Reysse and Château Lassus, Vignobles Paeffgen, Appellation Médoc - Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2017, France

Picture: Ann Sweeney Zirkle and Denman Zirkle, Weingut Richard Böcking, Mosel, Stefan Paeffgen and Christian Schiller Having Dinner at Château Lassus, Vignobles Paeffgen

Following the visit of Château Montrose, we drove up to Bégadan for dinner with Stefan and Heike Paeffgen, Vignobles Paeffgen.

Stefan Paeffgen is a career changer who has been making wine only for a few years. Stefan Paeffgen holds a Doctorate in agricultural science and in another life worked in the agriculture industry in his home country Germany and in Scandinavia. He always had a passion for the wines of the Médoc and at age 46, he was at a crossroad and made the decision to go back to practical agriculture. He searched for a winery and finally settled in Bégadan, north of St.-Estèphe.

Today, his Vignobles Paeffgen comprise 4 châteaux: Château Le Reysse and Château Lassus as well as Château Clos du Moulin and Château Moulin de Lestagne.

We had a lovely charcuterie and cheese dinner with Stefan and Heike Paeffgen and there children (who were visiting their parents during school break). Before dinner, Stefan showed us around.

Pictures: Château Le Reysse and Château Lassus, Vignobles Paeffgen

Stefan Paeffgen

Stefan Paeffgen grew up on a farm in Germany, which his older brother took over, when their father retired. Stefan had to look for something different, although he would have loved to take over the family’s property.

Pictures: Stefan Paeffgen

Stefan studied agriculture in München, Stuttgart, Wisconsin, Paris and then worked for a large fertilizer company. He moved up in the company and made good money. There were mergers and was restructuring. At some point, he was offered a golden handshake and started to look for a winery he could take over. In that period, Stefan, his wife and the 3 children were living in Belgium, near Brussels.

In November 2010, he signed a sales contract with Patrick Chaumont, the owner of Vignobles Chaumant (Château Le Reysse and Château Lassus) and moved to Bégadan, initially without his family; by now they are all in Bégadan. In 2012, he also acquired Château Clos du Moulin and Château Moulin de Lestagne from Michel Boyer.

Patrick Chaumont stayed on for 2 years to help. They cooperated wonderfully and Stefan learned to make wines in the traditional style. Patrick Chaumont still visits every now and then to see how things are going.

Pictures: In the Vineyard with Stefan Paeffgen

Château Le Reysse

Patrick Chaumont founded Château Le Reysse in 1983. He withdrew the Château Le Reysse vineyards from the co-op and started to vinify the wines himself. (Château Lassus – see below - remained in the co-op). When his son married into a winery in the southern part of Pauillac, he decided to sell Château Le Reysse (and Château Lassus).

4.5 hectares in Bégadan, partially bordering with the vineyards of Rollan de By and La Tour de By

20.000 – 26.000 bottles, which Stefan Paeffgen sells through the old channels of Patrick Chaumont, but increasingly also through his new channels, primarily in Germany

55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot

Château Lassus

Along with Château Le Reysse, Stefan Paeffgen bought Château Lassus from Patrick Chaumont. The wine is sold en bloc to a Negoçiant in Bordeaux. Here is what the Negoçiant says: Château Lassus, the Chaumont family property since 1967, was mentioned in the first edition of "Bordeaux et ses Vins" edited by Charles Cocks in 1850 and was already listed in the Féret 1939 edition as it had been classified Cru Bourgeois in 1932 for its "terroir" and quality of the wines produced. The estate was taken over by the Paeffgen family in 2010 who has realized large investments since to help the cru maintain its renowned status. The quality focus is realized by sustainable efforts in the vineyards and by strong selection process. Today, Stefan Paeffgen, passionate by wines and fallen in love with this charming property, is in charge of it.

Soil : Clay-gravels / Surface : 25 hectares

Average age of the vineyard : 35 years

Location : The vineyard is located between the Bégadan village and the Gironde River in the Médoc.

Grape varieties : 50 % Merlot / 50 % Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine is vinified by the traditional method, in thermo-regulated concrete and stainless steel vats, after a period of pre-fermentation maceration. Vertical pressing. Ageing for 12 months in new barrels, second-fill and third-fill barrels.

Deep color with garnet highlights. Very aromatic bouquet with touch of blackcurrant and spices. Superb, dense attack with a slightly jammy fruit. The relatively powerful tannic structure shows supple tannins.

Château Clos du Moulin

The roots of Château Clos du Moulin can be traced back to the 19th century. The Boyer family, the former owner, used to live there. Château Clos du Moulin is also a Cru Bourgeois in the original classification of 1932. The Cru Bourgeois status was however lost in 2003. Stephan Paeffgen was successful in regaining it in 2011, after he had taken over.

11 hectares in St. Christoly and Couqueques

45.000 – 56.000 bottles

50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Merlot

Château Moulin de Lestagne

3 hectares in St. Christoly

20.000 bottles

20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 80% Merlot

Pictures: In the Cellar with Stefan Paeffgen

The Wines Stefan Poured

2015 Château Le Reysse (from tank)

In the USA, 2015 Château Le Reysse is available now through Lyle Fass Selections - World Class Artisanal Wines Direct from the Estate at 40% Below Retail

When we tasted the wine, it was in steel tanks. It had been barrel-aged and was sitting in the steel tanks before being bottled.

Lyle Fass: Some of the Most Mineral-Driven Bordeaux I Have Ever Had - Our Most Popular Bordeaux Wines by Far - 2015 is Such a Great Vintage - It Allies Finesse, Power and Freshness - These Wines Have the Balance and Minerality We Love in Other Regions

I think of all the regions where I have carefully put together a small cadre of growers Bordeaux is what I'm most proud of. There is not a ton of Bordeuax love on my list so I offer very few wines but the ones I do offer, I really love.

Bordeaux has the most growers of any wine region in France. There are 50-60 estates everyone knows and always sell. I don't mess with them as the price competition is too intense and I don't want to fall into the "me too" trap; that's not my role in the wine world. You also have a bottom percentage of undeniable undrinkable plonk. Then there is the rest. Finding what is good in the rest means I have to taste a whole bunch of undrinkable plonk and boy did I to find the 3-5 Bordeaux estates I work with. But I love them all dearly and perhaps love today's winery the most.

That is Chateau La Reysse and it's little brother, Clos du Moulin. These are some of the most mineral driven Bordeaux I have ever had, along with being stunningly precise with clear and deep fruit. These are owned and made by a German guy so it has that level of German precision as well. La Reysse and Clos du Moulin remain our most popular Bordeaux wines by far and now I am honored to sell the 2015 vintage. Do not miss these. Value like this in Bordeaux I only offer wines this inexpensive (under $27 and under $20) once a year. These have a following and the email is worth it to me and the company. Below is how it used to go when I tried to sell Bordeaux.

The 2015 Le Reysse for as little as $26.99 a bottle on a 4-Pack has a cooling mineral nose with astonishing depth and purity which gives off an impression of amazing freshness. The palate is pure pleasure with oodles of blue and black fruits, wonderful acids, grippy forceful tannins and a real sense of place. Just an amazingly complex, powerful and delicate bottle of Bordeaux. You also get cigar, leather, tobacco and some nice wet earth as well. I can see this aging for up to 20 years. 2015 is such a great vintage as it allies finesse, power and freshness all at once. Freshness is so key in Bordeaux as wines can tend to be lactic, oaky and rich due to a general change in winemaking over the last 20-30 years. This is not that at all, this is what Bordeaux should be at $27 a bottle but rarely if ever is. At La Reysse in 2015 they had an issue with the Cabernet Sauvignon as much of it was contaminated by a hydraulic press machine used in picking, (luckily insurance covered it) but they are down 60% in 2015. So the assemblage is different than in other years.

Pictures: Tasting Château Le Reysse 2015

The 2015 La Reysse is a perfect example of why 2015 Bordeaux is being compared to the greatest vintages of the past 100 years. 2010, 2005, 2000, 1982, 1961, 1945, 1929 are widely considered the top 7 vintages of the last 100 years. Pricing will reflect that if you are so inclined to search. But what marks a great Bordeaux vintage in my mind, is the little wines were incredible. And La Reysse from the Medoc has it all. Freshness, amazing depth of fruit and structure, perfect balance, big sweet tannins all at an affordable tariff make the 2015 La Reysse one hell of a wine. It is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc. The Cabernet Franc is also of note as it is the first time they have used it. The vines are over 100 years old and from a vineyard they got that was not in too great shape, but they persisted and it was worth it and now it's very low yielding and super high quality. In normal years they will be about 2% of the assemblage but it is 8% in 2015 due to the losses of the Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is insane and totally unique. Nose has violets and the classic deep mineral drive of La Reysse. Also deep cassis and black berry fruit. Elegantly framed by well integrated wood. Also floral and red cherries add complexity. Wonderful combo of fruit and mineral. Both wafting and competing for your olfactory senses. The palate is lively and fresh as La Reysse is and should be. The tannins are so soft and juicy yet also asserting authority. Huge minerals throughout the midpalate and long persistent finish. The wine has improved so much since Stefan has been in charge of the estate with 2010 being his debut vintage. The wine soaks your palate with fruit like only Bordeaux can. Remarkable wine and the best La Reysse ever.

2016 Château Le Reysse (from barrel)

We tasted the 2016 Château Le Reysse from barrel in the barrel cellar; it was still in the barrel-aging phase.

Pictures: Tasting 2016 Château Le Reysse from Barrel

2014 Château Le Reysse

We tasted the 2014, 2012, 2011 Château Le Reysse during dinner.

Picture: 2014 Château Le Reysse

2012 Château Le Reysse

27.000 bottles

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot

20 months in barrique

Yves Beck: Le Reysse 2012, AOC Médoc Violet intensif. Nez de bonne intensité, fin et complexe. Notes de cannelle, clou de girofle, cacao et fruits noirs (mûre, myrtille, cassis). En bouche l'attaque est minérale avec des notes de graphite. Le corps est légèrement gras et la structure se révèle tardivement. Les tannins sont granuleux, élégants. Beau potentiel de garde. 89-90/100. 2018-2032

Picture: 2012 Château Le Reysse

2011 Château Le Reysse

Picture: 2011 Château Le Reysse

Dinner

We had a lovely and very lively dinner in the Päffgen family home, with Stefan and Heike Paeffgen and there children (who were visiting their parents during school break).

Pictures: Dinner with the Paeffgen Family

Dinner 2 Years Before (ombiasy Bordeaux Tour 2015)

On the visit 2 years before, we also had a lovely dinner. It was warmer and we were able to sit outside. See: Wine Dinner with Stefan and Heike Paeffgen, Château Le Reysse and Château Clos du Moulin, Vignobles Paeffgen, Appellation Médoc– Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France