1999 Château La Louvière - Pessac-Léognan Grand Vin de Graves - 12 Bottles (0.75L)

Château La Louvière is a well-regarded wine estate in the Pessac-Léognan subregion of Bordeaux, some 15km (nine miles) due south of Bordeaux city center. The estate, which produces both red and white wines, dates back to the 14th Century and has changed ownership multiple times throughout its history.

In 1965, however, the château was purchased by its current owners, the Lurton family (with whom it remains closely associated) and was entirely restored. The estate produces red and white Bordeaux as well as wines for the second label, L de La Louvière.

The château's vineyards cover 86 hectares (212 acres) and are planted to red and white varieties although the former dominates.

White grape varieties include Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon and cover 13.5 hectares (33 acres) of the estate, while red varieties compose 48 hectares (119 acres) of the property planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

The vines average around 25-30 years old and sit on the classic gravelly soils (for which the wider Graves region is so named) although La Louvière also boasts additional limestone deposits within the soil towards to bottom of the slope.

Production is around 150,000 bottles annually for the red Bordeaux blend and some 35,000 cases for the white Bordeaux.

Second labels (L de La Louvière) are produced in both red and white versions. The red is composed of 70 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 percent Merlot and the white is 100-percent Sauvignon Blanc.

The château also makes a sweet wine, Les Lions de La Louvière (often appended with Sélection de Grains Nobles), in exceptional vintages where noble rot, or botrytis, is able to develop. A Lions de La Louvière red, made with similar grape proportions to the L de La Louvière, is also produced for some markets