Chateau Haut Lavigne

Quick Facts

  • Location: Saint-Astier, France
  • Owner & winemaker: Nadia Lusseau
  • Age of vines: 10 to 30 years
  • Soil: Clay, sand and limestone / boulbène
  • Vineyard area: 8.6 hectares
  • Vineyard management: Organic certified since 2006
  • Main varieties: Sauvignon, Sémillon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Winemaking: Minimal intervention

Fun Facts

  • The most recent Haut Lavigne release, N comme, features gymnast Nadia Comăneci on the label: “A true role model!” The plan is for future wines to pay homage to other inspirational women, or women with a connection to the Southwest region. 
  • Nadia is both a former gymnast and a passionate dancer. “I love and practice dance,” she tells us; “being on stage is fabulous, and for a shy person like me, it’s been incredibly liberating!”
  • Chateau Haut Lavigne rests on 8.6 hectares in Cotes de Duras, an AOC since 1937 next-door to Bordeaux, with the same varietals and incredible prices because of its lesser-known status. 1,000 years of winegrowing history. In the 1500s, King François I famously described the wine as “nectar of Duras.”

 

Nadia Lusseau is joy embodied. The woman behind Château Haut Lavigne for more than 20 years, she’s lived many lives — as a gymnast, a dancer, a food scientist and an oenologist, to name a few — which continue to inspire her journey as a maker of exquisite, expressive wines of Southwest France. Nadia’s wines have gained international recognition for their precision, depth of profile, age-worthiness and reflection of exceptionally rich terroir without technological or chemical intervention. To speak with her about her craft is to be transported on a virtual tour of her inspirations: from female athletes she admires, to the very roots of her region.

“I came to the world of wine by chance during my studies,” says Nadia. While studying food science, her university’s rotating internship program landed her in an oenology laboratory where she enjoyed the work so much that she decided to continue on to the Faculty of Oenology in Bordeaux. Led by her passions (and perhaps a bit of lab-centered restlessness), Nadia was struck quickly and definitively by the inspiration to make wines of her own — and to pour herself into each stage from viticulture to branding. By the end of 2002 she had taken over an estate in the Bordeaux-adjacent Cotes de Duras, one of the first official AOCs where vineyards date back to the twelfth century. By 2005 she’d converted all 8.6 hectares to organic farming. 

The Lot-et-Garonne countryside that’s home to Nadia’s vines is a picturesque patchwork of green, dotted with riverside medieval villages, sunflower fields and gentle rolling foothills — the kind of land that begs to be cultivated in a way that preserves its charm. But for Nadia, it’s not just about respecting the place; it’s letting the vines’ terroir guide her every move. “The secret is observation,” she says. “In the vineyard, soil cultivation varies; everything is carefully planned according to the grape variety, the terroir, and the history of the plot.” Those plots are made up of mineral-rich soil: a blend of clay, sand, flinty silex and limestone, including boulbène, the same fine and compact earth that gives Bordeaux wines their refinement and aging potential. A 90-minute drive from the Atlantic coast, the Haut Lavigne terroir benefits from a dry, sunshiney climate with ocean air carried in on the breeze: the best of both worlds, compared to wetter regions closer to the coast.

The sole proprietor of the vineyard, Nadia follows her intuition and personal tastes while being guided by her vines. A little more than half of her harvest is a blend of red varieties Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, with the other half made up of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.  “My winemaking philosophy: I adapt to my grapes,” says Nadia. “But my guiding principle is to produce the silkiest wines possible. Therefore, gentle winemaking with minimal intervention.” Her style shines through in whites with intense aromas and layers of nuanced flavor; and reds that are deep and complex yet accessible and youthful. “Wine without aggression,” Nadia sometimes describes them.

Nadia’s not afraid of experimenting a bit with new profiles, though her line-up is mostly classic. “It’s not bad!” she says of her naturally sparkling white wine made from direct-pressed Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon, macerated with elderflowers. “I also tried making a naturally sparkling red wine with Merlot in 2025. I’m waiting for it to start bubbling again to see how it turns out.”

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Certification: certified organic AB Ecocert

 

Fleur de Peau:— Back to the top

Grapes: 100 % Sémillon

Vineyard: Boulbène, a local type of clay with sand and limestone

Making of: the grapes are harvested manually and then destemmed. The whole berries are macerated on skins for 6 weeks, with primary and malolactic fermentation happening spontaneously, at the same time. The free-run juice is then aged in a “cigar” barrel whose elongated form gives the wine more freshness and length in the mouth. After 24 months of vinification in total, the wine is bottled without fining or filtering, with a bit of sulfur.

Personality: generous orange wine with an intense nose of honey and white flowers, round and fruity in the mouth. Refreshing acidity and good, fine finish – serve not too cold to enjoy the taste layers. Feel free to keep some bottles even for later, it has nice potential for some cellaring.

Sans Souffle — Back to the top

Grapes: 100% Merlot

Vineyard: Clay-limestone in full sun

Making of: Six days in steel vats with zero intervention, followed by fermentation, pressing, and brief aging in vats. Bottled early with no sulfites added.

Personality: Glou! Red berries, freshly pressed pomegranate, soft and light in the mouth with only a slight tannin. Drink slightly chilled

Côtes de Duras (red):— Back to the top

Age of Vines: 10 to 30 Years

Pruning Method: Double Guyot

Soil: Clay mixed with limestone, sandy clay and silex

Varieties: 93% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc

After harvest, the grapes undergo a week-long cold soak before indigenous yeasts is introduced to begin the fermentation. The Merlot and Cabernet Franc are fermented separately in enamel-lined tanks, after which they are blended, where they spend 9 months in tank before being bottled unfiltered.

Tasting Note: Deep garnet in the glass with deep plum, fresh currant and blackberry on the nose. Red and black fruit dominate the vibrant palate. The wine is fruit forward and youthful it also possesses buoyant acidity and succulent tannins.

Pairing: Works well with char-grilled burgers, grilled chicken or beef, roasted vegetables, cassoulet, and dried meats with aged cheeses.


Côtes de Duras (white):— Back to the top

Haut Lavigne White tech sheet

Age of Vines: 10 to 30 Years

Yields: 20 hlha 15,000 bottles

Pruning Method: Double Guyot

Soil: Clay mixed with limestone, sandy clay and silex

Varieties: 66% Sauvignon Blanc, 34% Semillon

The grapes are harvested by hand and the bunches are placed in the press intact. The grapes are pressed slowly in order to obtain the clearest juice possible. The Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc are vinified separately in enamel-lined vat, blended and left to spend several weeks on it’s fine lees.

Tasting Note: Greenish straw in the glass with scents of apricot, flowers, warm almond skins and beeswax. The bright palate offers up melon and citrus fruit with a thick core of white pit fruit minerality and herbaceous acidity. This blend has terrific concentration and outstanding balance.

Pairing: Grilled fish, chicken and vegetables. hearty garden salads, pasta dishes with spring vegetables, young milk cheeses or simply by itself.


Cuvée N comme… Rosé:— Back to the top

Grapes: 50 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Cabernet franc

Soil: Clay mixed with limestone, sandy clay & silex

Vinification: The grapes are slowly pressed in order to get as clear color as possible. Fermentation in tanks followed by a short stay on fine lees.

Personality: Elegant and well-balanced. The mouth is a true fruit basket, full of red berries, with a nice roundness and fresh finish that makes it perfect for pairing with a wide array of dishes, from fresh cheeses to fruit sorbet! 

From the winemaker — “With this blend, we’re looking for a delicate yet complex nose and a round, full-fruit palate.”

Cuvée N comme… Blanc

On the label:

This cuvée was previously named “Nadia” after the winemaker herself. Says Nadia, “After more than a decade it was time for a change — time for Nadia to go back to being simply my name, and not the name of a cuvée!

“I worked together with our visual artist Alice on a design that would bring out the feminine side, but subtly: the idea was to identify well-known women who have inspired my journey or who have a relationship with the region, and to place their first initial on the label. The comme (“as in”) allows the name to be open to the imagination, allows the person tasting to claim the wine as their own and interpret their own feelings about it.  N comme Nadège, Nature, Nuage (cloud)….”

The 2023 vintage features Nadia Comaneci, an Olympic gymnast from Romania.  “Back when I was a gymnast, I was inspired by Nadia. She was a role model for women gymnasts everywhere!”

2024

Grapes: 70% Sauvignon, 30 % Sémillon

Vineyard: Clay soil

Making of: Sauvignon is direct-pressed immediately after harvest, while Sémillon macerates on the skins in stainless steel for 24 hours before being pressed. Pressings tend to be very long. The wine undergoes spontaneous fermentation in concrete tanks, then ages on fine lees for several weeks before bottling.

Personality (winemaker’s note): Like the previous vintage, “a crisp, complex nose leads into a rounded, fruity palate with a fresh finish. Aromas of yellow fruits and acacia blossoms. A wine without aggression, with roundness and finesse that finishes in a gentle acidity – beautifully balanced!”

2023

Grapes:  60% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Semillon

Making of: Grapes are harvested by hand and ferment with their natural yeasts in concrete tanks. The wine is left to age for several weeks on the fine lees. 

Personality: From the winemaker, “this vintage has a complex and powerful nose with yellow fruits; the palate is round and fruity with a super-fresh finish. Perfectly suited for apéritif, or as an accompaniment to salads and crudité, grilled white meat, fresh goat’s cheese and of course seafood and shellfish.”

 


La Miss (white):— Back to the top

La Miss tech sheet

Age of Vines: 10 to 30 Years

Yields: 2500 bottles annually

Pruning Method: Double Guyot

Soil: Clay mixed with limestone, sandy clay and silex

Varieties: 50% Semillon, 50% Sauvignon Blanc

Vinification Method: The grapes for La Miss are harvested by hand from the best parcels of the vineyard. A second selection comes about in the winery when the best juice is separated from the rest. A part of the harvest (typically the Semillon) is fermented in tank, and the rest ferments directly in old barrel for about four months. After a year, the two are blended and a very light dose of sulfur is added when the wine is bottled unfiltered.

Tasting Note: The Semillon gives this cuvee a rich powerful feel while still staying true to the elegance of Savignon Blanc with notes of citrus and tropical fruit, wet stones, and racy acidity it is more like a “Super” Savignon.

Pairing: Perfect Match for rich seafood, roasted chicken with root vegetables, and goat cheese.