ODYSSEE Odyssee , Medoc, Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Created in 2015 as a personal project by Pierre Graffeuille, managing director of Château Léoville-Las Cases, in partnership with Rhône grower-winemaker Matthieu Dumarcher, Odyssee set out to capture the character of two great regions in one bottle. Cabernet Sauvignon comes off deep gravel in the northern Médoc, while Grenache and Mourvèdre (and occasionally Counoise or Syrah, depending on vintage) are drawn from organic, low-yield sites in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas on pebbles and clay-limestone. The wine is bottled as Vin de France to allow this cross-regional blend, with production typically around 7–8,000 individually numbered bottles.

Winemaking follows a Bordelais hand with Rhône detail: each component is vinified separately, then Odyssee is assembled and aged in French barriques, including barrels from Léoville-Las Cases, with careful oak integration so structure and fruit sit in balance rather than being dominated by wood. Recent vintages sit roughly around 55–61% Cabernet Sauvignon with 25–40% Grenache and smaller portions of Mourvèdre or Counoise, yielding a full-bodied yet fresh style with Médoc tannin and drive wrapped in Rhône spice, dark fruit and garrigue notes. In bottle, critics such as Wine Advocate and Decanter have awarded high scores in the mid-90s, highlighting depth, concentration and 20-plus-year ageing potential, placing Odyssee firmly in the serious fine-wine conversation rather than as a novelty blend.