This is a red wine you can chill for a bit, to enjoy during the summer. Even though it’s from the famed Bordeaux region, don’t hesitate to put it in the fridge for a half-hour or so before drinking — as if it just came out of a wine cellar.The wine pairs well with many vegetable dishes such as tomato tarte and fresh mozzarella white pizza. The use of very ripe cabernet franc in the merlot-based blend adds delicacy to this wine. At first opening, there’s a hint of bright herbal garrigue in the aroma. On the palate, velvety red berry fruit is apparent but not overly dominant. The tannins are so fine as to be barely noticeable. With food, the flavors in the wine are enriched. A combination of delicacy and rusticity.

15 Wines That Pair Perfectly With Steaks, Burgers and Everything Else You’ll Grill This SummerA guide to the varietals that you want with you by the grill.From the father-son team of Pierre and Nicolas Seillan, the 2016 vintage of Lassègue’s flagship (60 percent Merlot, 33 percent Cabernet Franc and 7 percent Cabernet Sauvignon) is a study in the balance between generosity and terroir. An alluring nose of violet, dark cherry, cassis and flint aromas underpinned with slate and earth is followed by a juicy and succulent palate. Beautiful dark-berry fruit flavors are delivered with dense, supple tannins that build to a minerally finish.

15 Wines That Pair Perfectly With Steaks, Burgers and Everything Else You’ll Grill This SummerA guide to the varietals that you want with you by the grill.From the dual-continent winemaking team of Chris Carpenter (Cardinale, Lokoya, etc.) and Hickinbotham’s Peter Fraser, this now-iconic Aussie Grenache is lively and beautifully textured, reflecting a cooler year. Anise, earth and cherry compote on the nose lead to juicy dark cherry and berry flavors with an edge of orange citrus.

What To Drink Now: Wines for DadThe other thing he loves is a great Bordeaux, with both of us appreciating the character of Cabernet Franc and Merlot-based Right Bank. St. Emilion Grand Cru Chateau Lassegue, Les Cadrans de Lassegue blends 90% Merlot with 10% Cabernet Franc for a velvety, plush wine showcasing ripe plum and cherry, with beautiful floral aromas of violets, melding with toasted spice and crushed stone.

This wine is sublime and symbolizes the elegance of the great wines of Saint-Émilion. With slightly less Merlot in this blend than the 2012 vintage, it is comprised of 60% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Franc and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is dark and has an intense cherry red hue. It has a well-defined bouquet of black cherries, cranberries, and violets. The purity of the fruit, the finesse of the tannins, and elegant oaky notes come together to offer a silky palate that expresses the Merlot of this special wine region. The 2016 Château Lassègue will stand the test of time and can age for decades to come.

An ideal blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine is rich, smokey and meaty. It is a very deep garnet color with generous black cherries, boysenberry, and spice on the nose. Layers of black fruit coat the mouth. The palate is silky and expressive with supple tannins and great density. Notes of smokey graphite leave a beautifully long lingering finish.

Great for grillingPair this fresh and polished red Bordeaux with barbecue or anything grilled. Combining merlot and cabernet franc, it has notes of black cherry, cranberry and spice.

Great for grillingWith a bright acidity, aromas of red grapefruit and strawberries and flavors of golden apples and raspberry, pair this rosé with grilled prawns, salmon or halibut.

Château Lassegue “Lassègue” Saint Émilion Grand Cru 2016 is seriously assertive right-bank Bordeaux blend. Cabernet franc is prominent even if merlot is a higher percentage of the blend. Cabernet sauvignon plays minor role. Pair with rich, marbled red meats—ribeye steak and other grilled red meats; barbecue; char-grilled flank steak; lamb; savory meats such as pork—including pulled pork—and duck; shepherd’s pie.

Lassegue 2010 Saint Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France. Blackberry, plum, brambles, oak spice. Well-balanced with a long finish. Very good.

French CandorSonoma’s Vérité Winery ups the ante on Bordeaux-style vintages to Create A Category All Its OwnTasting the three Vérité wines together is an exercise in hedonism...The 2016 Le Désir (82 percent Cabernet Franc, 12 percent Merlot, and 6 percent Malbec) tastes aggressive and spicy on entry but is followed by an unctuous midpalate and poised mouth feel.

French CandorSonoma’s Vérité Winery ups the ante on Bordeaux-style vintages to Create A Category All Its OwnTasting the three Vérité wines together is an exercise in hedonism...2016 La Joie (84 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 11 percent Merlot, and 5 percent Petit Verdot) emanates elegant complexity, with spice and pinpoint acidity highlighting hints of blackberry and black plum.

French CandorSonoma’s Vérité Winery ups the ante on Bordeaux-style vintages to Create A Category All Its OwnTasting the three Vérité wines together is an exercise in hedonism. The 2016 La Muse (93 percent Merlot, 5 percent Cabernet Franc, and 2 percent Malbec) exudes aromas of black cherries and fresh herbs; it sits rich and luxurious in the mouth, with an opulent texture full of black fruit flavors that echo on a long finish.

Four French Wine Regions to KnowDrink the wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, and the Loire.The Right Bank is clay soil, so merlot is the main grape along with cabernet franc, and some of their famous regions include Pomerol and St. Emilion; we love Château Lassegue Les Cadrans de Lassègue Grand Cru 2016.

Wine Pairings For Popular ChocolatesLindt Salted Dark Chocolate with Chateau Lasségue Lasségue Grand Cru 2016 - Saint-Emilion, FranceThis Right Bank Bordeaux rouge with a sumptuous, salted dark chocolate bar is 100% pure elegance. This merlot-dominant blend stems from an 18th-century chateau that looks like it’s right out of the pages of a storybook. The extraordinary 2016 vintage gave this wine a lovely character, laced with aromas of freshly picked violets, ripe red and blue fruits that are wrapped together with firm tannins. Swiss chocolatiers Lindt know a thing or two about making an indulgent product. From their famed truffles to their sinfully delicious dark chocolate, the company has been crafting sophisticated products since the mid-19th century. The salted dark chocolate and refined tannins of the wine together fashion a silky smooth, wickedly delicious mouthfeel.

Lassegue’s 2016 Bordeaux is an earth-fueled monster, layering notes of mushroom and leather with cassis and blackberry. A licorice kick spars with notes of graphite and crushed slate, plus a modest balsamic note. The finish folds together chocolate and a significant violet character clearly driven by the merlot in the blend (about 60-65%). Complex and curious, it’s a wine that evolves nicely in glass and rewards an extended night of exploration.

Your Guide To Braising With WineFilet mignon and oxtail boulangerie with 2016 Château Lassègue, “a richer-style Saint Emilion [that’s] a classic pairing,” Puglia believes, with notes of plum, black cherry and cassis, and a subtle minerality that plays off the coffee bean aromas in the finish.

12 Spectacular Wines for 2020Wow wines and the stories behind them.11. Lassègue Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2016 From Château Lassègue situated at the southwest hills of Côte de Saint-Émilion, this opulent Merlot-dominant blend with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 40-50 years old vines. With expressive aromas of violet, blackberry and dark cherry fruit, this Right Bank Bordeaux has nice acidity, elegant tannins and a chalk dust-like minerality on the finish. Lassègue’s iconic label pictures the ornate sundials which decorate the façade of the 17th century château of Lassègue.

12 Spectacular Wines for 2020Wow wines and the stories behind them.8. Vérité Le Désir 2016 Made from 50 micro-crus grown in Sonoma’s Bennett Valley, Alexander Valley, Knights Valley and Chalk Hill, which are all separately harvested, fermented and aged, Le Désir is an artwork of blending by vigneron Pierre Seillan. Frenchman Seillan perfected his micro-cru philosophy during his five decades making wines in California and France. Receiving a 99-point score from Lisa Perrotti-Brown of Robert Parker Wine Advocate, this Cabernet Franc dominant blend with Merlot and Malbec, made in collaboration with his daughter Hélène Seillan, has aromas of rose, thyme, black fruit, star anise and clove and strong minerality, fine tannins, lively acidity, and intensity in the finish.

5+ Wines to Help You Wind Your Way Through WinterA classic red beauty. Renowned vigneron Pierre Seillan and his son Nicolas harvest fruit (Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon) from their south by southwest-facing hillside vineyards to produce Lassègue, which has become known for its simple elegance, striking balance and rich complexity. The 2011 is an austere, full vintage, with notes of ripe blackberries and aromas of leather, baking spices and graphite. This polished wine features a velvety softness with silky tannins that move in crescendo towards a pressingly long finish. A classic expression of Saint-Émilion, Lassègue offers both brightness and sophistication to grace your table any time of year.

Taster’s notes: Smooth, rich and juicy, plum, red currant, walnut, full body, fresh acidity, velvety tannins, elegant structure, persistent red-fruit finish.

Wine of the WeekThis Grand Cru from Saint-Emilion is deep red in color with black cherry, currants and spice aromas. Medium bodied along with ripe, plush fruit and crisp acidity.

This off-dry wine has the right touch of sweetness to balance the crisp acidity and make for a delicious, round wine with stone fruit flavors.

Strawberry and a tiny note of raspberry, with red rose on the nose. Very nicely balanced with with a lift of lemon.

This Pinot Noir-based rosé from Willamette Valley is light and austere with white strawberry, pink grapefruit, and fleshy lemon.