From the atlas
Les Domaines Delon
A Bordeaux portfolio spanning Saint Julien, Pomerol and northern Médoc, with four Delon family properties and wines made for the table.
At A Glance
| Field | Detail |
| Portfolio | Four Bordeaux properties under Delon family stewardship |
| Places | Saint Julien, Pomerol and northern Médoc |
| Wines | Château Léoville-Las-Cases, Château Nénin, Clos du Marquis and Château Potensac |
| Defining feature | Separate vineyard holdings, classifications and terroirs across the portfolio |
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
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.
Soil And Site
At Potensac, clay and gravel soils lie over a limestone base. The estate occupies a high point of land that has been populated since ancient times. Gravel allows water to drain quickly, while clay can retain moisture around the vine roots.
At Nénin, Oligocene deposits are covered by Dordogne alluvial gravel formations. These ground conditions alter drainage, water supply and ripening, giving the two properties separate physical foundations before cellar work begins.
Story
On the eve of the 1997 harvest, Jean-Hubert Delon purchased Château Nénin from his cousins, the Despujol family, who had owned it since 1847. A major restructuring followed immediately. Pruning and trellising methods were reviewed, the land was drained, vines were replanted or uprooted, and equipment was modernized.
The cellars were extended and completely refitted, with air conditioning added. A new vat room with state of the art equipment completed the transformation. Nénin therefore changed through vineyard work and cellar construction at the same time, not through a simple change of ownership.
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
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.
In The Glass
Château Léoville-Las-Cases has the firm, austere, powerful style associated with classic Bordeaux. Blackberry, cassis and tobacco rise from the glass, followed by cedar, dark berries, truffle and tobacco. The fruit is vibrant, long and intense. Massive tannins remain ripe and polished, and top vintages require 15 to 20 or more years to develop and shed their tannic weight.
Château Nénin's 2012 vintage shows cream and plum, a creamy entry, considerable material and ripe tannins. The 2010 vintage brings vibrant plum, menthol, spicy plum tones, concentration and a plush palate. Recent vintages also show incense, flowers, espresso, smoke and black cherries, with bright, fresh and crisp acidity alongside cedar, licorice, herbs and dark plum.
A Bottle To Understand It
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.
Anecdote
Château Potensac had been in the same family for generations and had always been handed down by women. Jean-Hubert Delon inherited the northern Médoc property from his paternal grandmother, Georgette Liquard. The inheritance kept Potensac within the family and continued the estate's female line of succession.
Final Word
Les Domaines Delon keeps four Bordeaux properties distinct on the vineyard and the label. Saint Julien, Pomerol and northern Médoc appear as separate estate addresses, joined by wines made for meals with fresh ripe fruit, balanced acidity and measured oak.
Sources
- https://www.domaines-delon.com/en/domainesdelonphilosophie.html
- https://www.domaines-delon.com/en/potensac-chateaupotensachistoire.html
- https://www.domaines-delon.com/en/nenin-chateauneninhistoire.html
- https://www.domaines-delon.com/en/leoville-chateauleovillelascaseshistoire.html
- https://www.domaines-delon.com/en/closdumarquis-chateauclosdumarquishistoire.html
- https://www.wineanorak.com/wineblog/bordeaux/domaines-delon-leoville-las-cases-potensac-clos-du-marquis-and-nenin
- https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/bordeaux-wine-producer-profiles/bordeaux/st-julien/chateau-leoville-las-cases-st-julien-bordeaux-wine/
- https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/bordeaux-wine-producer-profiles/bordeaux/pomerol/nenin/
- https://winewordsandvideotape.com/bordeaux/pomerol/pomerol-tasting-notes/chateau-nenin/