Latest from Decanter (Vanilla) in Graves-pessac-leognan

Bordeaux 2025: Terroir-transparency on full display in Pessac–Léognan & Graves

Georgie Hindle — Fri, 01 May 2026 13:35:00 +0000

At a glance: Pessac & Graves 2025

Average yield: 31hl/ha for reds and 27hl/ha for whites (low but quality-focused).

Clay-limestone terroirs performed well, with some estates achieving relatively higher yields than Pomerol or St-Julien thanks to deep root systems and the beneficial late-August rain.

Pessac-Léognan and Graves produced wines of striking purity and mineral precision, but the vintage exposed clear differences across the appellation’s patchwork of terroirs – both for styles and yields.

However, Fabien Teitgen at Château Smith Haut Lafitte described 2025 as the third warmest year after 2022 and 2023 but with, ‘more rain in 2025 than 2022’ and cooler minimum temperatures.

Gravel-dominant sites, while well-drained, were more vulnerable to the prolonged summer drought and recorded tighter, lower-yielding crops.

Meanwhile, estates with deeper clay or limestone influence benefited from better water retention and cooler night-time temperatures, delivering more balanced, vibrant wines with fresher acidity and refined tannins.

Despite the, at times intense, heat, Jean-Jacques Bonnie owner of Château Malartic-Lagravière observed that the vineyard, ‘didn’t look like it was feeling the stress… [we] didn’t have the long and tiring heat like in 2022’.

As elsewhere in the region, the late-August rains (lighter here than in the northern Médoc but still transformative) eased hydric stress without causing dilution, while early harvesting for white wines preserved exceptional aromatics and acidity.

The overall result is elegant, terroir-transparent wines – cool fruit, wet-stone and graphite minerality, with Cabernet freshness balancing Merlot roundness – emphasising vibrancy, texture and energy rather than sheer power or opulence.

Many winemakers noted a successful marriage of 2010/2016 structure with 2022 ripeness but without the heat or heaviness, though the vintage required careful extraction and sorting to manage thick, drought-stressed skins.

A paradox vintage

Jean-Christophe Mau of Château Brown (Image credit: Georgie Hindle)

As always, temperature extremes call for more attention in the cellar.

At Château Pape Clément winemaker Matt Turner focused on, ‘texture and energy and vibrancy rather than just power’, using optical sorting and careful extraction on thick drought-stressed skins.

Turner was joined by Pablo Laborde (formerly of Penfolds/Treasury Wine Estates), who as group director in early 2026, overseeing blending and ageing across the portfolio – including a major refocus at Château Pape Clément on its historic heart plots in Pessac (fruit from Martillac is now directed to the second wine, Clémentin)

There were many comparisons to 2022 as well, but with some nuance.

Guillaume Alexandre Marx, commercial director for Domaine Clarence Dillon, the owner of Château Haut-Brion, Château La Mission Haut-Brion, and Château Quintus said: ‘For us 2025 is really in the style 2010, 2016 and 2022 – a combination of the three. We have fruit ripeness and a lot of freshness.’

However, Guillaume Pouthier director of Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion called 2025, ‘a paradox vintage – warm and dry with lots of tannins,’ but ‘there’s less volume in the mouth because of less alcohol and less glycerol’.

He said there, ‘is the same energy as 2022 but the balance is different’.

What's new

In one of the year’s biggest transitions, 90-year-old Bernard Magrez has just handed over leadership of his extensive estate group to his son Philippe Magrez (who has long overseen commercial and export strategy).

Pablo Laborde (formerly of Penfolds/Treasury Wine Estates) joined as group director in early 2026, overseeing blending and ageing across the portfolio – including a major refocus at Château Pape Clément on its historic heart plots in Pessac (Martillac fruit now directed to the second wine, Clémentin).

Smith Haut Lafitte (Pessac-Léognan): Tracey Dobbin MW joined the Executive Board for international strategy earlier this year while Florence Cathiard stepped into a co-chair role alongside her children Mathilde and Alice.

The 2025 vintage was the last for the late Daniel Cathiard who passed away in January 2026 with a special commemorative label already in place for the primeur sample bottles.

Maison Dourthe (owner of Châteaux Belgrave, La Garde, Le Boscq, etc.): Pénélope Godefroy (ex-Artémis Domaines) took over as CEO/Managing Director in May 2025, focusing on international growth.

Coming soon

Château Haut-Brion (Pessac-Léognan, 1st Growth) has its striking Annabelle Selldorf-designed, carbon-neutral winery complex (built with rammed earth using estate soils) nearing completion.

The project includes production areas, a museum/library, and research centre. It opens to visitors in January 2027, so the 2025 wines were made in the existing setup – but this remains a defining milestone for the estate.

Bordeaux 2025: Top wines from Pessac & Graves

Bordeaux 2023 retasted in bottle: 30 of the finest wines from this excellent vintage

Collector’s Guide: Left Bank Bordeaux

Decanter Fine Wine Index: Which vintages of Château Cheval Blanc offer value for collectors?

Best Cru Bourgeois 2024 wines tasted en primeur

Valeria Tenison — Mon, 26 May 2025 23:00:54 +0000

All Bordeaux 2024 coverage:

Full vintage analysis & top-scoring wines | How the weather conditions shaped the vintage | The growing season month by month | Wine styles: what to expect | Market conditions and pricing strategies

Appellation analysis to come

Cru Bourgeois 2024: Wines offering early-drinking pleasure

Average yield Médoc: 26.2hl/ha, Haut-Médoc: 29hl/ha

Variance from 2023: -55.5% (40.9.hl/ha), -31.7% (38.2hl/ha)

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top wines from Cru Bourgeois 2024

Vintage overview

The 2024 Cru Bourgeois tasting revealed a vintage marked by low alcohol levels – rarely exceeding 13% – and generally delicate tannins.

Quality was notably heterogeneous, with some estates crafting refined, perfumed wines while others struggled with balance and ripeness.

Interestingly, cuvées with a higher proportion of Petit Verdot stood out for their perfumed floral, peppery character and fuller body.

In some wines, the wood overwhelmed the delicate fruit, dulling the aromatic clarity. However, the best examples showed an elegant, floral character and lifted aromatics that added charm and freshness.

Many wines are already quite accessible, with soft structures and open-knit profiles that suggest they’ll be enjoyable on release, even if not destined for extended cellaring.

Overall, 2024 for the Cru Bourgeois is a vintage of early-drinking pleasure rather than long-haul ageing, with finesse and fragrance talking over power.

Highlights and value

Château Barreyres, Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois)
Château Beaumont, Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur)
Château Beauvillage, Médoc (Cru Bourgeois)
Chateau Bel Air Gloria, Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur)
Château de la Croix, Médoc (Cru Bourgeois)
Château Le Crock, St-Estèphe (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel)
Château Ramage la Batisse, Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur
Château Reverdi, Listrac-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel)
Château Tour Saint-Fort, St-Estèphe (Cru Bourgeois)
Château La Cardonne, Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur)
Château de Malleret, Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel)

See all 57 Cru Bourgeois 2024 wines

See the top-scoring Cru Bourgeois 2024 wines

Search all 700+ Bordeaux 2024 en primeur ratings

Best Pessac-Léognan 2024 wines tasted en primeur

Valeria Tenison — Sun, 25 May 2025 15:25:09 +0000

All Bordeaux 2024 coverage:

Appellation analysis to come

Pessac-Léognan 2024: Vibrant tangy whites and uneven reds but with some standouts

Average yield reds: 39hl/ha

Variance from 2023: 2.2% (38.1hl/ha)

Average yield whites: 42.3hl/ha

Variance from 2023: -18.9% (50.3hl/ha)

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top wines from Pessac-Léognan 2024

Vintage overview

Pessac-Leeognan was the highest yielding appellation for reds on the Left Bank and, together with the Graves, one of only two to increase yields from last year. For still whites, Pessac is third to the Entre-deux-Mers and Bordeaux Blanc appellations.

The 2024 vintage in Pessac-Léognan presented a mixed picture, shaped by the region’s higher-than-average rainfall during the beginning of the season.

Overall, classified châteaux performed well, likely thanks to greater resources enabling more rigorous sorting in a challenging year.

Some white wines, like Larrivet Haut-Brion, were the standout, offering vibrant, tangy acidity and aromatic clarity that promise excellent ageing potential.

They are precise, refreshing, and stylistically consistent, with a fine balance between ripeness and tension.

The reds were more uneven. While some estates managed to craft elegant, structured wines – especially those leaning more heavily on Cabernet Sauvignon – many lacked concentration and definition.

In some cases, the tannins came across as slightly green, and the fruit a touch diluted.

The top red wines will benefit from mid-term cellaring, but a significant number are best enjoyed in the first decade, as they may not have the structure or fruit depth for extended maturation.

White standouts

Château Smith Haut Lafitte
Château La Louvière
Château Couhins-Lurton

White highlights

Château Haut-Brion Blanc
Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc
Château Larrivet Haut-Brion
Château Malartic-Lagravière Blanc
Domaine de Chevalier Blanc
Château Lespault-Martillac Blanc
Château Pape Clément Blanc
Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Les Hauts de Smith Blanc
Château Cantelys Blanc
Château de Fieuzal Blanc
Château Carbonnieux Blanc
Château Latour-Martillac Blanc
Château Olivier Blanc
Château Carbonnieux Blanc

Red standouts

Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion
Domaine de Chevalier

Red highlights

Château Haut-Brion
Château La Mission Haut-Brion
Château Smith Haut Lafitte
Château Carbonnieux
Château Couhins-Lurton
Château La Garde
Château Cantelys
Château Haut-Bailly
Château Malartic-Lagravière
Château Pape Clément
Château Latour-Martillac

See all 79 Pessac-Léognan 2024 en primeur wines tasted

See the top-scoring Pessac-Léognan 2024 wines

Search all 700+ Bordeaux 2024 en primeur ratings

The best Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2022 in bottle

Georgie Hindle — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 09:57:38 +0000

Pessac-Léognan and Graves suffered from it all in 2022 including frost, bordering wildfires and serious drought.

Vineyards received the least amount of rain from veraison to harvest compared to the other major appellations, as much as -50.7% compared to the 10 year average.

Scroll down for the top-rated Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2022 in bottle

Hot but balanced

It also had the hottest summer temperatures meaning irrigation was exceptionally permitted as a recourse to battle the elements.

Of course not all vines suffered the same so expect wines covering a multitude of styles from opulent and heady to lean and tense depending on the terroir.

The best have a wonderful vein of zesty acidity which counters the concentration.

Alcohols are generally low with a handful of wines at 14.5% and only one at 15% of the ones I tasted.

A top duo

My top two wines, in very different styles, were the 100-point Château Smith Haut Lafitte and Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, both of which wowed in their own way.

Smith’s is broad and powerful with plump fruit and persistent salinity, while Les Carmes is concentrated yet full of energy, focus and finesse.

Both wines present the signature of their estates with exceptional winemaking on show.

Château Haut-Brion and Château La Mission Haut-Brion were both impressive, with the former presenting an almost understated expression, it was more relaxed and open compared to LMHB at this point.

Both will be extremely enjoyable in a few years and will age well.

Mineral markers

For me, wines displaying terroir markers of minerality, salty stone, slate and graphite were particularly enjoyable.

These include the wonderful Domaine de Chevalier with richness and power but silky smooth tannins and bite as well as the rising-star estate Château La Garde with its limestone soils imparting succulent acidity with energy and tension.

Château Haut Bailly and Château Malartic Lagravière were also impressive.

I think that Château Trigant is a top buy and Domaine de la Solitude is another great pick to enjoy now.

All Pessac & Graves 2022 in bottle scores

COMING SOON

Tasting notes for all 800 Bordeaux 2022s

plus

BORDEAUX 2022 IN BOTTLE SCORE TABLE: Top-scoring wines with 93 points or above

Individual appellation analysis and top-scoring wines

Top-rated Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2022 in bottle

Best St-Estèphe 2022 in bottle

Georgie Hindle — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 09:42:12 +0000

St-Estephe was battered by hail and drought in 2022 causing widespread damage in the ‘hail corridor’ running through the appellation as well as stressing the vines during the height of summer.

Scroll down for the top-rated St-Estèphe 2022 in bottle

Low yields as a result gave way to many highly concentrated, fully charged wines which are still a little more firm than in other areas of the region.

There’s plenty of power and grip on show and in the best cases lots of vibrant acidity and freshness too.

In general, once these wines settle, and any remaining oak is integrated, they will provide excellent drinkability as well as ageability.

Top picks

Château Montrose and Château Cos d’Estournel were my top picks, with both bottles upgraded by a point from their En Primeur score.

Montrose particularly is one of the most impressive wines of the vintage with a sumptuous and seductive palate full of heady fruit but with gorgeous lifted acidity as well as mineral terroir markers.

Its second wine Dame de Montrose is also a fabulous wine and one of the best second wines in 2022.

Cos equally shone, presenting the vintage conditions in the weight and texture of the wine but with such elegance and finesse.

Château Lafon-Rochet (the first full vintage with ex-Lafite winemaker Christophe Congé in charge) and Château Le Boscq are both fantastic.

As of 2022, the team at Vignobles Dourthe took ownership of the vines at Le Boscq instead of renting and began the first year of organic conversion due to be completed this year.

Château De Pez impressed showing the continued work happening at this estate as well as being the first wine produced in the new cellar.

It’s a top buy with a muscular structure alongside great energy and focus. The Cru Bourgeois estates of Lilian Ladouys and Le Crock are also well worth seeking out.

All St-Estèphe 2022 in bottle scores

COMING SOON

Tasting notes for all 800 Bordeaux 2022s

plus

BORDEAUX 2022 IN BOTTLE SCORE TABLE: Top-scoring wines with 93 points or above

Individual appellation analysis and top-scoring wines

Top-rated St-Estèphe 2022 in bottle

Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2018: Panel tasting results

Gareth Birchley — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 08:00:49 +0000

Gareth Birchley, Arthur Coggill and Melody Wong tasted 66 wines, with 31 Highly recommended.

Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2018: Panel tasting scores

66 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 0

Highly recommended 31

Recommended 32

Commended 3

Fair 0

Poor 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their 2018 vintage of any Pessac-Léognan or Graves designated red wine, including cru classé

By late April 2018, London was already melting, and there was wall-to-wall sunshine well into October. Bordeaux had a different spring. Record March rainfall led to humidity in the vineyards and a real concern of rot before the buds had even burst.

Unusual as it was, it was July before our cousins in Aquitaine felt the benefits of any kind of heatwave. From then on, by contrast, the stage was set and Bordeaux experienced one of the hottest periods in half a century.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores from the Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2018 panel tasting

On the basis of this tasting, what was produced in 2018 in the Graves and Pessac Léognan – to the south and southeast of Bordeaux city – was very much a mixed bag. Curiously, the two regions generally didn’t differ vastly in qualitative terms, but stylistically were polar opposites.

While the wines from Graves seemed curiously lean and lighter than we expected from such a warm vintage, both Melody Wong and Arthur Coggill agreed that the Pessacs were clearly much richer in body and texture and on the verge, in some cases, of being over the top.

Coggill put the ‘fruit-forward’ nature of many of the wines down to a ‘reflection of market demand’. With none of the wines peaking at more than 14.5% alcohol, it does seem strange that there were so many voluptuous examples. ‘I feel like the winemakers were trying too hard,’ Wong concurred.

We were all stumped as to how exactly two regions that are so similar geographically and geologically could make such consistently different expressions. Without doubt, those searching for freshness should save their pennies and buy the cheaper Graves wines, but those in pursuit of longevity should stick to the richer examples from Pessac-Léognan, which generally had ripe tannins that were well integrated but sometimes felt excessive.

See all the wines from the Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2018 panel tasting

I’ve often said that with Burgundy prices through the roof, in 2024, Bordeaux is the best value region around if you’re spending more than £50 per bottle – mainly because there’s great availability of mature vintages at similar prices to much younger wines.

Flipping that on its head, young, slightly disjointed wines feel overpriced compared to other regions. This tasting showed that in Bordeaux, paying more is key. Sadly, at the lower end, the quality doesn’t seem to be there and the wines lack identity and a sense of place. I’ll be curious to follow these wines over the coming decade.

In summary, there were no bad wines, but no outstanding examples either. There were notable omissions from the upper echelon of these regions, which would, no doubt, have pulled the average scores up dramatically. I know for sure that wines such as châteaux Haut-Bailly and Les Carmes Haut-Brion were stunning in 2018.

That being said, Wong noted that, in some cases, the ‘overall quality does not reflect the respective price-tags’. Coggill concluded that: ‘You wouldn’t be disappointed if you bought these wines… but at the same time, you’re not getting something amazing for the price.’

Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2018 panel tasting scores

Wines were tasted blind

The judges

Gareth Birchley is buying director at London-based Burns & German Vintners. After arriving in London in 2006, he worked in sales and senior buying roles at Bordeaux Index and Berry Bros & Rudd, before joining Burns & German in 2019.

Arthur Coggill is head of business development at London-based merchant Hatton & Edwards. Having joined Goedhuis & Co in a fine wine sales role in 2013, he ran its investment fund Vintage Capital for eight years before moving solely to buying in 2021, joining Hatton & Edwards in 2024.

Melody Wong is director of wine at The Peninsula, London. An experienced sommelier and wine buyer, she has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants and top hotels across the UK. In 2022, she was nominated in the GQ Food & Drink Awards Best Sommelier category.

Pessac & Graves 2021 in bottle: Overview plus top-scoring wines

Georgie Hindle — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 12:28:39 +0000

This region was severely impacted by the frost in early 2021 with the lowest yields of the major appellations across Bordeaux. Quality is uneven but there are still some lovely wines that showcase ripe fruit, high acidities and lots of estate signature – usually exemplified by a wet stone, graphite minerality and clean, lean texture which is straight and not at all plush.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top Pessac & Graves 2021 in-bottle wines

Lower alcohols are common across the board as is an easy charm with some savoury accents adding to the fruit.

Smith Haut Lafitte, Haut Brion and Les Carmes Haut-Brion are excellent as is La Mission Haut Brion, Domaine de Chevalier and Malartic-Lagravière.

Many other wines are juicy and fragrant and will be suitable for early enjoyment.

Dry whites

Cooler years tend to produce great white wines in Bordeaux and 2021 was no exception with plenty of lively acidities, citrus fruit and lean textures on offer.

Some whites are still masked by oak and others have green fruit and lack some juiciness but the best fall into two categories – those that are slightly richer and more oily with hints of fatness and acidity and those that are razor sharp and direct. Both have their place for lovers of dry whites in Bordeaux so choose the producer style you like.

The whites from Smith Haut Lafitte, Haut-Brion and La Mission were very impressive as were those from Domaine de Chevalier, Couhins-Lurton, Malartic-Lagravière and Larrivet Haut Brion.

Outside of the Graves, Margaux’s Pavillon Blanc, Lafleur’s Les Champs Libres and Grand Village Blanc really wow.

BORDEAUX 2021 IN BOTTLE SCORE TABLE: Top-scoring 133 wines with 93 points or above

Individual appellation analysis and top-scoring wines

See tasting notes and scores for the top Pessac & Graves 2021 in-bottle wines

Wines are listed in score order white then red

See all Bordeaux 2021 in-bottle wines in score order

Bordeaux 2021 in bottle: overview plus top-scoring wines

Pessac-Léognan rebranded with tagline ‘L’Esprit Bordeaux’

Panos Kakaviatos — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 03:00:43 +0000

An initial press conference on 9 November at Château Haut Brion, Pessac-Léognan Premier Grand Cru Classé, yielded news of ‘repositioning’ Bordeaux’s youngest appellation, Pessac-Léognan, with a new logo and publicity campaign that de-emphasises its link to the larger Graves region, while underscoring its Bordeaux city origins.

Pessac-Léognan: L’Esprit Bordeaux is meant to clearly communicate that Pessac-Léognan’s 70 châteaux with 1,880 hectares under vine ‘flank the outskirts’ of the Aquitaine capital, making ‘our wines quintessentially Bordeaux’ – so goes the text in a branded brochure that highlights the appellation’s soils and climate, its red and white wines, its family-owned wineries and its proximity to the city of Bordeaux.

Speaking at the conference, Jacques Lurton, president of the Pessac-Léognan wine association, explained that although the appellation was created in 1987, ‘it is developed on an ancient terroir where the first wines were cultivated 2,000 years ago, less than half an hour from Bordeaux city centre’.

‘The idea was to effectively define our strengths, and what we want to become, or where we want to go in the future,’ said Lurton during a second event at the end of November.

‘We wanted a new logo first, and then a new tagline,’ which was put forward by branding consultant Pascal Beucler and inspired from answers given during a survey of wine industry professionals.

‘The idea is that we are an urban appellation within the city of Bordeaux so we have to look towards, and associate, it with our communication’ said Lurton. ‘We are proud of the connection and we want to bring the spirit that links us to the fore,’ he added.

‘It was something quite strong for us to choose this, but we chose it together. It’s important for us to support Bordeaux too’, said Severine Bonnie of Château Malartic Lagravière.

‘We have done many things over the last four decades,’ said Domaine de Chevalier owner and winemaker Olivier Bernard, ‘and now it’s time to take the next step.’

The campaign is less about new initiatives but rather recognises work achieved over the last 35 years, said Beucler. Using a French play on words: Après le faire, c’est le faire savoir, he said.

In the past three decades Pessac-Léognan has pursued a dynamic promotional policy including hosting open house weekends in December and June for 25 years, organising wine tastings in major European cities and around key dates such as the Avant-Première des Primeurs evening in April. There is also the Pessac-Léognan trophy for sommelier students as well as ongoing research with the ISVV and Bordeaux wine schools.

The new bi-lingual English and French brochure is ‘like a manifesto of what we are today and what we’d like to be tomorrow,’ said Bonnie who was part of the committee agreeing the new guidelines.

While the group admits; ‘it’s not a revolution’ – they affirm it’s more an ‘evolution’ while emphasising the production of classified Bordeaux red and white wines as ‘unique’.

Pessac Leognan Bordeaux vineyards (Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Pessac-Léognan counts 14 classified growths from the Graves appellation of 1953 in 10 communes from the northern part of that region, but Graves has become associated with lesser quality further south. As Ben Giliberti, wine educator for importer Calvert Woodley in Washington D.C., put it: ‘The vast majority of classified growth buyers now recognise the importance of the Pessac-Léognan designation’ as opposed to what he calls ‘the swill that’s made in the rest of the Graves’.

Pessac-Léognan has more stringent rules for vineyard planting density and yields and its estates are more innovative for organic and biodynamic winemaking.

Muting the link to Graves reflects a practice that consumers may not have noticed in recent years. Most of the 14 classified estates, including eight for white wine, have removed references to Graves. The front label of the 2010 vintage of Château Malartic Lagravière, for example, indicates ‘Grand Cru Classé de Graves’. But the 2020 label only shows ‘Grand Cru Classé’ with the appellation designation of Pessac-Léognan.

‘It’s a bit of an emancipation’ – un affranchissement – from the Graves origins, since the classification was set before the creation of Pessac-Léognan, said Lurton. Those keeping the Graves reference now wonder whether they should also remove it. ‘With this initiative, we may consider cutting the umbilical cord (to Graves) by also removing the specific reference, but it must be done with the consent of the entire family at the château,’ added Edouard Kressmann of the classified Château Latour Martillac.

Branding consultant Beucler draws a parallel with another famous Bordeaux region, saying that Château Latour does not advertise so much the Médoc – even if it’s a classified First Growth from the 1855 classification bearing the Médoc name – but rather as Pauillac, the more specific appellation within the region. Industry observers like Giliberti agreed: ‘Replacing Cru Classé de Graves with just Cru Classé makes sense to me as they are all Pessac-Léognan anyway.’

‘We are coming from the Graves, but where others focus solely on their appellations, we are doing the same,’ said Bernard. ‘Pessac is born in the Graves, today we are still part of it, but our communication is not to be as close as we’ve been in the past. It’s not to forget the Graves but Pessac-Léognan has its own story,’ he added.

As for the Crus Classés they are ‘happy to have a strong base’ and to benefit from the new branding, said Bonnie.

The new logo will be mainly used for social media and promotional purposes but may be added to wine labels – front or back. It will be up to châteaux owners to decide.

It is not clear how important this initiative is for end consumers – strong brands like Haut Brion, Haut Bailly, Domaine de Chevalier and Smith Haut Lafitte sell well whatever logo or appellation identity but the group hopes to strengthen the ties between the appellation and Bordeaux city as its ‘strongest supporter’.

‘We all share the same idea and the same goal – that’s not so easy but we’re all working together’ to continue to improve among other things; the quality of the wines, the tourism efforts and the overall image of Pessac-Léognan.

‘We have the only vineyard in Bordeaux you can reach by tram, and others by bike’, said Lurton and there are plans underway to develop wine routes by boat.

‘Now is the right time to make a new step,’ Bernard concluded.

Additional reporting by Georgie Hindle.

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Pessac-Léognan: Setting the pace

Elin McCoy — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 08:00:18 +0000

March was a starry month for Bordeaux’s Pessac-Léognan, but most wine lovers didn’t even realise it. Backstage at the glamorous 95th Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood, nominees and winners sipped La Clarté de Haut-Brion, a white wine made by first growth Château Haut-Brion in Pessac-Léognan. Yet few wine lovers outside France know that appellation name, or that in 1987 it was carved from the northern part of the wider Graves region south of Bordeaux.

Wildly energetic Jacques Lurton, who became the president of the Syndicat de Pessac-Léognan last year, aims for global awareness. He says: ‘I want to shake the tree. Pessac-Léognan should be one of the best-known names in Bordeaux, like Margaux in the Médoc and St-Emilion on the Right Bank. Our identity is our wines’ high quality. Our style is elegance and balance, not excess.’

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores of 12 top Pessac-Léognan wines

You could argue it’s the most dynamic wine spot in Bordeaux.

A recently opened cellar is the region’s ultimate in eco-consciousness. Winemakers are experimenting with new grapes and wines. A vibrant tourism scene includes Bordeaux’s first ‘forest bathing’ tasting, and much more.

Lurton likes to talk about the future, but Pessac also has a long, illustrious wine history, and for centuries was more important than the Médoc. The warm local climate, partly shaped by the pine forests sheltering vines from wind and humidity, and a range of terroirs make it special for both reds and whites. Yet it was only Château Haut-Brion in this region that was classified in the 1855 classification. The Crus Classés de Graves, a group of 16 top châteaux, wasn’t created until 1953. All are in Pessac-Léognan.

Lurton’s father André, who died in 2019, fought to establish the appellation. Now, after spending 20 years making wine all over the globe before returning to his Bordeaux roots to run Vignobles André Lurton, Jacques Lurton is presiding over an appellation in the throes of change. Here’s what’s new.

The ultimate eco-cellar

Nothing symbolises today’s environmental era in Pessac-Léognan better than the gorgeous innovative chai at Château Haut-Bailly, which opened to visitors in 2021. Grand architectural-statement cellars dot Bordeaux, but Haut-Bailly’s looks like a tree- and shrub-covered hillock that blends into, rather than dominates, the landscape.

It’s constructed in the shape of a circle, the best way, says managing director Véronique Sanders, to match a building with the land. Two-thirds is underground; a curved window like an eye lets in natural light. Above the domed ceiling a roof garden, with dogwood, pine trees, plants and grasses able to survive without extra watering, keeps the cellar temperature stable. The Jardin du chai won a silver medal at the Victoires du Paysage 2022, a national competition that rewards the most beautiful landscaping of the year.

‘It’s also a cellar for tomorrow, able to cope with climate change,’ explains Sanders. Like the appellation’s other recently opened cellars, at Châteaux Latour-Martillac and La Garde, it’s designed for precision winemaking with small vats, to save energy, and to conserve water and recycle waste.

Wine discoveries

Château Pape Clément owner Bernard Magrez with the château’s namesake, Pope Clément V. (Image credit: Olivier Roux / Sagaphoto.com / Alamy Stock Photo)

The region’s white wines typically feature Sauvignon Blanc solo or blended with fuller-bodied Semillon, and sometimes Sauvignon Gris or Muscadelle. But there’s a new fascination with Semillon, which requires warmer temperatures so is well suited to a changing climate.

At Château Latour-Martillac, Semillon is the historical variety, with many different clones preserved in the property’s oldest plot. The Kressmann family spent more than a decade identifying the best three for a tiny parcel, whose grapes first went into the 2014 vintage.

Lurton is also a fan, for Semillon’s ability to age, and for its Bordeaux origins. He’s started planting Semillon at his Châteaux La Louvière and Rochemorin and launched a varietal example under his new brand Diane.

Pessac-Léognan reds are generally blends of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot, but Château La Garde, owned by Maison Dourthe, has launched a new Mosaic line of single-varietal wines from single terroirs, available to buy at the property. The numerous vats in its brand-new cellar enable the separate vinification of grapes from its vineyard’s 27 soil types. And in its new tasting room, you can purchase a collector box of six of those wines with art labels: Merlot on gravels, Merlot on limestone, Merlot on clay, Merlot on clay and limestone, Cabernet Sauvignon on deep gravels, and Cabernet Sauvignon on gravel and clay.

As in other parts of Bordeaux, châteaux are ageing some wines in clay amphorae. At La Garde, global brand director Valentin Jestin says using them for the new varietal line ensures that the purity of the fruit will reveal the true character of the terroir.

The ever-innovative Lurton, too, is playing around with terroir and amphorae at Château Couhins-Lurton with two new wines called Acte II. For the white (100% Sauvignon Blanc), he selects clay and gravel plots whose characteristics are different from those used for the grand vin, and ferments and ages it mostly in horizontal sandstone amphorae, using 70% amphora and 30% barrel. The Château Couhins-Lurton regular white reverses the percentages.

The new tourism

From left: Emilie, Charlotte and Valentine Gervoson, Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion (Image credit: Credit Unknown)

The first time I visited Château La Mission Haut-Brion’s famous vineyard, I was taken aback by how urban it was: streets, houses, schools and city buildings surrounded it. But as wine tourism booms, Pessac-Léognan is pushing its proximity to downtown Bordeaux as a plus that offers city visitors easy access to nature.

Wine lovers can hop on a tram or bus, ride a few stops, and be a short walk from Châteaux Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pape Clément and several others with gorgeous gardens and vineyards to stroll in. At Pape Clément, you can (since 2017) purchase olive oil from the estate’s thousand-year-old olive trees.

One of the most intriguing new nature and wine experiences is Château Olivier’s Bain de Forêt, or forest bathing. Inspired by Japanese sylvotherapy, the estate initiated it last year, with the aim of helping visitors discover the château’s vast park of century-old trees. Jean Clauzel, the château’s head of oenotourism, says: ‘The immersion is walking and soaking up the forest as far as the eye can see to experience a real moment of escape.’ The guided tours include feeling tree bark and walking without shoes, and culminate in a tasting of the château’s white wine.

Starting this spring, Châteaux Carbonnieux and Larrivet Haut-Brion have joined La Bulle Verte low-carbon wine road, which is an itinerary for tastings, lunches and outdoor picnics that you can explore on foot or with electric bikes or scooters.

Almost all of the region’s 75 châteaux are family-owned, and today’s innovative tourism culture owes a lot to the new generation. At Château Larrivet Haut-Brion, the three daughters in the Gervoson family are behind a series of unusual projects, including a collection of painted concrete eggs, a chance to create your own wine blend, escape games in the cellar and, this summer, Saturday morning yoga.

The first in modern Pessac-Léognan to understand the importance of wine tourism was the Cathiard family of Château Smith Haut Lafitte, whose luxury hotel Les Sources de Caudalie has just been completely refurbished. They have also launched a label in the Napa Valley, earlier this year.

The newest luxury place to stay, though, is Château Léognan, which opens this summer with glamorous rooms in the château, tower and renovated stables, featuring views of surrounding pine forests, and unique cabins and treehouses in the heart of the woods.

Collector appeal

Elegant new visitor centre Le Pavillon Catelan, close to Château Haut-Brion (Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Château Haut-Brion has always been the star of the appellation, and owner Prince Robert of Luxembourg has been upping its presence around the world for a decade. Now he’s opened Le Pavillon Catelan, a super-elegant visitor centre with 19th-century decor between Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion. The vaulted cellar with its own patio is a grand wine boutique where collectors can purchase rare verticals.

Naturally, a couple of estates offer NFTs (non-fungible tokens). Château Pape Clément, Bordeaux’s oldest wine estate, instituted an NFT club last year to celebrate 770 vintages, from 1252 to 2022. The membership card entitles the buyer to a specially labelled bottle of the great 2016 vintage, a numbered digital artwork and VIP experiences.

And at the beginning of Bordeaux en primeur week in April [first tastings of the new 2022 vintage], Château Malartic-Lagravière launched NFTs linked to engraved and numbered magnums of its 2022 vintage. The estate, owned by the Bonnie family, became the first Bordeaux château to partner with new, exclusive and very expensive private wine society the Osiris Club. Members spend a day blending their own red with the winemaker, touring the cellar and eating lunch at the château.

Climate change and sustainability

Lurton, like other château owners, feels the most important challenge for Pessac-Léognan is finding ways to fight climate change. The eco-pioneer is Château Smith Haut Lafitte, which has long farmed organically (officially certified in 2019) and biodynamically, and boasts a ‘stealth winery’ (Chai Furtif – dedicated to the estate’s young vines) which houses the world’s first system to recycle CO2 from fermentation. This year the Cathiards have added the first llamas to munch grass between the vines.

Organic vineyards are increasing; others moving that way include Château de Fieuzal and Domaine de Chevalier.

Non-traditional grape varieties are also on the rise, with adaptation to a changing climate in mind. At Pape Clément, drones now measure water stress and vine health, while robots routinely weed vineyards.

But the key centre for research in Pessac-Léognan is cru classé Château Couhins, owned by a research institute. INRA, the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, acquired it in 1968 as an experimental site. It developed a ‘GreenSeeker’ sensor to assess and map vines’ vigour plant by plant. They’re studying ways rootstocks and varieties interact and testing 52 grapes’ adaptation to climate change. So far, says château director Dominique Forget, whites that show promise include Petite Arvine, Roussanne, Chenin Blanc and even Assyrtiko.

For Pessac-Léognan, the future looks bright.

Defining a region: McCoy’s pick of 12 from Pessac-Léognan

Wines are listed in colour order, white then red, by score

Best Pessac-Leognan & Graves 2022 wines tasted en primeur

Georgie Hindle — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 17:05:44 +0000

Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2022

Average yield:

Average yield for both Pessac & Graves was 35.7hl/ha in 2022, -7.3% relative to the 10-year average of 38.5hl/ha.
Pessac-Léognan 2022 yield was 35.7hl/ha. Slightly higher than the 2021 yield of 33.2hl/ha which was a decrease of 3% from 2020.
Graves 2022 yield was 41.1hl/ha – much higher than the 2021 yield of 23.7hl/ha which was a decrease of 38% from 2020.

Rainfall during the vintage in mm and % relative to the 10 year average

Pre-budburst (Nov-March) 445mm (-8.4%)
Véraison to harvest (August-October) 57.7mm (-50.7%).
Total: 764.4mm (-14.6%)

What you find from the 2022 wines

Frost, fire, drought and the least amount of rain compared to other major appellations affected Pessac and Graves to various degrees in 2022.

It also had the hottest summer daytime temperatures that adding to the lowest winter rainfall presented extremely dry and hot conditions, so much so that irrigation of individual plants was exceptionally permitted.

Given the early onset of hydric stress some vines adopted straight away and coped extremely well by creating deep root systems and pacing themselves for the long journey ahead. The June storm saw almost 100mm fall across the region though onto arid soils which caused much to run off and a crucial dose more in August as well as cool nights helping preserve some freshness.

Expect to find some beautiful wines albeit many showing the stress of the vintage and more plush characters than some of the cooler neighbours.

Nevertheless, there are some sublime wines including a clear candidate for wine of the vintage at Château Les Carmes Haut Brion as well as lots of excellent value picks too – more so in reds but where the whites are crisp and crunchy they’re brilliant. See the top dry whites from 2022 here.

See all 62 red Pessac-Leognan and Graves 2022 wines tasted en primeur

Top picks:

See the top-scoring Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2022 en primeur wines

Search all Bordeaux 2022 en primeur ratings published so far

Back to the main Bordeaux en primeur page

Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2020 in bottle: overview plus top-scoring wines

Georgie Hindle — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 11:06:20 +0000

Complicated weather conditions tested winemakers in the vineyards and cellars in Pessac and Graves in 2020 with a mainly dry and warm growing season saved by crucial rains in August.

The vintage produced structured, supple and generous red wines by producers who picked at the right time and exhibited a light touch in the winery. The best white wines have ripe, exotic fruit touches balanced by freshness and crisp acidity.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2020 in-bottle wines

Average yields for Pessac-Léognan in 2020 were 34.6hl/ha, lowers than 2018 at 36.9hl/ha and 2019 at 47.2hl/ha with a 10-year-average of 40.5hl/ha.

A rainy winter was followed by a warm but also rainy spring giving the appellation historic amounts of water between March and June. Winemakers also had to battle frosts at the end of March with two days of extreme cold. The weather then turned extremely warm and dry, although saw heavy rain in the beginning of May. Flowering started early and by mid-June the temperatures rose becoming hot, sunny and dry.

Drought conditions were brought on with highs of 40 degrees celsius and no rain between July and August. Fortunately water arrived between 11-13 August although it was almost 50% less than received in the Médoc. Harvests started early with white grapes coming in at the end of August and the reds beginning in early September.

For Véronique Sanders president of Château Haut-Bailly, 2020 ‘was a fantastic year quality wise’ where they ‘focussed on the vintage in a crazy way’.

‘We had extreme conditions – the weather ups and downs, lockdowns, two nights of frost. It was tough, we had to work quickly. There was mildew pressure, a closure of the bunches from drought, heat spikes and thunderstorms, but in the end we got the rain we wanted and it turned out to be a great vintage’.

‘It was about vigilance and reactivity,’ Sanders said with ‘the key words for us being determination and tenacity – and the passion of the team’.

In terms of comparisons, Sanders says 2018 is ‘concentrated, dense and with low yields’, 2019 has ‘beautiful elegance’ reminding her of 2009 where ‘every single lot was good and the blend was easy’ while 2020 is ‘a mix of both – with density, power, elegance and approachability’.

At Château Les Carmes Haut Brion, winemaker and general manager Guillaume Pouthier said with the maturity and ripeness of the fruit in 2020 the key was getting the extraction right. ‘You want a powerful wine but also to increase the drinkability of that wine. You want it to be finished.

‘The tannins make a good or great wine. In the best vintages at top estates you want nice round tannins from the beginning in tougher vintages they’re more angular and will need more time to soften’, he said.

In general 2020 saw higher alcohols than 2021 but lower than 2018 and 2019 although they stuck out at some estates, something Carmes mitigated with 55% whole bunch fermentation bringing the final ABV to 13.5% compared to 14.5% and even 15% other properties.

Top 8 Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2020 wines:

Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion 100 points

Château Smith Haut Lafitte 98 points

Château Haut-Brion 97 points

Château Haut-Bailly 97 points

Château La Mission Haut-Brion 96 points

Château Smith Haut Lafitte 96 points

Domaine de Chevalier 96 points

Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte 96 points

Château Couhins 95 points

Château Couhins-Lurton, Blanc 95 points

Château Haut-Brion, Blanc 95 points

Château La Mission Haut-Brion 95 points

Domaine de Chevalier, Blanc 95 points

Château Pape Clément 95 points

SCORE TABLE: top-scoring 349 wines with 92 points or above

Individual appellation analysis and top-scoring wines

See all Bordeaux 2020 in-bottle wines in score order

See tasting notes and scores for the top Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2020 in-bottle wines

The following wines all scored 94 points or above.

Bordeaux 2020 in bottle: overview plus top-scoring wines

The new Graves ambassadors

Georgie Hindle — Sat, 09 Jul 2022 08:00:04 +0000

For a region as traditional and steeped in history as Bordeaux, it’s refreshing to see new initiatives, and even whole new categories, emerge with the goal of bringing wider attention to its lesser-known wines. The Médoc has, of course, its famous and unlikely-ever-to- change 1855 classification ranking estates from first to fifth growth, as well as its newly relaunched (in 2020), three-tier Cru Bourgeois du Médoc classification for estates that weren’t listed in the former (249 in all in the 2020 list). And over on the Right Bank, St-Emilion has its hotly contested classification that is revised every 10 years, the latest of which is currently being updated and will be revealed in September.

But a spotlight is now shining on the Graves appellation with the unveiling of its 10 new ambassadors, or ‘Ambassadeur de Graves’ estates.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the current Ambassadeur de Graves wines

Setting the scene

Situated on the Left Bank of the Garonne river, in the upstream part of the region, Graves lies to the southeast of Bordeaux city, with vineyards covering an area stretching over 50km. It’s reported to be one of the oldest of Bordeaux’s vine-growing areas, where estates were already trading wines as early as 1152 following the marriage of Henry Plantagenet (soon to become King Henry II of England) and France’s Eleanor of Aquitaine. The region later flourished between the 16th and 18th centuries when, for 300 years, before the development of the Médoc, all of the area north and south of Bordeaux was known as Les Graves and the wines sold as Vin de Graves.

Jumping forward to the 20th century, the Graves region saw classifications introduced in 1953 for red wines and completed in 1959 for white wines. No rankings were applied as such, but the 16 estates chosen – including Château Haut-Brion, which was already part of the 1855 classification – were then able to use the term ‘cru classé de Graves’. In 1987, those 16 estates were absorbed into the newly established Pessac-Léognan appellation situated on a thin strip to the north, stealing a little of Graves’ lustre despite the continuation of the Graves name.

Ambassadeurs de Graves: the wine estates and their communes

Graves Blanc 2020

Château La Rose Sarron (St-Pierre-de-Mons)

Château Lagrange (Arbanats)

Clos Bourgelat (Cérons)

Grave Rouge 2019

Château de Chantegrive (Podensac)

Château Crabitey (Portets)

Château de Portets (Portets)

Château Martignac (Portets)

Château Moutin (Portets)

Château La Rose Sarron (St-Pierre-de-Mons)

Château Lagrange (Arbanats)

Château Roquetaillade La Grange (Mazères)

Clos Bourgelat (Cérons)

Clos Floridène (Pujols-sur-Ciron)

A new era

Château de Chantegrive (Image credit: Credit Unknown)

The Ambassadeur de Graves project was officially unveiled in July 2021, with the intention of distinguishing the wines and properties that can be a ‘driving force for the appellation in terms of image and attractiveness’, says Mayeul l’Huillier, director of the Syndicat Viticole des Graves. The wines that carry the recognition, and crucially the label, are from the newest bottled vintages: the 2019 reds and the 2020 whites.

The aim, according to l’Huillier, was: ‘To offer wine lovers a simplified way of identifying wines and properties that demonstrate the know-how of the Graves appellation in terms of three key criteria.’ These are: respect for the vine, nature and the environment; the ability to welcome the public to the property in the best conditions; and mastery of the winemaking process.

No weighting is applied; only estates that successfully satisfy each element are considered. The first criterion must be met by either being certified, or in organic conversion, or adhering to HVE3 (Haute Valeur Environnementale) and ISO14001 standards. The second is met by having already achieved accreditation from Vignobles & Découvertes (France’s national wine tourism scheme) for welcoming guests. Created in 2009, this is awarded for a period of three years to estates that offer ‘multiple and complementary tourist attractions, some of which include accommodation, catering services, cellar visits and tastings’. Lastly, only wines made in compliance with the Graves appellation rules can apply (see vinsdegraves.com).

Consumer influence

Eligible wines are then tasted and rated, and here’s where it gets interesting. While other such labels may also take into account respect for the environment or wine tourism activities, the distinguishing element of the Ambassadeur de Graves wines is that they were ultimately chosen on the basis of consumer preference.

A panel of 100 ‘informed wine consumers’ were chosen by Techni’Sens, a specialist institute for analysis and sensory studies, which conducted the tasting. Organised akin to a professional tasting, assessments were made of a wine’s visual aspects, aromas and flavours, with an overall opinion given at the end. ‘In the age of horizontal recommendations by peers, a wine lover must be able to easily identify the wines that will please them,’ says l’Huillier. ‘That is why we wanted wine lovers themselves to be the ones to taste and select the [Ambassadeur de Graves] wines – which is unique in France, to our knowledge.

‘Today, retailers and merchants are looking for tools to revitalise the wine market. Customer recommendation is very present for many products, but remains extremely marginal for wine,’ l’Huillier adds.

The sentiment is echoed by Fabrice Reynaud, co-owner of family estate and Ambassadeur Château Lagrange: ‘What is important is the Clos Floridène unique selection method, which should give buyers confidence,’ he says. ‘Overall, consumers want an irreproachable wine in terms of taste with an increasingly eco-responsible production method. The idea is to reassure consumers by guaranteeing the quality of the Ambassadors, chosen by a panel that represents them.’

Pascal Guignard, who runs Ambassadeur estate Château Roquetaillade La Grange, agrees that ‘quality is key’, with the process involved ‘providing that certainty’. He adds: ‘This label is important to bring AP Graves to the fore, and to show that these wines can compete with the best from other appellations.’

Graves style & terroir

The Graves region owes its name to the gravels of varying sizes that overlay its poor, well- drained subsoils composed of sand, clay, limestone, shell marl and iron. The stones reflect the sun and redistribute its heat to the vines, ensuring optimal maturation of the grapes. The climate is mild and temperate, thanks to oceanic influences, with the moderating river Garonne bordering the east providing frost mitigation and the pine forest of the Landes to the west giving protection from winds.

The area produces red Graves, dry white Graves and a tiny production of sweet and semi-sweet (moelleux) whites known as Graves Supérieures.

There is a roughly 70/30 split between red and white grape plantings. For reds, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon dominate alongside small percentages of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Carmenère and Malbec (Cot). These wines are generally charming and easy to drink, balancing the fleshy roundness of the wines to the south and the firm grip of those to the north.

The dry whites are generally blends of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc with small percentages allowed of Sauvignon Gris and Muscadelle, which can also be used in the Graves Supérieures. These wines are typically crisp, elegantly floral and delicious young, though continue to evolve over five or six years.

Unity & forward-thinking

Arnaud de Butler, Château Crabitey. (Image credit: Eric Barrière)

The Ambassadeur de Graves assessment will be repeated annually each June, with this year’s selection covering the 2020 vintage for red Graves and 2021 for white. As Arnaud de Butler, director and owner of Ambassadeur Château Crabitey, puts it: ‘The label is won just for one vintage. Each year it is challenged if you want to participate again.’ This also allows estates to come and join ‘when they feel ready’, says Reynaud, adding: ‘The main idea is also to unite all the wine-growers to increase knowledge of Graves wines.’

While the Ambassadeur de Graves label is still in its infancy, with time needed to establish its significance more firmly on the market, estates such as Crabitey and Lagrange have been buoyed by the initiative and the drive to encourage people to discover or rediscover Graves.

‘Everyone has been thoroughly remotivated at the estate,’ says de Butler, with the label ‘offering great recognition of a job well done’, while Reynaud comments that ‘it rewards the work of a whole team and 15 years of effort’.

Importantly, this new reference should not only raise awareness of the whole Graves region, but also help wineries expand onto the international stage – a quarter of this year’s selection are not currently exporting their wines outside France. For Gareth Birchley, buying director of UK-based Burns & German Vintners, the new label carries appeal for both merchants and end-consumers. ‘It’s great to see a modern and relevant classification of sorts coming out of Bordeaux,’ he says. ‘In St-Emilion, for instance, people are opting out of such associations, yet the Ambassadeur de Graves manages to tick the boxes consumers are looking for, recognising both qualitative and environmentally friendly viticulture as well as tourism efforts.’

As consumers are faced with an increasingly diverse and sometimes intimidating number of wines on shelves, bottles showcasing this new label, indicating the ‘designated by consumers’ badge, effectively replace word-of-mouth recommendations and will surely go some way to helping purchasing decisions.

‘People use Tripadvisor to discern the top places to stay and this will work in a similar way,’ says Birchley. ‘Plus’, he adds, ‘as it’s renewed every year, Ambassadeur de Graves will be one of the most up-to-date labels worth seeking out.’

Georgina Hindle is Decanter’s regional editor for Burgundy and Bordeaux, and editor of Decanter Premium online. She lives in Bordeaux

People’s choice: the current Ambassadeur de Graves wines

Best Pessac-Leognan & Graves 2021 wines tasted en primeur

Georgie Hindle — Sun, 05 Jun 2022 16:00:06 +0000

Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2021

Average yield:

Pessac-Léognan 33.2hl/ha. A decrease of 3% from 2020.
Graves: 23.7hl/ha. A decrease of 38% from 2020.

What you find from the 2021 wines

Frost severely impacted grapes early in 2021, and mildew much more later, with the effects lasting throughout the season to a final average yield of 30.7hl/ha, the lowest of the major appellations after St-Emilion and Pomerol.

Quality is uneven giving different microclimates, but the best reds and whites show lovely estate signature and work with the vintage rather than against it.

Having said this Pessac-Léognan and Graves have turned out some lovely, drinkable and appealing wines.

Top picks:

See the top-scoring Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2021 en primeur wines

Search all Bordeaux 2021 en primeur ratings published so far

Back to the main Bordeaux en primeur page

Château Smith Haut Lafitte: 2008-2018 vertical tasting

Yohan Castaing — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 08:00:57 +0000

It would seem that Florence Cathiard – the dynamic co-owner of Château Smith Haut Lafitte alongside her husband Daniel – is a down-to-earth sort of woman: ‘Everything comes from the soil,’ as she likes to say.

The Cathiards certainly consider themselves to be custodians of that soil and, accordingly, the property is committed to organic viticulture, with certification granted in 2019 (their methods also include biodynamic practices, for which they are not seeking certification).

Scroll down to see tasting notes & scores for red and white Smith Haut Lafitte wines from 2008 to 2018

Surrounded by pine forests and natural hedges, the Smith Haut Lafitte vineyard extends for 87ha in a single block. Composed of gravelly and sandy soils, its composition and topography is ideal for the sort of precise, haute couture viticulture conducted here.

Working closely with both their technical director Fabien Teigen and the team at Bordeaux-based Derenoncourt Consultants, the Cathiards have elevated their estate to the firmament of the Bordeaux elite. This is a historic property whose origins go back some 650 years, but the Cathiards – who have overseen more than 30 vintages – produce wines of a contemporary style that combine freshness with aromatic complexity.

‘Aromatic brilliance’ and ‘remarkable finesse’

The great strength of Smith Haut Lafitte lies in how well the wines benefit from the match between environmentally friendly viticulture and the estate’s terroir which is so typical of this area, located in the commune of Martillac within the Pessac-Léognan appellation. It would be foolish to seek power at the expense of elegance, for the best wines from here tend to express aromatic brilliance and suave, fleshy textures framed by tannins of remarkable finesse.

Certainly, there was a passing phase in the late 1990s and early 2000s during which there was a fashion for massive wines with such an intrusive oak character that they needed decades before this element could be integrated, or eaten, as the Bordeaux producers like to say.

Today, the consumer will encounter various styles, but the one truly in sync with the times emphasises vibrant fruit, racy acidity and freshness as well textural finesse, not to forget the holy grail – a feeling of weightlessness on the finish.

Tasting excellence

A vertical tasting hosted at Château Smith Haut Lafitte was revelatory in this respect.

For hot and sun-drenched vintages, the wines reveal a telluric expression of the earthy accents, and notes of graphite and liquorice that, year in and year out, are a hallmark of Smith Haut Lafitte. In such vintages, however, the wines possess a powerful, at times massive, tannic structure that may require several decades of cellaring to fully reveal the natural elegance and poise that characterise this estate’s production.

On the other hand, the less extreme or even less sunny vintages – which tend to be downplayed even in Bordeaux where they are referred to as ‘petits millésimes’ (small vintages) – are those that allow consumers to enjoy the resulting wines early on while the big, brooding guns from solar vintages continue their prolonged cellaring. In such years, Smith Haut Lafitte always shines, as the constant leitmotif of its terroir expression is textural finesse.

Since 2015, however, the style has become even more refined. The more exacting viticulture of biodynamic tendency no doubt explains this stylistic evolution, but it is also the fruit of recent vintages which stands out, with climate change meaning producers have often been able to pick their Cabernet Sauvignon at optimal ripeness (but this is not to discount the crucial role of the Cathiards and their technical team in fine-tuning the terroir expression of recent wines).

These wines appear more delicate with even silkier and more elegantly proportioned tannins, not to forget their outstanding freshness and harmonious acidity. The tension that suffuses the 2016 red leads me to attribute a deserved top score for such a classy wine that incarnates to perfection the Smith Haut Lafitte style.

In many ways, the experience and track record of the Cathiard family reflects the contemporary evolution of Bordeaux: the move toward wines of more aromatic intensity and brightness without intrusive oak character, the search for more textural finesse, even delicacy, in contrast to the density of a bygone era, and also toward a more precise viticulture that definitely represents a huge change from the at times excessive, heavy-handed farming practices of the 1970s and 1980s, even of the 1990s.

See tasting notes and scores for Smith Haut Lafitte wines from 2008-2018:

Bordeaux 2019 in bottle: overview plus top-scoring wines

Château Pichon Baron: vertical tasting from 2000-2020

Tasting Château Calon-Ségur vintages from 2008 to 2019

Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion launches ‘Elements’ collection

Georgie Hindle — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 18:02:47 +0000

The ambitious project named ‘Elements’ sees the launch of 1,000 meticulously handcrafted wooden presentation boxes each containing a different number and format of the estate’s wines.

Taking inspiration from the shape of the cellars, designed by Philippe Starck and Luc Arsène-Henry and completed in 2016, these unique showcases house either two double magnums, three magnums or six bottles that have been specially preserved in the estate’s cellars – a detail marked by a gold wax capsule and special ‘œnothèque’ seal guaranteeing their provenance.

The Elements presentation case (Image credit: Credit Unknown)

During a special presentation at the château this week, general manager Guillaume Pouthier said Elements had been four years in the making, from conception to production, with the intention of capturing and sharing the DNA and philosophy of the estate and to transmit the essence of attention to detail in which the Carmes wines are made.

‘Each time we want to carry out a project that makes sense and that resembles us, both singular and unique,’ he said.

Aesthetic and practical, each case required more than 1,000 hours to create. Ancient oak wood was transformed into individual sheets and compressed to 2mm by the the Lécuiller company, which specialises in the fabrication of moulded wood and then skill fully shaped by the master craftsman of Créabois, located in Beychac et Caillau, Bordeaux.

The bottles sit neatly within a plexiglass support with wooden columns replicating those of the cellar itself. The boxes have also been hand etched with the Elements iteration (II, III or VI), the château’s emblem as well as the identifying number within the limited-edition range.

‘It was important for us to create something unique for the customer, made with the same shared artisanal approach and notion of precision,’ said Pouthier who also emphasised the importance of the ‘substantial investment and support of Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion’s owner Patrick Pichet’ in realising the project.

The Elements range:

Elements II – two double magnums of Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2018 and 2019 – 250 made (main picture above)

Elements III – three magnums of Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2017, 2018 and 2019 – 150 made

ELEMENTS III – three magnums; vintages 2017, 2018, 2019 (Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Elements VI – six bottles of Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2013, 2014, 2016, 2016, 2017 and 2018 – 600 made

ELEMENTS VI – six bottles; vintages 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 (Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Each is accompanied by a booklet of information detailing the box’s manufacture process as well as technical sheets for each vintage enclosed.

The boxes, which are all the same size, were released 17th March 2022 and are being sold exclusively through Bordeaux négociant The Wine Merchant for a retail price of 8,000 euros including tax.

A production video is available to watch.

Elements follows in the footsteps of the estate’s previous innovative creation when, in 2019, they released 600 2.25 litre marie-jeannes containing the 2016 vintage presented in special plexiglass boxes protecting the bottles from light interference.

Despite the focus on the Elements launch, Pouthier revealed he has already planned the next project, destined for release in 2027.

Coming soon to Decanter Premium: Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion: vertical 2000-2019

Red Graves 2016: panel tasting results

Andy Howard MW — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 08:00:02 +0000

Andy Howard MW, Robert Mathias and Tim Triptree MW tasted 65 wines, with 6 Outstanding and 42 Highly recommended.

Red Graves 2016 panel tasting

65 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 6

Highly recommended 42

Recommended 17

Commended 0

Fair 0

Poor 0

Faulty 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their Pessac-Léognan and Graves AP red wines, from the 2016 vintage only.

Over in Bordeaux, the 2016 vintage is acknowledged as one of the finest of the century – so far!

This added extra interest to an exciting tasting of red wines from Graves and Pessac-Léognan, already notable for being the last ever Decanter panel tasting to be held in its former Canary Wharf office, before the company’s move to offices in Paddington, west London.

Scroll down for the top scoring red Graves 2016 tasting notes and scores

The judges were highly impressed with 2016’s winning combination of succulent, ripe fruit interwoven with fine tannins and an enduring freshness on the finish.

Out of 65 wines tasted, six were awarded scores of 95 points (and above), with almost one third of the wines tasted scoring 93pts or more.

Graves and Pessac-Léognan are located southwest of Bordeaux on the Left Bank of the river Garonne. ‘Graves’ refers to the gravel deposits which characterise much of the region’s soils. Although larger in area than the Médoc, Graves produces about 50% of the volume of wine and is, with the exception of a couple of top estates, less revered.

The wines of the Graves can be beautifully perfumed and often have an earthy, mineral character which distinguishes them from the more blackcurrant and lead-pencil style of many Haut-Médoc wines.

Graves was first granted appellation status in 1953, with Pessac-Léognan separated out from it as an appellation and confirmed in 1987. This tasting did not feature Châteaux Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion, Les Carmes Haut-Brion or Smith Haut Lafitte, but included several of the Pessac-Léognan cru classé estates. These did live up to their higher AP status, with six out of the seven wines present scoring 93pts and above, and three rated Outstanding – Pape Clément, Carbonnieux and Latour-Martillac.

Tim Triptree MW was impressed, stating that ‘overall quality was high and confirmed the outstanding quality of the 2016 vintage’.

Triptree found ‘the best examples were harmonious and powerful, rich – wines with depth of black fruit flavours, yet balanced with freshness and elegance, and silky ripe tannin’. Robert Mathias, Bordeaux buyer for Bibendum Wine, agreed, commenting: ‘Almost all wines had a freshness and acidity which can often be lacking with wines that are fleshy on the palate.’

See all 65 Red Graves 2016 tasted

The panel noted the range of grape varieties used within the blends. Although Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon dominate, judicious use of Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot was appreciated. Triptree observed: ‘Blending grape varieties is important, with many of the top-scoring wines having a decent amount of Cabernet Sauvignon which added freshness, as well as well-judged additions of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.’

Mathias also felt ‘the wines had good concentration of fruit, the best being very detailed on the palate with a lot of power and energy behind them’. He was intrigued by the number of wines incorporating a higher proportion of one grape in particular: ‘What was interesting was the growing use, and successful integration, of Petit Verdot’. And although a couple of wines were a little tannic as a result, this ‘added an extra dimension’.

The quality of 2016 Graves and Pessac Léognan wines is undoubtedly high, while the relative value they present is likely to be more attractive than for many leading Haut-Médoc or St-Emilion wines.

Combined with the distinctive Graves character, and excellent ageing potential, these 2016s are classic Bordeaux wines, and well worth stocking up on.

Red Graves 2016 panel tasting: top-scoring wines

The judges

Andy Howard MW is a Decanter contributing editor and DWWA Regional Chair. A former retail wine buyer for more than 30 years, he now runs his own consultancy Vinetrades, focusing on wine education, judging, investment and sourcing, and has a house in southwest France

Robert Mathias is a wine buyer for London-based Bibendum Group, responsible for sourcing wines from France as well as fine wine purchasing. He has been a DWWA judge since 2019, tasting across a range of regional categories

Tim Triptree MW is the international director of wine and spirits at Christie’s, responsible for the planning and execution of Christie’s wine and spirits auctions internationally. A Master of Wine since 2018, at DWWA 2021 he was a judge on the Rhône and Bordeaux panels

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Pessac & Graves 2019 in bottle: score table

Decanter Staff — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 14:52:38 +0000

After tasting more than 800 Bordeaux 2019 wines in bottle, Georgie Hindle has given her verdict on how the wines are tasting now.

Here we present a quick and easy way to see tasting notes and scores for all 164 Pessac-Leognan and Graves wines tasted.

Producer	Appellation	Vintage	Score
Château Haut-Brion	Pessac-Léognan (1er Cru Classé)	2019	98	Liquorice and graphite touches on the nose with black fruits, even some blueberries and pomegranate. Great intensity, power and muscle here – this is full of life with layers of complexity you can feel from the beginning. It's not as immedaitely plump or round as some but this has clear power and generosity. Gentle persistence with so many nuances of flavour, but you get the impression its hiding all it's best features just showing the barest hint of fruit, spice and savoury aspects. Definition, precision and wonderful freshness. You have to work a little harder to understand this, but it has such potential. 48.7% Merlot, 43.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.1% Cabernet Franc. Drinking window: 2028-2050 Click to see full details
Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion	Pessac-Léognan	2019	98	One of my favourite wines in 2019, immediately captivating with a lasting impression. Gorgeous dark purple in the glass with blackcurrant notes, perfumed violets, dark chocolate and hints of truffle - the old-vine Bouchet (Cabernet Franc) giving aromatic intensity on the nose and palate. Succulent straight away with ripe cherry, blood orange and pink grapefruit flavours set against soft, mouthwatering acidity and a lovely saline grip to the tannins. It's rich but just giving delicate hints in each direction of fruit, acidity, freshness, structure, mouthfeel and body. Restrained and poised, with a drinkability that makes you want a glass now, but could happily be enjoyed decades from now. Managing director Guillaume Pouthier said he simply 'Wants to make wine that is drunk' and this is eminently drinkable. A blend of 48% Cabernet Franc, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot. 3.60 pH. 80% ageing in new barrel, 9% amphora, 11% foudre. Stéphane Derenoncourt consultant. Drinking window: 2026-2050 Click to see full details
Château Haut-Bailly	Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)	2019	97	A floral bouquet on the nose, soft but deep with such clarity and such a beautiful vivid pink red colour in the glass too. The texture here is striking, smooth and mouth filling with intensity but so well presented, precise, fine and amazingly detailed. The word for 2019 is energy and this has it in abundance, it’s vibrant and alive in the mouth with such brightness. Mouthwatering acidity is set against a chalky texture so you get a full mouthfeel without any heaviness. Great structure and balance. You could almost drink this now to enjoy the immediate enjoyment but a recent tasting of the 2009 suggests this has a very long life ahead. A wine you can fall in love with! Drinking window: 2024-2047 Click to see full details
Château Haut-Brion Blanc	Pessac-Léognan	2019	97	Green apple, gooseberry and lots of elderflower notes on the nose - smells like elderflower cordial. Great definition and precision here, there's body for sure, it's not a light wine with richness and depth but so wonderfully precise and defined that the fruit flavour almost glides across the palate. Lovely freshness here too, with a mineral, almost salty tang to the fruit keeping the mouth cool. It's still a bit shy but has juicy lemon sides and an amazingly deep core of fruit with a cooling overtone lifting the whole palate. A wine you want to sit with and one destined for long ageing. Such intensity but also elegance. A blend of 64.4% Sauvignon Blanc and 35.6% Semillon. Drinking window: 2030-2050 Click to see full details
Château La Mission Haut-Brion	Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)	2019	97	Wonderful sweet fruit and floral aromatics. Great freshness and life here, tannins are present, chalky and consuming but in a great way. The mouthfeel is excellent and really stands out - the deep cherry, plum and blackcurrant fruit pulsing underneath the tannins with a cooling menthol, mouthwatering freshness on top so you get power and lift! One of the more open wines at this point with so much charm. Approachable and showing off but still a lot more to give in time. A brilliant wine. 53% Merlot, 39.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.5% Cabernet Franc. Drinking window: 2027-2047 Click to see full details
Château Smith Haut Lafitte	Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)	2019	97	Appealing Semillon nuances on the nose (from the 5% in the blend), honeyed waxy lemons, peach, apricot and vanilla cream. Such a sumptuous texture, you get a wonderful bitterness straight away - orange, lemon and grapefruit rind which gives the edges of the frame and balances the freshness and bright acidity. I adore the rich yet juicy texture and a hint of sweetness on the tongue that just grabs the interest and holds it all the way through to a long finish. Structured and powerful yet still so youthful and finding its character. So much potential here. Drinking window: 2029-2050 Click to see full details
Château Smith Haut Lafitte	Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)	2019	97	A soft, fragrant nose of rose petals and violets alongside raspberries, cherries, blackcurrants, cola cubes and blackcurrant leaf nuance. Tannins fill the mouth, abundant but oh so soft and finely woven into the overall body of the wine which has delicious cooling mint elements nestled between pristinely ripe blue and black fruit and liquorice spice. The flavours expand slowly along the palate gaining in depth, width and energy. This isn't an immediate showstopper but rather it takes its time, revealing itself layer by layer, so charming and seductive, asking you to linger and take a closer inspection. I absolutely love it. Drinking window: 2029-2050 Click to see full details
Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, C de Carmes	Pessac-Léognan	2019	96	Beautiful fragrance to the nose, perfumed and delicate yet so expressive, nothing out of balance with cherries and violets bursting out of the glass. Gorgeous smooth mouthfeel with some milk chocolate dusting on the fruit, tannins are delicate and softly mouth filling with a lovely salinity to the palate - creamy and unctuous but at the same time there's lots of acidity. This has a verticality to it, layered but with an aerial quality too, the flavours just glide across the palate with lift on the finish - so satisfying and drinkable. Just a glorious, shining, bright, velvety, succulent glass of wine. Pure elegance. A blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, 3.55pH. Drinking window: 2022-2046 Click to see full details
Domaine de Chevalier	Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)	2019	96	Herbal notes on the notes, some herbaceous and inviting fruitiness. I just love the pure expression here, the focus is definitely on delicious crunchy fruit, it's forward and expressive, shining quite brightly with the undercurrent of acidity, minty freshness and some chalky minerality. This feels like precise winemaking, good sculpting and confidence here, it's not trying to show off and instead exudes charm and elegance. Structured and layered with great freshness and charm. It has a gorgeous juicy quality which keeps things lively and refreshing while you know there's depth and power underneath. Will be excellent to age. An absolute crowd pleaser. Drinking window: 2027-2044 Click to see full details
Château Couhins-Lurton	Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)	2019	95	Gorgeous nose full of blackcurrant and dark fruits - fresh and expressive. The palate full of lively, high-definition fruit -a complete fruit explosion that feels dynamic with energy and life. I love the fruit forwardness and immediate appeal but there is also some support from fine tannins and the softest touch of sweetness and chew to the fruit that gives a great mouthfeel - textured and structured. Feels like excellent winemaking on show. Confident and shining. A top buy. Drinking window: 2027-2046 Click to see full details
Château Couhins-Lurton	Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)	2019	95	White flowers on the nose alongside bright citrus fruits, lemon, grape and melon. Nice drive here, this has good energy and precision. I like the directness as well as the layering of white flowers, honey and peach, pear and apricot fruit before a cooling mint aspect on the finish which is particularly appealing. Good freshness and easy-drinking appeal. Drinking window: 2027-2045 Click to see full details
Château Malartic-Lagravière	Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)	2019	95	Apple, elderflower, white peach and apricot. Smooth and bright, this has finesse and class with real linearity and direction. I like the texture and mouthfeel - big enough to be quite a structured and round wine but with lightness and freshness too. This has real focus, perhaps not so layered and expressive at this point, but such an excellent drive of lemon and lime fruit and some bitter grapefruit edges too, that give spice and definition. Confident and poised. Great winemaking. Drinking window: 2027-2040 Click to see full details
Château Pape Clément	Pessac-Léognan	2019	95	Density in all aspects here, quite a rich, broad and bold style but with precision, clarity and definition. It's big shouldered with plenty of heft and ripe fruit but well presented with great acidity that keeps the freshness from start to finish and this has a nice cooling minty aspect towards the finish. Tannins are firm, and still very present, needing to soften a little over time but this definitely has the weight, structure and fruit purity to have a long life ahead. Drinking window: 2027-2042 Click to see full details
Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte	Pessac-Léognan	2019	95	This smells so rich with lemon rind, apricot skin and peach flesh nuances - so enticing. The palate is juicy and unctuous, succulent with a rich creaminess alongside bright acidity. Clearly powerful but not at all showy, the flavours just coarse along from start to finish with such a delicious bitterness that adds texture, structure and bite to the finish. Such complexity here, lots going on and so much to enjoy. Drinking window: 2025-2045 Click to see full details
Château de Chantegrive, Caroline	Graves	2019	94	Super expressive on the nose, white peach, pear, lime, apricot and pineapple - smells lively and fresh. Really round and unctuous on the palate, more sombre in terms of outright acidity but this has a lovely, well framed structure with honeyed fruit, quince, apricot and fleshy white peach Certainly a gourmet style, with some hints of bitter lemon too to give nuance and complexity. A great combination of aromatic intensity from the Sauvignon Gris and Semillon with freshness and verve from the Sauvignon Blanc. Charming and characterful. Lovely. One to enjoy now or keep in the cellar to age. A blend of 50% Semillon, 45% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Sauvignon Gris. Drinking window: 2024-2044 Click to see full details
Château de Fieuzal	Pessac-Léognan	2019	94	Smells like cassis liqueur on the nose. This is full and bold but with excellent, mouthwatering acidity - lots of energy here. A lifted style but still with that core of deep, dense chewy fruit. Really a winning combination of all the elements with the oak giving structure, weight and texture. Sculpted fruit and well handled acidity. Still has some spiky edges to the fruit, hints of cedar and clove giving a piquance but this is lovely stuff. Drinking window: 2024-2044 Click to see full details
Château de Fieuzal	Pessac-Léognan	2019	94	Pineapple and mango on the nose, delicious and expressive exotic fruit aromas. Good impact on the palate, a nice mix of lemon and creamy patisserie elements. Good balance and harmony, not a showstopper or trying to deliver too much but this has such a great weight and drive on the palate with crisp apple, honeyed lemon and touches of orange too. Energy and acidity. Yummy. Drinking window: 2024-2044 Click to see full details
Château Haut-Bailly, Haut-Bailly II	Pessac-Léognan	2019	94	Wow, dark berries and violets on the nose, so sensuous, smells rich and round. Beautifully fresh on the palate, there is a real zing and burst of red fruit juiciness but also a lovely cooling freshness straight from the start. Almost has a blue fruit touch but there's strawberries, raspberries and red cherries too. Smooth tannins with a gently chalky grip that coat the mouth giving structure and body. So linear and straight yet also layered, nothing is too overt or in your face - precise and really elegant. I love this - gentle and well presented. Excellent. A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drinking window: 2024-2039 Click to see full details
Château Haut-Brion, Le Clarence de Haut-Brion	Pessac-Léognan	2019	94	Heady red cherries on the nose, deep and seductive. Great energy here, this is pulsing with life, good roundness but also a cooling element - touches of chewy blue fruits, mint, graphite, pencil lead and minerality all of which give texture and nuance. Round and plump in texture and mouthfeel but really well defined and linear with straight talking fruit. Great drive to a crystalline finish. Gorgeous. A blend of 72.8% Merlot, 16.3% Cabernet Franc and 10.9% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drinking window: 2024-2040 Click to see full details
Château La Mission Haut-Brion, Blanc	Pessac-Léognan	2019	94	Wet wool, something a little bit waxy to the nose with touches of lemon curd - very welcoming. Lovely mouthfeel here, enveloping, rich and concentrated but also fresh and vibrant. Nuance and structure with a spicy almost bitter orange tone to this. A great balance of bright lemon citrus fruits - juicy and lively then with a creminess that comes in and calms everything down. I love the interplay between the richness and fat from the Semillon and precise intensity of the acidity from the Sauvignon. 69.9% Semillon and 30.1% Sauvignon Blanc. Drinking window: 2024-2038 Click to see full details
Château Larrivet Haut-Brion	Pessac-Léognan	2019	94	An appealing sweetness on the nose alongside touches of blackcurrant leaf. This is lovely, a dark and cool style focussed on liquorice and clove flavours backed by a core of blue fruits - blueberries, cherries and plums. You can feel some tension to this too, layers of fruit are elegantly presented but with energy and a deep mid palate. Tannins are fine and soft, gently supporting the fruit which is almost in the background at this point. A touch of austere dryness towards the finish while the spiced elements take over. Needs time to come together more but this has lots of delicious aspects. A soft stoniness lingers in the background giving a dry, wet stone texture and almost spicy, mineral edge overall. Good quality, I like this a lot. Drinking window: 2024-2039 Click to see full details
Château Le Pape	Pessac-Léognan	2019	94	Lovely dark red fruits on the nose, a gorgeous sultry florality to it, something a little bit savoury too, pencil led and smoke - extremely welcoming. Great succulence on the palate, juicy and alive, really fresh with the charm of Merlot fully on show. Characterful, structured, mouthwatering and approachable with soft and smooth tannins. Seductive and so enjoyable. From a single 9ha block estate, a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 900m away from Haut Bailly. Drinking window: 2024-2030 Click to see full details
Château Malartic-Lagravière	Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)	2019	94	Lovely vivid bright red pink in the glass. Pronounced nose, rich and vibrant. On the palate, this is crunchy with density and chew, a nice combination of texture and bright fruit. Lively with blackcurrant, strawberry and red cherry flavours alongside soft hints of dark chocolate and perfume. Delicate but also layered with flavour. I like this a lot. Bright energy with a density that is bold yet refined and sculpted. The texture and overall balance is excellent and this will provide great drinking for the long term. Such a long length. Purity and power. Elegant with finesse, purity and power. Classic and well made. Drinking window: 2024-2039 Click to see full details
Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte	Pessac-Léognan	2019	94	Green bell pepper, eucalyptus, dark chocolate and perfumed cherries and blackcurrants on the nose - so much aromatic intensity. Immediate impact on the palate with weighty tannins that are ample and mouthcoating giving the softly sweet raspberry and red cherry flavours structure and grip. A juicy core is offset by hints of wood spice which linger on the finish so this needs more time but there is excellent vibrancy and life here and strong markers of the vintage and terroir. Drinking window: 2026-2046 Click to see full details
Domaine de Chevalier	Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)	2019	94	A round and inviting nose full of creamy lemon, green apple and white peach aromas - smells pure. Gorgeous clarity on the palate, this is a serious wine with power and concentration. The palate is definitely marked by the wood in terms of texture and spice but there is also a crystalline aspect to the fruit which is appealingly presented. Juicy green apple, lime zest and orange touches. Still extremely youthful but so promising. Drinking window: 2025-2036 Click to see full details
Château Carbonnieux	Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)	2019	93	Apricot, pear and apple on the nose with a soft lime tang. Great persistence and energy, fruit has been well controlled and this delivers a round but fresh and lively glass of wine with subtle minerality on show too. Crunchy apple, candied lemon, some pineapple bitterness and a touch of marmalade or orange rind. Quie a tense, frank and linear style with definition and precision. Excellent winemaking. Drinking window: 2023-2041 Click to see full details
Château Couhins	Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)	2019	93	Peach and apricot notes on the nose. Quite a full bodied wine on the palate, rich and concentrated, fills the mouth with great freshness and super zesty flavours - lemon and lime and a lovely wet stone minerality too which is so appealing. Refreshing and energetic. So well delivered - a crowd-pleasing wine to have with food. Long finish. Drinking window: 2025-2042 Click to see full details
Château de Chantegrive	Graves	2019	93	Red cherries and blackcurrant on the nose. This has such a great richness to it, not heavy but so deep you can just taste the layers and layers of fruit, oak spice and acidity. I like really the presence of this in the mouth, it's not completely integrated right now, there's a tiny bit of appealing sweetness but also some rusticity that comes across via dry tannins so it's not ready to drink, but it will be delicious in time. Precision winemaking on show - laser sharp with such detail! A top buy. Drinking window: 2024-2042 Click to see full details
Château de Cruzeau	Pessac-Léognan	2019	93	Dark chocolate, liquorice and red cherries on the nose, ripe and darkly aromatic. Excellent energy and life to this, immediately juicy and vibrant with a rush of bright strawberry, raspberry and red cherry fruit flavours with a satin-textured mineral, minty kick at the end. Balanced and harmonious - such a joyful wine with a lot to like and a lingering freshness in the mouth after several minutes. Easy drinking and easy to recommend. Drinking window: 2023-2042 Click to see full details
Château Haut-Brion, La Clarte de Haut-Brion	Pessac-Léognan	2019	93	Varietal aromas on the nose, gooseberry, grass, lemon peel and green apple. Lovely profile here, this is smooth but viscous not as acidic as I was expecting more on the voluptuous side with an appealing weight and texture. A ripe, full style with lifted peach, ripe pear and green apple flavours. I like the density with a touch of lemon sherbert around the edges giving definition and lift. A blend of 51.7% Sauvignon Blanc and 48.3% Semillon. Drinking window: 2023-2035 Click to see full details
Château La Garde	Pessac-Léognan	2019	93	Beautiful bright lemon touching on gold in colour. Floral aromatics to the citrus fruit. Clean, precise and driving on the palate. Great acidity and mouthfeel in general here, this has body and balance, fruit and acidity. You really feel the texture - the juicy almost thick lemon tang with a touch of sweetness to the fruit enough to give it a mouthwatering quality but also adding to the overall density. Have with scallops! A blend of 89% Sauvignon Blanc on limestone and 11% Semillon. Drinking window: 2023-2035 Click to see full details
Château La Louvière	Pessac-Léognan	2019	93	Lovely aromas, nice freshness with some menthol/eucalyptus notes. Great texture straight away and plump density of fruit. This feels polished and well crafted with precise fruit definition, mouthwatering acidity and also a touch of creaminess. Such a great emphasis on cooling menthol minerality here, the freshly picked mint/eucalyptus flavour lingers long on the tongue, beyond the ripe blackcurrants and black cherries with smooth, rounded and supple tannins. Gloriously rich, deep with supreme freshness and drinkability. Lovely. Drinking window: 2023-2039 Click to see full details
Château La Mission Haut-Brion, La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion	Pessac-Léognan	2019	93	Bramble berries, fresh blackcurrants and black cherries alongside some savoury truffle too on the nose. Brilliantly textured tannins, they're the first thing you notice but so soft and charming - they coat the mouth gently allowing the bright fruit flavours to expand slowly from start to finish. This is fresh and juicy with a bright, if light, core of strawberry and cherry nuances. Good persistence with definition and a subtle florality that I love. A blend of 50.1% Merlot, 45.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4.4% Cabernet Franc. Drinking window: 2023-2038 Click to see full details
Chateau Lagrave Martillac	Pessac-Léognan	2019	93	Ripe and expressive nose, lemon, lime and green apple. Good freshness and life here, really good crunchy quality to the palate with appealing pineapple nuances. Quite high acidity but it's well handled. Good length and persistence. Drinking window: 2022-2035 Click to see full details
Château Larrivet Haut-Brion	Pessac-Léognan	2019	93	Gorgeous nose, pineapple, passionfruit and mandarin - smells so expressive. Fully flavoured on the palate, this is a rich and heady wine filled with fruit and texture. The frame is large and structured and given spicy edges from the wood ageing. Feels round and alive. Still very youthful with bright lemon, grapefruit and mango touches. Despite its power and concentration it's polished and quite charming with precision and clarity on show. Tasted twice. 3.17pH. Drinking window: 2025-2037 Click to see full details
Château Le Bonnat	Graves	2019	93	A hint of smokiness on the nose with some savoury edges, truffle and blackcurrant. Bright and vivacious in the glass, pure and energetic with a gorgeous salty, iodine, graphite mid palate and finish. Lovely weight and mouthfeel with salinity and clarity. Precise and finessed. If you like this style then this is a must buy. Drinking window: 2023-2035 Click to see full details
Château Le Thil	Pessac-Léognan	2019	93	Subtle nose with perfumed blackcurrants and a dusting of cocoa powder. This is smooth and juicy, lightly framed with a core of raspberries and red cherry flavours given texture by silky tannins that have a real gourmet edge to them with dark chocolate, liquorice and black olive tapenade aspects. Round with freshness - a great combination of sweet fruit and savoury herbal tones. The mouth finishes long and cool. Drinking window: 2024-2032 Click to see full details
Château Olivier	Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)	2019	93	Some honey, white pepper and jasmine elements on the nose. Nice persistency, a good drive of sharp citrus and stone fruits that feel well handled and all in line alongside perfumed edges which give nuance and appeal. Enjoyable overall balance, well controlled and executed with such drinkability. Drinking window: 2023-2029 Click to see full details
Château Olivier	Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)	2019	93	Expressive nose of bright red cherries and strawberries. Good juiciness here, this has life for sure but the fruit is still a little in high definition right now and edged with spicy oak elements that are quite dominant. Definitely lots going on and this has power, precision, good fruit and acidity but needs more time to soften and integrate. A peppery, quite savoury finish. Drinking window: 2024-2039 Click to see full details
Château Rahoul	Graves	2019	93	A rich seductive nose with smoky blackcurrants - so welcoming and inviting. Purity of juice on the palate, great acidity that is mouthwatering, this has a lot of life with quite precise cherry and blackcurrant flavours and good texture to the fine tannins that grip and hold but don't overwhelm the fruit. A nice chalky texture to the tannins that gives a powdery element to the palate too, it's mineral and stoney and combines well with the marked smokiness. Nice drive, feels rich and quite powerful but also restrained. Good concentration overall. Drinking window: 2025-2035 Click to see full details
Château Roquetaillade la Grange	Graves (Ambassadeur de Graves)	2019	93	Fresh red fruits on the nose, strawberries and raspberries alongside toasted sweet spices and faint florality. Round and full on the palate with a core of bright red fruits with creamy, chalky edges. Tannins are fine but noticeable supporting the fruit and liquorice nuances. Great energy here, really lively from start to finish with acidity keeping it fresh, density of fruit and touches of spice. Lovely roundness. Give it time to age. Drinking window: 2024-2035 Click to see full details
Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Les Hauts de Smith	Pessac-Léognan	2019	93	White fruit and flowers, lemon sweets, orange rind and clementine aromas on the nose. Great clarity and definition, this fills the mouth with a rich texture that is both smooth and sleek. It’s weighty on the palate, you get the feeling of it having richness and roundness but also with such tension. Streamlined but also shapely. A delicious wine with peach, fresh apricot and grapefruit nuances. Drinking window: 2024-2034 Click to see full details
Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Les Hauts de Smith	Pessac-Léognan	2019	93	Gorgeous freshly-picked strawberries and blackcurrants with liquorice and mint on the nose - a lovely dark profile with some coffee touches too. The texture is pure crushed velvet, sumptuous and enveloping but with energy and focus. There’s a definite black fruit character with liquorice and a hint of meatiness, it’s powerful and fairly muscular but so well presented with an excellent overall frame. Will provide excellent early-to-medium term drinking. Drinking window: 2024-2035 Click to see full details
Clos Bourgelat	Graves (Ambassadeur de Graves)	2019	93	An enticing nose of blackcurrant, black cherry and sweet tobacco. The texture stands out straight away, so silky and smooth, velvety tannins embrace the ripe fruit which is more focussed on strawberry and redcurrant on the palate. This is fresh and focussed with absolute charm. Nicely weighted with balance and lovely succulence up to the lifted finish which is a combination of cherry and milk chocolate flavours. Delicious. Can drink now but can also wait. Drinking window: 2023-2035 Click to see full details
Clos Floridène	Graves	2019	93	Elderflower and gooseberry on the nose with some soft herbal tones - smells inviting. Round and quite fat in the mouth, this has a thick lemon style, weighty, with pear and peach juice too. I like the density here and the soft honeyed sweetness that you get quite clearly on the palate. Feels more rich and sumptuous. Good drive though and a lime tang on the finish. Charming and elegant with lots to like. Enjoy it now for it's youthful bright fruit or keep it for longer ageing. Have with food, seafood or creamy blue cheese pasta dishes. Drinking window: 2023-2035 Click to see full details
Clos Floridène	Graves	2019	93	Intensely aromatic and expressive on the nose, the aromas just jump out the glass - blackcurrants and milk chocolate. The palate is so juicy, with real purity, fruit feels well handled and well defined. Lovely texture also, fine and powdery tannins give good support and there is an appealing freshness from start to finish. This has a lovely easy drinking elegance to it while being complex and flavourful. A delight to drink now to enjoy the youthful abundance but will also age. Tasted twice. Drinking window: 2024-2039 Click to see full details
Château Bouscaut	Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)	2019	92	Soft white floral aromatics with green apple and dried apricot. I really like the expression on the nose here and a little bit of petrol which appears after a few minutes. Round and creamy on the palate but actually with a real vein of lively lemon acidity. It's bright in the glass, needs more time for the fruit and acidity to match the structure and melt with the overall weight but this has really nice aspects. Clarity, precision, good drive. A little milky. Shorter also. Drinking window: 2022-2035 Click to see full details
Château Bouscaut	Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)	2019	92	Dark and heady nose, this is rich and bold, intensely concentrated. Full on the palate too but well balanced, it's a large style, confident and quite showy - oaky and jammy - but has the fruit intensity and structure to back it up. I like the texture too, on the right side of chewy with fine, sweet juicy tannins. Overall a nice combination of rich fruit and acidity with oak around the sides and a touch of spicy heat at the end. Definitely a heavier, slightly less finessed, style but this will have fans. Drinking window: 2024-2039 Click to see full details
Château Carbonnieux	Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)	2019	92	Very floral on the nose, pretty, smells like roses, perfumed and nuanced. A touch astringent, in that dry tannins come through fairly quickly but there is good density of ripe fruit underneath and this does have acidity that keeps things lively and fresh. Sweet oak spice, liquorice and cloves dominate the finish, closing things down and making the overall feel quite intense. One to hold on to. Drinking window: 2024-2038 Click to see full details
Château Couhins	Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)	2019	92	Bramble fruits and blackcurrant leaf on the nose. Mouthsucking straight away but in a good way, velvety tannins coat the tongue and cheeks providing support for the plush cherry and blackcurrant fruit. It's quite powerful but doesn't feel out of balance. Lovely definition and poise. Drinking window: 2023-2033 Click to see full details
Château Crabitey	Graves (Ambassadeur de Graves)	2019	92	Lovely purity of black fruit aromas on the nose, faint hints of flowers and some sweet liquorice too. Great texture with fine but persistent and grippy tannins that coat the mouth giving a velvety aspect to the strawberry and cherry fruit. Excellent balance between ripe fruit, acidity and sweet spice giving a round mouthful that is intense but also delicate. Really lovely! One of the 10 new red wine estates to be awarded the title Ambassadeur de Graves for the 2019 vintage. Drinking window: 2023-2033 Click to see full details
Château de Chantegrive	Graves	2019	92	White flowers, soft aromatics of green apple and grapes. Not such high acidity, more creamy on the palate with some patisserie elements, lime and apricot tart as well as ripe pear. I like the subtleness of this, quiet and calm but assured. Round and generous on the palate, with appealing weight. Acidity keeps things refreshing and lifted. Bright and defined. Great winemaking. Easy to approach and drink now. Have with food. Drinking window: 2023-2030 Click to see full details
Château de France	Pessac-Léognan	2019	92	Lovely saline-edged blue fruits on the nose. Smooth tannins make the first impression, filling the mouth with texture and grip followed by waves of blueberries, black cherries and crushed stones. Lovely sculpting on show, feels well controlled with energy, concentration and great freshness. Very nice. Drinking window: 2023-2033 Click to see full details
Château Ferran	Pessac-Léognan	2019	92	Super expressive nose, full on floral and citrus fruits. Expressive and really lively. There's a lovely softness to the palate, clearly lively with bright lemon and good acidity but this also has creamy chalky sides that are smooth and welcoming. Round and balanced with definite weight on initial impact but not massive length. An enjoyable mid palate though. Drinking window: 2023-2027 Click to see full details
Château Haut Selve	Graves	2019	92	A bit closed on the nose, smells rich and dark but hidden. Fresh and feisty, this is fruit forward and alive in the mouth with a lovely vein of refreshing, minty raspberry and black cherry flavours. Succulent but not too much with fine tannins and a lovely pencil lead finish. Salinity and wet stone is there, and this is the focus right now. Well put together with precision on show. Drinking window: 2023-2034 Click to see full details
Château Haut-Bergey	Pessac-Léognan	2019	92	Lemon and orange blossom - quite floral with citrus aromas. Nice fullness to this, it's smooth and expansive with sharp edges of lemon and pineapple but it really works. Definitely fresh pineapple here alongside apricot and lemon but also with such charming honey tones too, some creamines too, like a Piña Colada. So enjoyable and easy to approach. Drinking window: 2023-2028 Click to see full details
Château La Garde	Pessac-Léognan	2019	92	Seriously concentrated on the nose, smells expressive and ripe with smoked blackcurrant aromas. Gorgeous density, plush, ripe and juicy but with a clarity on the palate too. A big mouthful, clearly a powerful wine but well controlled - once the fruit subsides the minerality comes in with the chalky texture giving a general clean feeling to the tongue. Cooling minty finish too. This is round and well balanced with enough structure to age well. A blend of 52% Merlot, and 48% Cabernet Sauvignon. Ageing 30% new oak, 30% one year and 30% two-year oak barrels for 14 months. Drinking window: 2025-2035 Click to see full details
Château Lagrange	Graves	2019	92	Expressive and alive on the nose with ripe fruit flavours alongside white floral touches. Creamy and zesty - a great combination of rich fruit flavours with acidity. Despite its youth it already feels quite approachable with succulence and vibrancy. A good core of honeyed lemon, green apple and peach flavours with some fragrance coming from the Semillon. Refined and finessed with drive and lift. Drinking window: 2024-2031 Click to see full details
Château Lagrange	Graves (Ambassadeur de Graves)	2019	92	A dark and richly-scented nose filled with blackcurrants, cassis and sweet tobacco. Super succulent and softly sweet on the palate, bright fruit, great acidity and a lively, fresh finish. Feels very youthful and fun right now giving lots of bright fruit aspects that are allowed to shine thanks to well integrated and super fine tannins. Can enjoy this now for its exuberance but will also age well. One of the 10 wines to be awarded the title of Ambassadeur de Graves for the 2019 vintage. Drinking window: 2022-2030 Click to see full details
Château Latour-Martillac	Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)	2019	92	A hint of ripe sweetness to the fruit on the nose, this has good depth and some sculpted full fruit on the palate - blackcurrant and black cherries but the oak spicing is still seriously apparent and it blocks a lot of the exuberance at this stage with cloves, black pepper and dark chocolate tones. A powerful wine, big shouldered with lots of potential but a little hidden underneath tannins and oak right now. Drinking window: 2025-2039 Click to see full details
Château Lespault-Martillac	Pessac-Léognan	2019	92	Nice pinky red rim. This is almost spritzy in the glass with a focus on high toned cherry fruit - it has clarity and definition but perhaps not so layered and expressive at this point. Good push of juice and lots of energy here but not so expansive. Drinking window: 2024-2039 Click to see full details
Château Lespault-Martillac	Pessac-Léognan	2019	92	Expressive and fruit forward on the nose. A touch of sweetness to the fruit - exotic and textured in profile, pineapple, mango and passionfruit with lemon zest on the palate. Round and fully flavoured with hints of nuttiness and toast from the wood still lingering towards the end. Great winemaking on show with lots to like. Just needs time. Drinking window: 2023-2030 Click to see full details
Château Malartic-Lagravière, La Reserve de Malartic-Lagraviere	Pessac-Léognan	2019	92	White flowers and grape aromas. Elegance and finesse with brightness. Good density of lemon here, this isn't so acidic but delivers a really well balanced wine with fruit expression, power and structure. I like the texture, smooth and well defined. Driving with a touch of spicy oak at the end. Have with oysters. Drinking window: 2023-2030 Click to see full details
Château Martignac	Graves (Ambassadeur de Graves)	2019	92	Intense nose full of rich, ripe black fruit alongside sweet tobacco, liquorice spice and dark chocolate. Excellent fruit purity on the palate, really clean and focussed with lashings of pencil shavings and liquorice that somewhat overshadow the fruit at the moment but combine to give lots of pleasure. Needs a little more time to fully come together but there is lovely definition and refinement to this and a long length with a juicy, softly sweet and spicy finish. One I want another glass of. Currently not imported into the UK. Drinking window: 2023-2031 Click to see full details
Château Villa Bel-Air	Graves	2019	92	Soft blackcurrant aromas on the nose. A vibrant initial impact with strawberries and red cherries then the bloody orange and graphite come in strongly giving a chalky palate and spicy edges to the fruit. It's almost a bit tingly in the mouth - full of energy but trying to control itself. Well handled and presented. One to watch. Direct and precise. Drinking window: 2023-2031 Click to see full details
Domaine de Chevalier, L'Esprit de Chevalier	Pessac-Léognan	2019	92	Dark chocolate and mint on the nose, some sweet blackcurrant. I love the upfront juiciness here, it's well textured with fine tannins that gently support the fruit letting it shine brightly on the palate. There's a creaminess to this too which is so satisfying. Really a beautiful, gentle, delicate but nuanced wine. Good freshness and drinking appeal with fruit and energy. Easy enjoyment, well made. well structured. Good winemaking on show. Drinking window: 2022-2033 Click to see full details
Domaine de la Solitude	Pessac-Léognan	2019	92	Fresh nose filled with lemongrass, elderflower, peach and lychee giving that exotic yet floral tone to the nose. Generous on the palate with lots going on - definite spice from the wood with toast, vanilla and cinnamon alongside peach, apricot and pear. Such clarity to the palate, fruit feels precise and well worked - excellent quality here. Needs more time to fully settle and expand so buy and hold on to. Drinking window: 2023-2033 Click to see full details
Grand Enclos du Château de Cérons	Graves	2019	92	Delicate and soft nose comprising white flowers, white fruit and white chocolate touches. Lovely palate - a great combination of soft fruit flavours - apples, pears, apricots and peaches alongside high acidity keeping things refreshing and some spicy toast elements adding nuance and complexity. The individual elements are all presented well with great definition and precision but it feels like the best is yet to come. It needs more time for the wood ageing to integrate and for all the flavours to fully meld. Lots going on and lots to enjoy. One to put away. Drinking window: 2022-2033 Click to see full details
Grand enclos du château de Cérons	Graves	2019	92	Bramble fruits and sweet tobacco touches on the nose - smells appealing. Lovely velvet like texture with tannins that are well integrated and support the frame - they give just the right weight to the palate. Liquorice is at the fore at the moment, just overshadowing the bright cherry and blackcurrant fruit but this feels precise and defined. A classy wine with energy and verve. Enjoy now or hold on to for a few more years. Drinking window: 2022-2033 Click to see full details
Vieux Château Gaubert	Graves	2019	92	Honeyed lemon, buttery peach and white flowers on the nose. The palate is delicious, nuanced, aromatic and full of flavour from lemon and apricot and peach to brioche, toast and bitter grapefruit pith but all combined really well to give interest and nuance. This has acidity and weight harmoniously balanced. A lovely glass of wine that will be really excellent in a few years' time. One to look out for. Long finish, lovely lingering flavour. Lots to like here. Drinking window: 2023-2033 Click to see full details
Château Brown	Pessac-Léognan	2019	91	Coffee beans, dark chocolate and liquorice on the nose. Good structure and you feel the placement of the fruit and the acidity. It's a cooler style, showing blue fruits, black cherries, blueberries and raisin notes alongside high acidity and sweet, almost sharp cherry touches. Again, the focus is on the fruit and acidity rather than the density. It's upfront and confident. Drinking window: 2024-2039 Click to see full details
Château Cantelys	Pessac-Léognan	2019	91	Soft aromas of apples, lemons, peaches and pear drop nuances. Acidity is so balanced, not too high with creamy lemon and pear aspects. This has a nice weight, body and pleasant fatness on the palate with some subtle honey/caramel aspects giving a touch of sweetness. Such easy and enjoyable drinking. Drinking window: 2023-2033 Click to see full details
Château Carbonnieux, Croix de Carbonnieux	Pessac-Léognan	2019	91	Raspberries and strawberries on the nose, smells of sweet and fresh summer berries. Good freshness, a little tight right now, but this has good energy. Touches of menthol and eucalyptus at the end. Drinking window: 2023-2039 Click to see full details
Château Cazebonne, Les Parcellaires	Graves	2019	91	Grassy, white fruit and floral aromas. Lovely intensity, makes an impact straight away, but in a delicate, elegant manner, revealing nuanced lemon, green apple and peach flavours with balanced acidity. Attractive mouthfeel, texture and weight, with perfumed elements coming in towards the finish. A pretty style that can be enjoyed straight away. Drinking window: 2022-2025 Click to see full details
Château Crabitey	Graves	2019	91	White flowers, elderflower to the fore with white fruits, peach and apple - lovely aromatics. Great intensity on initial impact, delivering bright, honeyed lemons and grapefruit. Fresh and flavourful, easy to drink and enjoy with a lemon lift at the end, and just a hint of sweetness running through. Great to drink now and have with food. Drinking window: 2022-2027 Click to see full details
Château de Cérons	Graves	2019	91	Nuanced nose full of white flowers, white fruits and a hint of butterscotch - so appealing. Wonderful precision on the palate with a purity of flavour coming through in the lemon, green apple, grapefruit and apricot fruit. Intense but balanced with high acidity that is quite pronounced right now, although does keep things super-refreshing and zesty. An enjoyable glass of wine to have with creamy dishes, fish, white meat or cheese. Enjoy for its youth and open pleasure. Drinking window: 2022-2025 Click to see full details
Château de Cérons	Graves	2019	91	Nuanced nose full of white flowers, white fruits and a hint of butterscotch - so appealing. Wonderful precision on the palate with a purity of flavour coming through in the lemon, green apple, grapefruit and apricot fruit. Intense but balanced with high acidity that is quite pronounced right now, although does keep things super-refreshing and zesty. An enjoyable glass of wine to have with creamy dishes, fish, white meat or cheese. Enjoy for its youth and open pleasure. Drinking window: 2022-2032 Click to see full details
Château de France	Pessac-Léognan	2019	91	Wild grass, green apple and apricot on the nose. Lovely weight in the mouth, so balanced, with a taught core but layers of flavour. Zesty lemon, peach and apricot on the palate - it's round, smooth, almost creamy, but with a crystalline nature to the white and green fruit. Expressive and controlled. Really lovely. Drinking window: 2022-2029 Click to see full details
Château de Portets	Graves (Ambassadeur de Graves)	2019	91	Beautifully fragranced nose of sweet strawberries and red cherries - very fruit-forward and abundant. Bright and lively on the palate with the fruit doing all the talking before liquorice, pencil lead and coffee bean flavours come in on the mid-palate. Lots to enjoy. Intensely flavourful with lots of character and charm, just needs longer to come together a bit more. Well presented and good winemaking, Drinking window: 2023-2028 Click to see full details
Château de Respide, Callipyge	Graves	2019	91	Aromatic and full of nuance on the nose with red and black fruits, touches of toasted wood and scented flowers. Delicious crunchy fruit on the palate which is tinged with dark chocolate and liquorice, giving this a more serious feel. Tannins are fine-grained but mouth-filling and give structure and body. I like the interplay of bright juice, spice and generous tannins - this will be lovely in a few years. One to look out for. Drinking window: 2024-2030 Click to see full details
Château des Places	Graves	2019	91	Freshly picked red berry aromas on the nose. Great intensity of bright juicy fruits in the mouth. Ample and generous, with supple tannins that are smooth but supportive. This feels smooth and satisfying with energy and a lifted finish. Not layered or complex but delivers a really enjoyable glass of wine with a minty fresh finish. Charismatic and playful. One to seek out. Drinking window: 2022-2028 Click to see full details
Château du Barrailh	Graves	2019	91	Coffee bean, dark chocolate, cola and blackcurrant aromas. Supple and fleshy, this is concentrated and has a nice drive of flavour from start to finish, showing strawberries, cherries and blackcurrants which fill the palate alongside more savoury notes of coffee, meat and toast. Round, full-bodied and long. Drinking window: 2022-2029 Click to see full details
Château du Seuil	Graves	2019	91	Exotic touches of pineapple and mango alongside hints of honeyed lemons on the nose. Great intensity and vibrancy, the acidity at the fore, giving a mouthwatering succulence and bright fruit flavours which are more on the green apple spectrum. Feels precise, with purity of fruit and enjoyable touches of the sweet exotic aspects peppering the palate. Good drive all the way through with lift at the end. Drinking window: 2022-2028 Click to see full details
Château Ferran	Pessac-Léognan	2019	91	Dark chocolate, minty herbal nose with dark bramble fruit and spiciness. This has a great texture - mouth-fillingly dense and chewy but with focus on dark liquorice rather than bright fruits. Acidity is good but this is a little sombre right now. Tannins are grippy and there is a cinnamon, clove edge to the fruit. A little heavy and heady. Needs time. Drinking window: 2024-2039 Click to see full details
Château Haura	Graves	2019	91	Lovely scented nose, perfumed and floral. Beautiful, fresh and light aspect to this, with clarity and precision of fruit. Well balanced, not too showy but charming and quietly confident. Smooth and supple on the palate, this is fresh and fruity with excellent balance between concentration and lift. Fine tannins are well integrated and this has good freshness and a long finish. Finessed and nicely perfumed with a juicy quality that makes it more approachable now. A really enjoyable glass with lots to like. Can drink now but wait another year. A great ambassador for Graves. Drinking window: 2024-2039 Click to see full details
Château La Garde, La Terrasse de La Garde	Pessac-Léognan	2019	91	Expressive nose of truffle, smoke, dark chocolate and other savoury elements. This has a juicy charm and is easy to drink with its chalky palate, texture and fine but supportive tannins. 60ha property which features all the soils of Bordeaux. Drinking window: 2022-2033 Click to see full details
Château La Rose Sarron	Graves (Ambassadeur de Graves)	2019	91	Softly perfumed nose with peach, pear and lychee. Good concentration on the palate with cream-edged yellow and white fruits. Feels a little closed at this point, reserved, hiding some of its youthful exuberance, but there is a lovely pristine quality to the texture and fruit profile, then a lifted finish. Well presented. Drinking window: 2023-2030 Click to see full details
Château La Rose Sarron	Graves (Ambassadeur de Graves)	2019	91	Ripe jammy fruit on the nose, smells fresh and softly sweet - both lively and welcoming. The texture is noticeable - grippy but velvet-like, with tannins that take hold but gently coat the mouth. Bright strawberry, cherry and blackcurrant fruits fill the palate with touches of vanilla, liquorice, cola cube and cocoa powder giving a nuance of juiciness, spice and savouriness. Structured and sophisticated. Drinking window: 2022-2028 Click to see full details
Château Latour-Martillac	Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)	2019	91	Round, honeyed lemon, softer, more subtle, you can feel the weight of the oak on the palate with its spicy, heavy edges. Good freshness, though, with lifted lemon, lime and orange blossom. A touch sharp and perhaps the spice is too much right now. Drinking window: 2022-2028 Click to see full details
Château Magneau	Graves	2019	91	Lively and fragranced nose, giving off lemon, green apple and peach aromas. The texture is soft but full of flavour - weighty with honeyed lemon, peach and apricot but underpinned by bright acidity, keeping things fresh and interesting. Really lovely profile, drinking now but will age. Drinking window: 2022-2026 Click to see full details
Château Magneau	Graves	2019	91	High-toned cherries and milk chocolate aromas. Crunchy, ample and generous on the palate, not especially layered or complex but well defined with finesse and precision. Purity of red berry fruit with smooth, just-gripping tannins and a lifted, minty fresh finish. An easy-drinking glass of wine. One to seek out. Drinking window: 2022-2029 Click to see full details
Château Malartic-Lagravière, La Reserve de Malartic	Pessac-Léognan	2019	91	Full of bramble fruit, fresh and expressive on the nose, smells rich and ripe with the softest hint of perfume. Unfussy, fruit to the fore, with a brightness to the blackcurrant and red cherry fruit. A subtle creaminess, too, which lends definition and texture. Good acidity with freshness and life. Some dryness to the tannins at the end. Drinking window: 2023-2036 Click to see full details
Château Moutin	Graves (Ambassadeur de Graves)	2019	91	Aromatic and intense on the nose with exotic spices to the ripe red and black fruits, vanilla and sweet cedar. Succulent and juicy on initial impact but shuts down fairly quickly with fine, powdery tannins taking hold and the toasted wood spice coming more to the forefront. Overall weight is lovely as is the definition to the fruit - everything feels very controlled, elegant and defined, just needs some more time to integrate. Drinking window: 2024-2029 Click to see full details
Château Pape Clément, Clementin de Pape Clement	Pessac-Léognan	2019	91	Blackcurrant, black pepper and milky chocolate on the nose. This shows fine definition of cherry, strawberry and raspberry fruit. High-toned, a little too much, but there is good acidity here. Fresh and lively, perhaps just not so layered. Fine tannins coat the mouth, gently providing support. A little oaky still at this stage. Drinking window: 2024-2035 Click to see full details
Château Rahoul	Graves	2019	91	Excellent expression on the intensely aromatic nose - a tiny touch of honeyed lemon, some white peach and bitter orange peel. Piercing acidity, cuts through the fruit which has a density that is so appealing. It's bright but with nuances of nut and honey. Structured and round, great fruitiness. Long length. From deep gravel soils, 15% new oak, winemaking and all ageing in barrel. Bottled and released eight months after harvest. Drinking window: 2022-2035 Click to see full details
Château Toumilon	Graves	2019	91	Black Forest gateau notes alongside ripe and heady blackcurrants. Nicely weighted in the mouth with tannins that make an impact but don't stick out. Flavours are concentrated around black fruits - cherries, plums and blackcurrants, with a healthy dose of liquorice giving weight and spice to the palate. Good drive with intensity of flavour and nice balance of spice and freshness. An enjoyable wine, can drink now and enjoy the dark fruits and spice or wait a little longer. Drinking window: 2023-2029 Click to see full details
Château Tourteau Chollet	Graves	2019	91	Blackcurrant, pencil lead and soft wild herb touches combine for an expressive and welcoming nose. The palate is fresh and ripe with cooler blue fruit flavours - blueberries and plums. A little subdued at the moment but nicely framed and refined. The overall weight and length is good, with delicious touches of black chocolate, smoke and mint. Lots to enjoy here and one to seek out. Drinking window: 2022-2029 Click to see full details
Clos Bourgelat	Graves (Ambassadeur de Graves)	2019	91	Green apple, pear and soft elderflower touches on the nose. Great texture, clear and crystalline - the fruit is a bit hidden right now, it's sleeping but shows hints of zesty lemon, sweet peach, perfumed lychee and bitter grapefruit. The overall weight and definition is lovely. Nuanced and carefully presented. Delicate and elegant with plenty more to come over time. Drinking window: 2024-2031 Click to see full details
Clos de la Périchère	Graves	2019	91	Expressive nose full of bramble fruit. The palate is dense and fleshy, nicely concentrated with blackcurrants, cherries and strawberries, but also with quite a dominant liquorice coating. A darker style with toasted edges and some evidence of alcohol lingering on the finish. Made with precision, just needs more time. Drinking window: 2022-2028 Click to see full details
Clos du Hez	Graves	2019	91	Lovely, fresh and expressive nose of lemongrass and apple. Pleasing punch of zesty lime acidity, not too full but life and energy to the bright white fruits. A hint of sweetness, the barest touch, gives a little more weight and overall flavour depth. Fresh and aromatic, softly exotic (lychee) and appealing drive. Not full or extremely long but a nice glass of wine. Drinking window: 2023-2026 Click to see full details
Domaine de la Solitude	Pessac-Léognan	2019	91	Bright red cherry and blackcurrants with a soft cocoa dusting on the nose. Lovely purity and intensity here, crystalline clarity with well-integrated tannins and a super-graceful feel. You get the layers of red currants and blackberries, then the graphite and liquorice which all builds towards a lifted and refreshing finish. Super-tasty and balanced, with a gentle creaminess. Drinking window: 2023-2030 Click to see full details
Château Beauregard Ducasse	Graves	2019	90	Wonderfully intense nose of red fruits, floral touches and soft exotic spices. I love the aromatics here. Firm with ripe tannins and succulent cherry and blackcurrant fruit. Grippy with a nicely textured mouthfeel. Good core of fruit, but a little bit dry and chalky at the moment - give it time. Lingering flavour is full of fresh mint. Excellent weight and drive, this feels precise and refined. Easy drinking, a lot to like here. 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot. Sixth generation viticulturist, Jacques Perromat. Tasted twice. Drinking window: 2023-2030 Click to see full details
Château Brown	Pessac-Léognan	2019	90	Some fatness here and heavy, honeyed tones, but also lemon freshness, with notes of lemon balm giving this a really perfumed taste on the palate. There is some juice - like concentrated apple juice - and this has quite good definition, but it's not so inline at the moment. A bit sharp, a bit woody. Drinking window: 2022-2029 Click to see full details
Château Calvimont	Graves	2019	90	An intensely fragrant nose of bramble fruits and fresh strawberries. Immediately alive and succulent in the mouth, giving well-defined red berry fruit flavours. Fresh and easy to drink with some chalky tannins and a refreshing finish. Needs a bit more time to soften and integrate, but an enjoyable glass. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Merlot. Drinking window: 2022-2027 Click to see full details
Château Calvimont	Graves	2019	90	A fragrant nose, really aromatic and appealing from the 40% Semillon and 10% Sauvignon Gris in the blend. The perfume continues faintly on the palate, gently surrounding the peach, green apple, lemon and honeyed mango flavours. Great texture and drive from start to finish. Energy and vibrancy. Not overly complex but delivers an enjoyable glass of wine. Drinking window: 2023-2029 Click to see full details
Château Cantelys	Pessac-Léognan	2019	90	Lovely, pronounced, perfumed black fruits, Parma Violets and brambles on a ripe nose - rich and concentrated. Appealing weight, tannins are smooth but textured, coating the tongue with cherry fruit, strawberry too. Smooth tobacco, not massively layered or complex but well structured and balanced. Some stalky wood elements. Glossy and fresh with a touch of green peppercorn. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot. Drinking window: 2022-2030 Click to see full details
Château de Respide	Graves	2019	90	Aromatic intensity on the nose - green apples, pears and apricot. The palate is soft, with a lovely balance between high acidity and zesty fruit, and a creamy chalkiness that complements the rich but nicely defined fruit. The overall frame is full-bodied, but behind the textural elements is a core of bright and lively fruit with lots of energy. An enjoyable glass of wine. Drinking window: 2022-2026 Click to see full details
Château des Gravières	Graves	2019	90	Dark chocolate, coffee grains, cola cubes and blackcurrant aromas fill the nose - lots going on here with nuance more on the darker, savoury and spicy side. This is dense and concentrated, with a core of ripe red and black fruits that have a soft coffee coating that fills the mouth and almost dominates the fruit. A more unusual flavour profile but an enjoyable one. Will be interesting to see how this evolves. Drinking window: 2022-2027 Click to see full details
Château du Mont, Gabriel	Graves	2019	90	80% Cabernet Franc alongside 20% Merlot. An appealing nose full of black fruit aromas and liquorice sticks. The palate is dense and still very much in a spicy, dark state, with the initial cherry and blackcurrant fruitiness taken over by liquorice and soft touches of savoury spice that linger alongside fresh mint on the finish. Tannins are nicely integrated and the overall mouthfeel is structured and full. Feels nicely finessed and will be excellent in time. Drinking window: 2023-2029 Click to see full details
Château Haut Bergey	Pessac-Léognan	2019	90	Rich and ripe nose. This is concentrated, high-toned for sure and acidic, but full of excellent, defined cherry freshness. It's more on the first taste and the front of the mouth, not so much on the mid-palate. It's on the lighter side perhaps, with quite straight and precise fruit, and with oak that is a little spicy right now - the edges are spiky meaning this needs more time. Drinking window: 2024-2038 Click to see full details
Château Haut Nouchet	Pessac-Léognan	2019	90	Wonderfully expressive on the nose; rich and exotic with pineapple and some freshly picked herbs. Round and creamy on the palate, lovely texture and balance here with the focus on zesty lemon but also exotic peach and lychee which gives added weight. Pair with some creamy or spicy food to match the aromatic intensity. Drinking window: 2023-2030 Click to see full details
Château Haut Selve	Graves	2019	90	Touches of lemongrass, fresh mint and pineapple on the nose. Smells lovely and characterful. Lively on the palate with lemon and green apple juice at the fore. There's also a hint of apricot stone on the mid-palate. Nice framing and tension on the palate with a lifted finish. Very lemony, even sharp. Round and generously fruited, not a massive length. Cooling finish. Drinking window: 2023-2030 Click to see full details
Château L'Anglet	Graves	2019	90	Pure elderflower on the nose - so aromatic, fragrant and appealing. The palate is bright and vibrant, with high acidity giving a succulent sensation to the lemon, pineapple and apricot fruit. I like the overall feel, the texture is smooth and supple, and this has excellent drive with precision from start to finish. There is a touch of bitterness coupled with wood spice or alcohol heaviness that needs to settle over time. Give it another year or so. Great expression though. Drinking window: 2023-2028 Click to see full details
Château L'Anglet	Graves	2019	90	Lovely soft florality on the nose which shows rose and touches of black fruits, with hints of smoked meat giving wonderful nuance. The palate is smooth and generous, with a refinement to the red cherry, blackcurrant and plum fruit. Smooth and silky, with fine, well-integrated tannins, this also has a darker, spicy liquorice, cola and mint undertone that comes in from the mid-palate giving a wine of two halves at this point. Refreshing and well made but needs more time to integrate. Drinking window: 2023-2029 Click to see full details
Château Le Bonnat	Graves	2019	90	A touch of white chocolate to the peach, apple and white pear fruit aromas - smells inviting. Soft and delicate on the palate with a richness of flavour that is just balanced by acidity to keep it refreshing. Mouthwatering lemon makes way for vanilla bean and grapefruit pith flavours towards the lifted finish. Overall an enjoyable glass with plenty going on. On the richer end of the scale. Drinking window: 2022-2026 Click to see full details
Château Les Clauzots	Graves	2019	90	Gorgeous fragrance to the cherry fruit on the nose with tinges of milk chocolate. Tannins are fine but plentiful and they support the ripe black fruit which is laced with liquorice, coffee bean and toast. A darker, richer, slightly more spicy style - well balanced with confidence. Enjoyable. One to open today and enjoy with food. Drinking window: 2022-2029 Click to see full details
Château Olivier, Le Dauphin d'Olivier	Pessac-Léognan	2019	90	Expressive nose, bright red cherries and strawberries. This has life for sure, but the juicy fruit is a little high in definition right now - still a little oak-edged with spice and a bit short. Definitely lots going on and this has power, precision, good fruit and acidity, but needs more time to soften and integrate. Not so much texture, just some fine but drying tannins. Peppery finish, quite savoury. Drinking window: 2024-2029 Click to see full details
Château Pont de Brion	Graves	2019	90	Expressive and alive on the nose; rich, deep and intense. This is round with generous berry fruit flavours and good overall weight in the mouth. The texture is smooth and silky, with balance between fruit and spice - liquorice and cedar. Not amazingly complex or layered - quite light but fresh and lifted. An enjoyable glass with food. Drinking window: 2022-2028 Click to see full details
Château Pontet la Gravière	Graves	2019	90	A nose dominated by blackcurrant, it smells so fresh, ripe, intense and concentrated. Similar concentration on the palate, this is dense and fleshy, with ripe cassis at the fore alongside touches of liquorice stick. It's bold, upfront and fruit-forward with confidence. Needs a little more time for the wood spice and heat of the alcohol to integrate, but the fruit density and power is lovely. Drinking window: 2022-2028 Click to see full details
Château Puy Boyrein	Graves	2019	90	Green apple, grass and elderflower aromas - has a delicacy about it. The palate is gorgeous, full of pear and apple with some hints of lemon, too. Nicely rounded and precise with impact. Not overly acidic or too heavy, just an easy-drinking glass with length and vibrancy. Feels well made with enough lift, bitterness and brightness to deliver an enjoyable glass. Drinking window: 2022-2029 Click to see full details
Château Quincarnon	Graves	2019	90	So fragranced on the nose, smells rich, ripe and sweetly concentrated. Round and ample in the mouth with ripe fruit flavours of strawberry, red cherry and blackcurrant. Tannins are on the grippy side, giving support to the fruit, and this feels well made with structure and finesse. Just needs more time to soften. Will be great in time. Drinking window: 2023-2029 Click to see full details
Château Saint Robert - Poncet Deville	Graves	2019	90	Aromatic and expressive nose with floral touches alongside blackcurrant, blueberry and liquorice. Juicy and bright in the glass, this is vibrant with energetic strawberry and blackcurrant alongside cooler mint, eucalyptus and liquorice touches. Well balanced with character and finesse. Generous, fleshy and nicely defined with great freshness. Can drink this now or age. Drinking window: 2022-2029 Click to see full details
Château Sirio	Graves	2019	90	Elderflower and freshly cut grass on the nose. Lively and bright on the palate with a creaminess that gives the overall impression of having weight but not too much - more round than deep. Touches of vanilla and toast come in towards the finish suggesting this needs a little longer to integrate and even out. This has a lovely profile with defined peach and apricot fruit, and overall elegance. Drinking window: 2022-2026 Click to see full details
Château Toumilon	Graves	2019	90	White flowers with green apples and freshly picked pears on the nose - smells welcoming. Softly mouth-watering, just the right amount of acidity, with a viscous feel to the palate, giving a full-bodied frame. Hints of bitterness give nuance and interest. Characterful and well delivered. Drinking window: 2022-2029 Click to see full details
Château Tour Bicheau	Graves	2019	90	Green apple, grass and white flowers on the nose - delicate and pretty. Nicely weighted on the palate with a balance between high acidity and concentrated fruits. Full-bodied with pineapple, peach and apricot flavours alongside a touch of wood spice. An enjoyable glass. One for food to match the weight. Drinking window: 2022-2209 Click to see full details
Château Tour de Calens	Graves	2019	90	Fragrant red cherries on the nose. Good succulence and crunch on the palate, not overly complex but bright red fruit and liquorice flavours that are integrated and balanced. Tannins are ample and fine, just framing the fruit, and then a mint-laced finish. A good example and an enjoyable, generous glass. Drinking window: 2022-2027 Click to see full details
Château Vénus	Graves	2019	90	Welcoming nose of rich and heady bramble fruits. Bright and focused on the palate, this has lovely, aromatic red fruits with creamy edges. Tannins are soft and integrated, and this is fresh from the start to finish. Not overly complex - an easy-drinking style with more fragrance and perfume than most. Lightly framed and enjoyable. Drinking window: 2022-2026 Click to see full details
Château Vénus Tentation	Graves	2019	90	Blackcurrant dominates the nose alongside soft touches of coffee and toast. Succulent and juicy with fleshy tannins that coat the mouth in a satisfying way. I like the overall frame, lighter than some but with lift - an aerial style. Touches of wood spice and sweet liquorice linger on the finish. Drinking window: 2023-2027 Click to see full details
Domaine du Salut	Graves	2019	90	Subtly fragranced nose. Bright lemon, lime, pineapple and peach are immediately apparent alongside soft wild honeyed notes and some floral touches. This is delicate and refined, well presented with drive from start to finish. I like the texture and brightness of the flavours. A nice easy drinking wine to enjoy straight away. Will be great with creamy pasta dishes or white meats - something quite savoury to offset the enjoyable and very softly sweet acidity. could be 91? Drinking window: 2022-2026 Click to see full details
Fructera	Graves	2019	90	White peach and fresh green apples on the nose - faint hints of honeysuckle, too. This has a lovely texture; smooth but full-bodied with good weight and framing. Ripe peach, apricot and red apple flavours combine with a hint of honey and wet stone in the mouth. This has easy-drinking appeal. Drinking window: 2022-2027 Click to see full details
Château Bichon Cassignols	Graves	2019	89	Heady blackcurrant on the nose - smells welcoming. Juicy and lifted, this has generous, bright, high-toned fruit and a succulent palate with ample and supple tannins. Not the most complex but nicely packaged with fruit purity and precision. I like the style, quite linear and focused from start to finish. Easy to drink and enjoy with soft spices, some raspberry fruit flavours and a refreshing finish. 55% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drinking window: 2022-2028 Click to see full details
Château Bichon Cassignols	Graves	2019	89	Softly fragrant nose filled with apricot and gently toasted wood notes. Lovely concentration on the palate, showing bitter lemon, peach and apricot. Good weight and overall frame - slightly thicker, heavier than some of the others but it's well balanced. Needs a lovely rich meal to go with it. Nice lift at the end keeps it refreshing, but it's on the heavier side so the wood needs more time to integrate as it sticks out a little. Drinking window: 2023-2028 Click to see full details
Château d'Arricaud	Graves	2019	89	A fresh and expressive nose of elderflower, gooseberry and green apple. Almost spritzy on the palate, this has great energy with good acidity and flavours of more green apples and pears. Some creamy touches come in on the mid-palate giving nuance to the overall profile. Characterful and easy to enjoy. Drinking window: 2022-2029 Click to see full details
Château de la Brède	Graves	2019	89	Aromatic nose full of exotic fruits and softly honeyed lemon touches. Nice weight and mouthfeel, acidity keeping it lively. This feels well made with gently exuberant fruit, but the spice is overpowering a little at the moment and moving the focus away from the freshness. Will be nice in time. Drinking window: 2023-2028 Click to see full details
Château de la Brède	Graves	2019	89	Red cherries and raspberries on the nose. Juicy and mouth-filling with a good initial burst of bright red fruit settling to reveal an enjoyably darker, more spicy palate, combining liquorice, charcoal and freshly picked mint flavours that linger in the mouth. Give this a little longer to come together more. Drinking window: 2023-2029 Click to see full details
Château de Portets	Graves	2019	89	Freshly shelled green peas on the nose, so clear and lovely. Bright peach and green apple, too. This has a really nice texture, not too heavy or light, with good flavour from the white and yellow fruits which also have a creamy edge to them. It feels well made with precision and clarity, just the elements need to come together a bit more to be truly harmonious. Good potential. Drinking window: 2023-2027 Click to see full details
Château de Sauvage	Graves	2019	89	Bright red cherry aromas on the nose. Lively, high-toned flavours majoring on strawberry, raspberry and red cherry. It's light with freshness and energy. Not amazingly complex but easy to drink and enjoy with its smooth tannins and refreshing finish. Drinking window: 2022-2026 Click to see full details
Château des Places	Graves	2019	89	Grassy nose with elderflower, green apple and lemon. Freshness throughout with some enjoyable bitter touches of grapefruit and mandarin alongside bright acidity. Green apple and peach also come into play. The texture and weight are appealing and this delivers a precise and defined glass of wine. Drinking window: 2022-2028 Click to see full details
Château du Haut Maray	Graves	2019	89	Perfumed fruit on the nose - oranges, apricots and a touch of lychee - exotic and enticing. Juicy and mouth watering straight away with a nicely balanced palate that has acidity, weight and fruit intensity. Fragrance continues on the palate with high-toned lemon and green apple fruit. Not overly complex or layered but nice elements. Drinking window: 2022-2026 Click to see full details
Château du Seuil	Graves	2019	89	Lively and expressive on the nose with aromas of red and black fruits jumping out of the glass. The blackcurrant on the nose follows through on the palate which is well balanced, giving soft fruit flavours, silky tannins and a medium body. A smooth, light style that is ready to drink. Drinking window: 2022-2028 Click to see full details
Château Haut Nouchet	Pessac-Léognan	2019	89	Pretty fruit profile. Delicate, well-placed tannins are smooth and silky, edged in bright red cherry fruit and high acidity. Feels a little high-toned still, on the verge of being austere, showing raspberry leaf or perhaps a little tart and tangy cherry, but the creamy milk chocolate on mid-palate and overall freshness is appealing. Mineral finish. Drinking window: 2023-2029 Click to see full details
Château Jouvente	Graves	2019	89	Delicate and soft nose with white fruits, pear and grape. Juicy and bright, acidity to the fore giving this tons of freshness and mouth watering appeal. Not complex but easy to enjoy with food. Quite high acidity supports the lemon, pineapple and touches of honeysuckle. Drinking window: 2022-2025 Click to see full details
Château Jouvente	Graves	2019	89	Expressive and abundant nose full of ripe red and black fruits with some savoury, herbal touches. The palate is fruity and playful, vibrant with strawberry and black cherry flavours alongside liquorice spice. Concentrated with restrained power but a definite dark, more serious side to the flavour profile. Coffee bean touches with some eucalyptus on the finish. Drinking window: 2022-2028 Click to see full details
Château Lamothe-Cordier	Graves	2019	89	Freshly picked summer berries on the nose with an appealing aroma of sweet strawberry jam. The palate is succulent and juicy, nicely weighted with fine but persistent tannins that coat the mouth and give structure. Lightly framed but well presented with good acidity and freshness. Light is the word; a nice, easy-drinking style. Drinking window: 2022-2026 Click to see full details
Château Lassalle	Graves	2019	89	Aromatic and expressive nose full of fresh white fruit. Deliciously soft texture, with a faint sweetness that gives body and roundness to the exotic fruits. Bright lemon acidity is offset by creamy apricot and peach, driving to a long, mineral-edged finish. Appealing overall weight and balance with a hint of bitter grapefruit pith on the end. Drinking window: 2022-2029 Click to see full details
Château Latour-Martillac, Lagrave-Martillac	Pessac-Léognan	2019	89	Good fruit power here, although it's a little astringent and high-toned. Wood structure and wood spice overtaking the fruit at this point. A little heavy. Dry tannins also, this needs time to come together. Cloves, cinnamon and bramble fruit form the core. Drinking window: 2025-2039 Click to see full details
Château Lehoul	Graves	2019	89	Blackcurrant, black cherry and liquorice dominate the intense and concentrated nose. Juicy quality to the palate, with lively strawberry and bramble fruit flavours plus touches of soft wood spice and liquorice. Balance, weight and drive from start to finish. Easy to drink and one to open sooner rather than later. Drinking window: 2023-2026 Click to see full details
Château Les Clauzots	Graves	2019	89	Grassy aromas on the nose - very Sauvignon Blanc with green apples and pears. The palate is bright and zesty, with good persistence and high acidity keeping the palate fresh and lively. Well defined with precision in the fruit profile. Nice lift at the end. Enjoyable if not the most complex. Drinking window: 2022-2025 Click to see full details
Château Mayne du Cros	Graves	2019	89	Fragrant red cherry and raspberry on the nose. High-toned and bright in the glass, this has good acidity bringing the fruit to the fore with integrated tannins and a touch of fresh mint towards the finish. Energy and vibrancy here, not the most complex but light and fresh with touches of wood spice giving a slightly drying sensation at the end. Needs a bit more time. Drinking window: 2023-2029 Click to see full details
Château Millet	Graves	2019	89	Green apple, white flowers and a touch of exotic fruit on the nose. Bright and lively in the glass, with bitter grapefruit, crunchy green apple and soft pear all coming through on the palate. Good drive with honeyed touches giving interest towards the finish. Easy drinking and approachable. Drinking window: 2022-2025 Click to see full details
Château Millet	Graves	2019	89	Fruity nose filled with cherries and strawberries. Excellent initial impact, full of juice and acidity making the mouth water. Then liquorice and toast flavours come in, shutting down the fruit-forwardness and giving it a more serious tone. Nicely weighted but needs more time to balance and integrate. Good freshness throughout and the fruit feels nicely handled. Drinking window: 2023-2029 Click to see full details
Château Puy Boyrein	Graves	2019	89	Raspberry and red cherry alongside roasted meat and touches of smoke on the nose - savoury and enticing. The meaty angle continues on the palate, lacing the red fruit flavours and giving this a more serious profile. Toasted vanilla and liquorice also appear towards the finish. Nicely weighted with freshness, the fruit just taking a back seat at the moment. Nice if you like a more liquorice-dominant style. Drinking window: 2022-2028 Click to see full details
Château Saint Hilaire	Graves	2019	89	Ripe, heady nose full of bramble fruits and cola. Lovely weight and feel, smooth and silky with the fruit flavours dominated by liquorice. Feels well balanced with nothing striking out too much, just on the more serious, savoury and spicy side. I like the precision of the fruit and the tannin integration. You could open and enjoy this today. Drinking window: 2022-2026 Click to see full details
Château Tour Bicheau	Graves	2019	89	Concentrated and intense nose of ripe red and black fruits. Focused and precise, this is full of lively, bright red fruit (strawberry and red cherry) with soft tannins, good acidity and freshness. At the lighter end of the spectrum with an easy-drinking appeal. Fresh, fruity and fun. Good to open now. Drinking window: 2022-2026 Click to see full details
Château Tourteau Chollet	Graves	2019	89	Bright white fruit aromas on the nose; expressive and lively. Fresh and vibrant, shows real weight in the mouth with a focus on honeyed apricot, peach and ripe pear. Lovely aromatic interest on the palate with lemongrass, elderflower and straw. Good persistency from 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Drinking window: 2022-2029 Click to see full details
Fructera	Graves	2019	89	Ripe red berries on the nose. The palate is juicy and seriously succulent, just stopping short of fully mouthwatering, but lovely and alive with strawberries and cherries that have a creamy edge. Feels quite precise and defined, showing the purity of the grapes. Supple and generous. Not complex but nicely presented, fresh and enjoyable. An easy-drinking and approachable wine. Drinking window: 2022-2026 Click to see full details
Vieux Château Gaubert	Graves	2019	89	Bramble fruits and liquorice spice on the nose with touches of Herbes de Provence - smells enticing. Strawberry, cherry and blackcurrant fruit show a creamy edge alongside liquorice and coffee bean flavours. A rich and concentrated style that delivers an enjoyable lift on the finish. Not the most complex but enjoyable. You could open and drink now to enjoy the slightly darker, more liquorice-dominant sculpting, or wait a bit longer. Drinking window: 2023-2027 Click to see full details
Château Cazebonne	Graves	2019	88	Black chocolate, cherries and blackcurrants on the nose - aromatic and characterful. The palate is marked by high acidity giving quite a high-toned juiciness to the red fruit flavours. Light and fresh. Lacking a little in body and complexity. Not a super-long finish. Drinking window: 2022-2026 Click to see full details
Château de L'Hospital	Graves	2019	88	An almost sweetly fruited nose of cherries and strawberries. A good dose of juicy, mouthwatering red fruit gives way to chalky, fine-grained tannins that are currently overshadowing anything else at this point, although there is a lovely, cooling cola and minty fresh undercurrent that drives the wine, leaving a refreshing and lingering flavour. Nice initial impact but this needs a little longer to soften and integrate. Drinking window: 2023-2029 Click to see full details
Château Haut Maray	Graves	2019	88	Ripe fruits with a fleshy quality that fills the mouth alongside supple tannins that give support. Round and concentrated with good acidity and a nice vein of freshness running through to the end. Just a touch of toasted wood spice and a dry texture on the finish with the alcohol making itself known. Give it time. Drinking window: 2023-2028 Click to see full details
Château Lassalle	Graves	2019	88	Floral touched blackcurrants and hints of mocha on the nose. This is juicy and fragrant with high-toned red fruit flavours and hints of toasted wood spice. Tannins are soft and smooth but this is lacking a little in direction and fullness. It needs more time to fill out and integrate. Drinking window: 2023-2027 Click to see full details
Château Lehoul	Graves	2019	88	Fresh aromas of pineapple, peach and pear with touches of white grapefruit. Round and full, with great energy to the white fruits. Nicely defined with purity and refinement to the overall profile. Good length and persistence. A good food wine and one to enjoy now. Just a touch of heat from the alcohol and hint of wood spice on the finish that should soften in time. Drinking window: 2023-2026 Click to see full details
Château Mayne du Cros	Graves	2019	88	Aromatic and fragranced nose - flowers, spice and a hint of vanilla. Good drive of white and yellow fruits with balanced acidity and weight on the palate which shows hints of green pea and toasted spice. Needs a bit of time, although does have a nice lemony lift on the finish. Drinking window: 2022-2025 Click to see full details
Château Sirio	Graves	2019	88	Fresh nose filled with bramble fruit aromas. Bright, light and alive on the palate with high acidity, crunchy cherry flavours and tannins that are well integrated but just a little drying towards the finish. Fruit has great purity but the overall frame isn't quite there - stops a little short. Nice for easy drinking. Drinking window: 2022-2026 Click to see full details

Rhône 2020 en primeur: full report and top-scoring wines

White Graves: panel tasting results

Andy Howard MW — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 09:00:16 +0000

Andy Howard MW, Tom Parker MW and Tim Triptree MW tasted 82 wines with three Outstanding and 35 Highly Recommended

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their Graves AP and Pessac-Léognan dry whites, up to two vintages each, one recent and one mature (including grand cru and cru classé de Graves)

White Graves panel tasting scores

82 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 3

Highly recommended 35

Recommended 40

Commended 4

Fair 0

Poor 0

Faulty 0

This was an illuminating tasting, providing an insight into some of the Graves region’s recent vintages while also providing an opportunity to taste older vintages and see how the wines have developed.

The panel were left with more questions than answers but, in the right hands, it’s clear that the best white Graves wines can be a match quality wise for some of the better-known Burgundy Côte d’Or appellations, and often at considerably keener prices.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top-scoring white Graves wines

The panel tasted dry white wines from Graves and Pessac-Léognan.

Both APs lie to the south and southwest of Bordeaux, with the northern parts of Pessac-Léognan close to the city, and the greater Graves area extending south as far as the sweet-wine dominated appellations of Cérons, Barsac and Sauternes.

Soils are far from homogenous across the dry white Bordeaux vineyards, with those of Graves usually a mix of gravel, sand, clay and limestone; Pessac-Léognan is dominated by gravel soils, ranging in thickness from a few inches to several metres.

White Bordeaux wines are usually a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, some using small amounts of Muscadelle and Sauvignon Gris – the latter adding an extra layer of exotic flavour to the blend.

Oak is frequently used for fermentation and maturation in premium wines destined for long ageing, imparting to the wines a richness and powerful personality together with pronounced floral notes and zesty citrus flavours. As seen in this tasting, the best white Bordeaux are capable of keeping extremely well.

The appellation of Pessac-Léognan (granted in 1987) is home to most top estates, with Châteaux Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion situated close to Pessac (together with Pape-Clément and Laville Haut-Brion) on the outskirts of the city.

See all the wines from the white Graves panel tasting

Further south, around Léognan, other leading names include Châteaux Bouscaut, Carbonnieux, de Fieuzal, Larrivet Haut-Brion, Smith Haut Lafitte and Domaine de Chevalier – the latter being one of the few Pessac/Graves properties where the white wine is more famous than the red.

Of the 82 wines tasted, Graves wines scored an average of 88 points with Pessac-Léognan averaging 91 – clearly demonstrating a quality advantage for this appellation.

What surprised the panel was the variability displayed, particularly evident with some of the younger vintages.

As expected, the cooler vintage of 2017 outperformed 2018, 2019 and 2020. Tim Triptree MW noted: ‘Vintage is significant, as warmer years appeared to be less successful in the tasting,’ while Tom Parker MW felt that the ‘hot vintages did feel blowsy, tropical and at times less capable of ageing’.

The panel was surprised by the variation in style, with Parker commenting: ‘Even within the same vintage there were linear/Loire-type wines as well as Rhône-like styles.’

Triptree felt that Sauvignon Blanc seemed to help maintain acidity and freshness, and both were impressed by some of the older, 2006 wines which showed how well white Bordeaux can age when well made.

Two 2006 wines from the Lurton stable (La Louvière and Couhins-Lurton) had been bottled under screwcap, with Triptree noting ‘excellent wines which remained remarkably fresh and vibrant despite their age’.

Domaine de Chevalier also lived up to its renown, Parker summarising the high quality of 2006 and potential for 2017: ‘The younger vintage was reticent and subtle. Domaine de Chevalier showed itself to be one of the white Bordeaux most worthy of patience in the cellar, rather than opening young.’

Top-scoring wines from the white Graves tasting

Wines listed scored 90 points or above.

The judges

Andy Howard MW is a contributing editor to Decanter and a DWWA Regional Chair. Formerly a wine buyer in the UK retail sector for 30 years, he now runs his own wine consultancy Vinetrades Ltd, focusing on wine education, investment and sourcing.

Tom Parker MW has been a wine buyer for merchant Farr Vintners since 2011, with a particular focus on Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhône. A Master of Wine since 2018, he writes when time permits, contributing to a number of publications including jancisrobinson.com.

Tim Triptree MW is the international director of wine and spirits at Christie’s, responsible for the planning and execution of Christie’s wine and spirits auctions internationally. A Master of Wine since 2018, at DWWA 2021 he judged on the Bordeaux and Rhône panels.

Graves and Pessac-Léognan white wines 2015 in bottle

Looking to Bordeaux’s great dry whites: 16 top wines from the 2015 vintage

Best Pessac-Léognan and Graves 2018 wines

Understanding Graves plus 12 top-value wines worth seeking out

Panos Kakaviatos — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 08:00:28 +0000

Stretching from Pessac some 50km southwards to the town of Langon, the vineyards of Graves are bordered to the west and south by pine forest and to the east by the Garonne river.

Within Graves, in its northern sector, is the more recently created (1987) appellation of Pessac-Léognan, which includes all classified Graves wines. While all Pessac-Léognan wines are part of the Graves region, not all Graves wines are Pessac-Léognan.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 12 Graves wines to try

One of Bordeaux’s oldest winemaking regions, Graves has been exporting wine since Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry of Anjou, who became king of England in 1154, creating a flourishing trade with France. These days, the region offers a wide variety of red and white wines, at many different price points.

Graves & Pessac-Léognan: the facts

Graves AP: Established in 1937

Pessac-Léognan AP: Established in 1987

Planted area: Graves 3,500ha; Pessac-Léognan 1,791ha

Production (bottles): Graves 20 million; Pessac-Léognan 8m

Grapes: About 75% red wines made primarily from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc and about 25% white wines made from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle

Winemakers: More than 200 in Graves, 75 in Pessac-Léognan

Classification: All 16 estates from the 1953 Classification for Graves are located in the Pessac-Léognan AP. Of the 14 estates, six are classified for both their red and white wines, seven for their reds only, and three for their whites. All are ranked equally as cru classé de Graves.

Where to start

Starting at the lower end of the scale, the southern Graves region features many entry-level wines. Here, smooth and easy-drinking reds such as Château Villa Bel-Air, and crisp, cool dry whites such as Châteaux Les Clauzots or du Seuil, can be found at prices in the £15-£20 range in the UK. One finds different styles, too: from a more structured red at Château Rahoul, for example, to oak-seasoned white blends, such as Cuvée Caroline from Château de Chantegrive.

In response to the wider Graves area developing a ‘less valued image’ following the creation of the Pessac-Léognan appellation in 1987, Marie-Hélène Lévêque of Château de Chantegrive stresses that a new generation of ‘bold properties and wine-growers’ is making wines with advantageous price/quality ratios.

Indeed, an initiative this year is the region’s Ambassadeur de Graves label, which is innovative in involving consumers in choosing the most ‘emblematic’ Graves estates and wines, increasing visibility for the southern part of the appellation. The sheer beauty of the region, with its gently rolling hills and historical sites, is also ideal for bed-and-breakfast wine tourism, which is developing rapidly.

In the north, the region’s famous gravels, which are ideal for draining excess water and ripening grapes, are especially deep at estates in the Pessac-Léognan appellation. Here, there are more stringent rules for vineyard planting-density and yields. The highest vineyard elevation reaches 60m in altitude, at Domaine de Chevalier.

Some producers, such as Florence Cathiard of Château Smith Haut Lafitte, believe the more recent appellation can confuse consumers. ‘The Graves name was perhaps more significant and relevant for the terroir, and the [Pessac-Léognan] classification lacks hierarchy,’ she says.

But, because the Pessac-Léognan appellation lacks the same brand recognition as St-Emilion or Pauillac, for example, many wines tend to be relatively well priced for the quality – even the more expensive brands.

(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Mid-range value

At the next level up, Graves wines can be especially interesting, as the past decade has seen many estates improving quality, outpacing their market value.

At Château Olivier in Pessac-Léognan, for intance, which is classified for both its red and white wines, director Laurent Lebrun carried out a comprehensive study of the 230ha estate (61ha under vine). Subsequent replanting led to better wines and new discoveries. For example, Cabernet Sauvignon works well when planted in cooler clay soils, given global warming.

‘Thirty years ago, you couldn’t ripen Cabernets without gravel, but with warming, clay brings needed tension and minerality,’ says Lebrun.

At least three other classified Pessac-Léognan estates have come on strongly in recent years, too: Châteaux Bouscaut, Latour-Martillac and Malartic-Lagravière. Their red wines possess greater depth and length than their counterparts in the southern Graves.

New trends are developing at Vignobles André Lurton’s Château Couhins-Lurton and Château La Louvière. With global warming, the cooler soils at both estates are yielding ageworthy wines of fine balance, and at economical pricing.

André Lurton, who died in May 2019, purchased La Louvière back in 1965 and was instrumental in the campaign to create the Pessac-Léognan appellation. Influential consultant Denis Dubourdieu, who passed away in 2016, assisted Lurton and many other winemakers in the region, leaving an important imprint for crafting high-toned wines with energy.

Lurton’s son Jacques took over as president of the company, with a vision to add ‘Burgundian texture’ to the wines. They are intended to maintain the energy of his father’s style but have more body.

Top-end strength

The Graves region’s cream of the crop has to be first growth estate Château Haut-Brion: not only part of the 1953 Graves classification, but also the only red wine producer outside the Médoc to have been included in the 1855 Grand Cru Classé classification – indeed, as one of only four premiers crus classés estates at the time, with Château Mouton Rothschild being promoted in 1973 to make it five firsts.

Its Pessac vineyard contains a complex variety of soils, from sandy gravels to limestone. Heat from the nearby city of Bordeaux, combined with the effects of climate change, have led to higher alcohol levels in recent years, but the wine – along with that of sister estate La Mission Haut-Brion – develops beguiling aromatic complexity and depth, reflecting unique and outstanding quality. Château Haut-Brion also crafts amazing, if very pricey, dry white wines on a very small scale.

Just down the road from Haut-Brion is the famous Château Pape Clément – named after the eponymous 14th-century French pope. The style of Pape Clément’s wine tends towards density and power, influenced by the warmer urban climate. Its white wine, also classified, is regarded as one of the most opulent in Pessac-Léognan.

By contrast, Domaine de Chevalier in Léognan, surrounded by forest, has a cooler microclimate and exudes great elegance and precision in its red and white wines, also both classified. Olivier Bernard, the owner since 1983, has cut back some of the surrounding forest to reduce the threat of frost, but there remain significant variations in temperature between night and day, ensuring complexity and freshness.

Producing only red wine, the highly esteemed Château Haut-Bailly, also in Léognan, has some of the oldest vines in the appellation, which contribute to elegance and density. The estate recently reconstructed its cellar space to store barrels at a more stable temperature, which is ‘critical during the ageing process’, according to director Véronique Sanders.

It has also added two ‘cold chambers’ to cool grapes before vinification, as well as isothermal fermentation vats to enable better control of temperatures. Its American owners, the Wilmers family, also own neighbouring Château Le Pape, which, as well as making fine wine, is an award-winning bed-and-breakfast featuring a rooftop garden.

When Florence and Daniel Cathiard acquired Château Smith Haut Lafitte in 1990, they not only achieved incredible improvements in quality for the red (classified) and white wines, but also earned recognition throughout the region for having made a huge contribution to wine tourism. The estate was certified organic in 2019, and endeavours include their famous wine spa hotel, wine-related beauty brand Caudalie and art installations around the estate.

Led by Château Haut-Brion, the wines of Pessac-Léognan count among the best that Bordeaux has to offer, both whites and reds. And while the winemakers may be competitors, estates exude a tangible team spirit in organising annual events together, such as harvest celebration parties, group tastings and dinners, revealing an admirable solidarity that’s hard to match elsewhere in Bordeaux.

Terroir and climate

Graves and Pessac-Léognan are considered ‘Left Bank’ appellations of Bordeaux because they lie to the left of the Garonne river.

The famous Médoc gravel terraces from the north continue into the Graves region, named after its gravel-rich soils, mixed with sand, clay and some limestone. The river to the east mitigates frost, and the forest to the west protects against the prevailing winds and keeps soils moist. As temperatures are generally higher than in other Bordeaux appellations, its vineyards are among Bordeaux’s earliest to ripen.

Quality outside the classification

There are plenty of notable Pessac-Léognan wines that aren’t classified. Take, for example, Château Smith Haut Lafitte’s world-class white. The result of everything from careful attention to how much sunlight the grapes get in order to preserve acidity, to inert pneumatic horizontal presses to prevent oxidation (and loss of aromas and colour degradation), it doesn’t feature in the classification only because Smith Haut Lafitte wasn’t making white wine in the 1950s.

Another non-classified wine can be counted as one of the appellation’s top reds: Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion. The owner at the time chose not to apply, but today the wine would surely be included if the classification were to be held.

Not to be confused with the Domaine Clarence Dillon properties of Châteaux Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion, Les Carmes is unusual for its high proportion of Cabernet Franc. Located on the outskirts of the city of Bordeaux, the estate boasts a contemporary winery that was completed for the 2015 harvest . Designed by Philippe Starck and Luc Arsène-Henry, it is built partly underground, resembling the hull of a ship.

The striking winery at Château Les Carmes Haut Brion, designed by Philippe Starck and Luc Arsène-Henry. (Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Reds and whites: vintage variation

When buying Graves, it’s worth bearing in mind that vintage quality for whites may not always be the same as for reds – and vice versa. For example, 2017 was superb for white wines. Cool, dry weather resulted in crisp, refreshing wines, and grapes were picked under excellent conditions, whereas in September there was rainfall that complicated the vintage for the reds. By contrast, 2016 is considered a top red wine vintage, with wines exuding density and freshness, but the whites lack the requisite acidity for optimal verve and energy. On a few occasions, however, both reds and whites have been excellent, such as in 2010.

Graves & Pessac-Léognan: Panos Kakaviatos’ 12 to try

Bordeaux 2020: Release prices and scores

Anson: Bordeaux’s single-variety wines under the spotlight

How the Bordeaux 2008 first growths taste now

Best Pessac-Léognan 2020 wines tasted en primeur

Jane Anson — Fri, 21 May 2021 08:00:36 +0000

Pessac-Léognan 2020

Average yield: 35hl/ha

Individual yields vary from:

42hl/ha at Château Carbonnieux (red),
30hl/ha at Château Smith Haut Lafitte red (29hl/ha for the whites),
37hl/ha at Domaine de Chevalier,
37hl/ha at Château Haut-Bailly
26hl/ha at Château Malartic Lagraviere (compared to 46hl/ha in 2019).

What you find

A vintage with high tannins, high colours giving many successful wines.

Pessac-Léognan 2020 vintage characteristics

A mild and humid winter with bud break early March then heavy rains on May 10 that triggered mildew (there was twice as much rain as normal during April).

Complete climate change happened in middle of June as the rains stopped, with just 5mm falling across the entire month of July, with colour change two weeks earlier than average.

August rain was around 60mm in most of Pessac-Léognan.

Whites grapes harvest started August 20th at Smith Haut-Lafitte, one of the earliest in the appellation, with reds starting the first and second week of September.

Rain in September saw around 80mm in Pessac, falling mainly towards the end of the month.

What’s new

Carmes Haut Brion continues to stand apart in its vinification techniques, now at 55% whole bunch in the fermentation.

New winery at Haut-Bailly (but will first be used for vinifying the 2021 harvest).

Quick links for Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings

Search Bordeaux 2020 tasting notes published so far

Bordeaux 2020 vintage: our en primeur verdict

Top-scoring Bordeaux 2020 wines

Top Pessac-Léognan 2020 picks:

Château La Mission Haut-Brion one of the wines of the vintage,
Château Carbonnieux Blanc,
Château Malartic-Lagraviere,
Château Haut-Bailly,
Château Haut-Brion, La Chapelle de Haut-Brion,
Château Pape Clément

Value picks:

See the top-scoring Pessac-Léognan 2020 en primeur wines

Search all Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings published so far

Back to the main Bordeaux en primeur page

Best Pomerol 2020 wines tasted en primeur

Jane Anson — Thu, 20 May 2021 12:49:01 +0000

Pomerol 2020

Average yield: 40hl/ha

Individual yields varied but rarely went as low as on the Left Bank.

Good yields at the Moueix esates: 40-42hl/ha
30hl/ha at Vieux Château Certan,
32hl/ha at Château L’Evangile,
37hl/ha at Château Beauregard,
38hl/ha at Château Clinet,
30hl/ha at Château Mazeyres,
42hl/ha at Château Feytit Clinet.

What you find

The clays of Pomerol were able to conserve water, so there is plenty of freshness in most wines, but the three days at 37°C in September meant evaporation, so you see early picking (L’Evangile September 2-15, the first in the appellation) and concentration and even some raisin character if people waited too long.

As there is so much concentration, you get a more architectural construction than you usually do in the hedonism centre of Pomerol.

Pomerol 2020 vintage characteristics

Mildew pressure in May, particularly after heavy rain (68mm) on one day May 10. But once June was over, both July and August saw particularly low levels of rain compared to the Médoc.

There was almost nothing in July, and just 20-30mm recorded at Petrus, Lafleur and Vieux Château Certan in August. Heavier rains began at the end of September, potentially causing dilution, but most estates were in by then (Beauregard and Nenin for example were finished harvest by September 23rd).

What’s new

Rouget in conversion to organic farming, Petit Village also (and new owners here, the Moulin family of Galleries Lafayette and Château Beauregard).

L’Evangile is in its final year of organic conversion, so 2021 will be the first certified year.

Quick links for Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings

Search Bordeaux 2020 tasting notes published so far

Bordeaux 2020 vintage: our en primeur verdict

Top-scoring Bordeaux 2020 wines

Top Pomerol 2020 picks:

Château L’Evangile,
Petrus,
Château Lafleur,
Château La Conseillante.

Value picks:

Lalande de Pomerol:

See the top-scoring Pomerol 2020 en primeur wines

Search all Bordeaux 2020 en primeur ratings published so far

Back to the main Bordeaux en primeur page

Top Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2018 wines: Re-tasted in bottle

Jane Anson — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 15:43:07 +0000

Scroll down to see Jane Anson’s Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2018 top scorers

See the full Bordeaux 2018 report here

See individual appellation overviews for:

St-Estèphe, Pauillac, St-Julien, Margaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc, Listrac, Moulis

Many early ripening sites, particularly for Pessac-Léognan, meant welcoming tannins and ripe fruit flavours, although there are inconsistencies here, as there were during en primeur.

As one of the warmer spots in Bordeaux, you find both the benefits and the drawbacks of the warm summer of 2018.

I have retasted less Graves wines in bottle than Pessac-Léognans, but there are some excellent value wines to look out for here.

Whites are lower acidity than in vintages like 2017 or 2016, but there are plenty of sappy acidities all the same, and seductive stone fruit flavours (most whites were safely in the cellars before the drought intensified over September).

Look out for:

Malartic Lagraviere
Pape Clément
Smith Haut-Lafitte
Haut-Brion

Value Pick:

la Garde

See Jane Anson’s top scoring Pessac-Léognan & Graves 2018 wine tasting notes and scores

Top Bordeaux 2018 wines in bottle: Left Bank report

Top Bordeaux 2018 wines in bottle: Right Bank report

Top St-Estèphe 2018 wines: Re-tasted in bottle

Jane Anson — Sat, 09 Jan 2021 09:05:09 +0000

COMING SOON

See individual appellation overviews for:

Pauillac, St-Julien, Margaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc, Listrac, Moulis and Pessac-Léognan & Graves

St-Estèphe is home to plenty of excellent quality, enjoyable bottles in the Bordeaux 2018 vintage, but some wines have atyptical flavours and characteristics, as I also found during en primeur tastings.

This was almost entirely due to high alcohols and over-concentration of fruits.

In terms of alcohol levels, Montrose 2018 is at 14.8% abv, Calon at 14.9%, Cos d’Estournel at 14.59% and Ormes de Pez at 14.6%. Cabernet Sauvignon was almost invariably equal to Merlot in terms of strength.

There were some notable successes, with wines that had settled in to themselves during ageing. These delivered a gourmet but balanced and seductive feel.

Châteaux that have seen scores upgraded since en primeur include Beau-Site and Haut-Marbuzet.

Top names to look out for:

Château Lafon-Rochet
Château Montrose
Château Cos d’Estournel

Value picks:

Château Le Boscq
Château Le Crock
Château Charmant
Château Haut-Marbuzet

See Jane Anson’s tasting notes for the top-scoring St-Estèphe 2018 wines

Full Bordeaux 2018 in bottle report

Top Bordeaux 2018 wines in bottle: Left Bank report

Top Bordeaux 2018 wines in bottle: Right Bank report

Looking to Bordeaux’s great dry whites: 16 top wines from the 2015 vintage

Panos Kakaviatos — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 09:30:31 +0000

Several non-wine geek friends were impressed when I served the same dry white that had been on the menu of a gala dinner in Versailles during Vinexpo 2020. They discovered just how tasty dry white Bordeaux could be. ‘This is so rich and aromatic,’ one remarked. ‘I want to try more white Bordeaux,’ another said.

The Château de Fieuzal Blanc AOC Pessac-Léognan 2015 vintage is one of 15 wines tasted for this article, but many more illustrate the extent to which consumers overlook Bordeaux’s dry whites, the best from the Graves region and especially from its northern appellation Pessac-Léognan.

Scroll down for Panos Kakaviatos’ top Bordeaux dry whites from the 2015 vintage

From Germany to the United States, by way of China and elsewhere, when consumers talk Bordeaux, red comes to mind, says Julien Boulard MW, wine educator in Nanning, China. ‘But if you speak of New Zealand or Germany, wine consumers automatically think white.’ And usually varietal, be it Riesling or Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris.

To think of a region as famous as Bordeaux to be dominated by one colour hides the sheer range of dry white styles at affordable prices that consumers get from Graves: from inexpensive and non-oaked, to more complex and oaked and from deep, dense and serious, to light, elegant and perfect for summer quaffing.

Encompassing over 5,000ha of vineyards, including Pessac-Léognan, the name ‘Graves’ reflects the region’s many heat retaining gravelly stones. But it also includes diverse sub soils – from soft sand and limestone to various clays – and differing elevations with cooler and warmer micro-climates that contribute to stylistic variety.

Quality has never been better, as each of these estates, among others, have become more precise in harvesting and vinification. For some, prices have not yet caught up with quality, thus it is an opportune time to focus on Graves.

Two principle grapes make the blend: Sémillon, which lends texture, white stone fruit and floral aspects and Sauvignon Blanc, known worldwide for its grassy, crispy citrus profile. But ‘oak seasoning adds complexity’, stresses wine educator and former Washington Post wine writer Ben Giliberti. That sets them apart from, say, Sancerre.

Classification

Although famous for its reds, beginning with Château Haut Brion, the Graves classification that dates back to 1959 also includes dry whites.

The best come from the region’s northern sector, which features all 16 classified wines: seven reds, three whites and six both red and white. This led to the separate Pessac-Léognan appellation established in 1987, which at that time counted 55 estates and just over 800ha under vine.

Today, some 75 estates cover over double that area, but the ratio of red to white is about 75 to 25. Top whites featured in this article start at a very affordable £20 a bottle, have great density and complexity and are aged in barrel. Many more wines from the southern Graves region are even less expensive and tend to use less or no oak for ageing.

The market

While tasting highly-rated Pessac-Léognan brands like Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Pape Clément and Domaine de Chevalier, importer Klaus Kneib always marvels at how ‘really good’ the wines are, with ‘Burgundy complexity’.

But in 25 years experience, Germany ‘has never had a high demand for them’. He is not sure why. ‘Maybe barrel aging puts off German consumers accustomed to fruitier styled whites? But they don’t mind barrel aged white Burgundy, so why should that be a problem for Bordeaux’, he wonders.

Of course, white Burgundy has had a much longer time to establish itself.

Famous brands sell because of notoriety for their red wines, says Jeremy Stockman of Watson’s Wine in Hong Kong. At ‘the very top’ is Haut Brion Blanc, given the celebrity status of its grand vin and the minute quantities of very expensive white wine produced there. Others include Château Smith Haut Lafitte, which at the time of the Graves classification, only produced red wine. Today it makes one of the top dry whites of Bordeaux.

But where pricier wines sell in upscale markets like Hong Kong, ‘great, everyday wines like Château Malartic Lagraviere don’t feature so much because our customers aren’t looking for that, which is a pity, as I love the style,’ says Hong Kong merchant Linden Wilkie.

Giliberti agrees; ‘Château Malartic Lagraviere has clearly upped its game, making terrific whites at a great price.’ Domaine de Chevalier, also known for its red wines, boasts a white which Giliberti considers ‘at the first growth level these days’.

Wines with especially excellent price/quality ratios include Château La Louvière, Château Carbonnieux, Château Latour Martillac, Château Bouscaut and Château Olivier.

And yet ‘there still lacks enough visibility and understanding of these wines by the American consumer’, says Shaun Bishop of JJ Buckley in California. Like others, Hong Kong’s Stockman suggests more ‘communication and consumer tastings to help raise awareness’.

Indeed, Domaine de Chevalier owner Olivier Bernard is in the early stages of writing a book on white wines. ‘We need a spotlight on whites, because we have heard enough about the reds’, he said.

Vintage variation and quality advances

Comsumers should know that vintages for whites matter just as much as for reds. Although canopy management and vinification are adjusted each year, cooler terroirs – such as Château La Louvière and Domaine de Chevalier in Léognan excel in warmer years, while warmer terroirs in Pessac, including Château Pape Clément, thrive in cooler vintages like 2014.

Global climate change brings more warmer vintages, so some winemakers stress a prominent role for Sauvignon Blanc. ‘In the past, we needed more Sémillon for the creaminess, because the Sauvignon was a bit too pronounced,’ says Domaine de Chevalier’s Bernard. ‘With global warming, we will need less Sémillon, as Semillon in gravely soil is a bit warm on the palate, like Merlot in gravely soil.’

What also impresses is the age worthy quality of the wines, even among the less pricey. A Château La Louvière 1985 tasted in June 2020 was drinking beautifully alongside cod and later with aged Mimolette and Comté. Notes of toffee, salted caramel and quince jam came across rather fresh and with a real sense of drinkability.

Meanwhile, estates are fine-tuning their wines. Château de Fieuzal and Château Pape Clément have had some excessive oak derived flavours in the past, but both now emphasise more fruit.

Recently arrived cellar master Jean-Charles Fournié of Château de Fieuzal says he stresses freshness, tension, and minerality. Other wines, like Château La Louvière and Château Couhins Lurton, known for rather bracing acidities, are set to get a bit creamier, but without losing their authenticity. ‘I’m used to making less acidic wines, and I think that consumers want this too,’ remarked owner Jacques Lurton, who took over the estates following the passing of his father André Lurton in 2019.

Enclosure questions

As with other dry white wines, consumers can encounter premature oxidation which is not limited to white Burgundy. During the dinner with the exquisite Château La Louvière 1985, some other 1980s whites seemed over evolved or marked by cork taint. It may have been bad luck, but winemakers like Lurton and Bernard have replaced regular cork enclosures for Diam cork since the 2015 vintage to ensure freshness.

‘Graves white is a wine that it imposes itself gently,’ remarked Strasbourg wine bar owner Stéphan Maure, with whom I tasted many of the wines for this article.

A word about organic certification. While some estates seek, or even have certification for being fully organic, that is not an essential condition for top quality. Indeed, the climate conditions make Bordeaux less ideal for being fully organic each year when compared to the Languedoc for example.

A success story is Château Smith Haut Lafitte which obtained its ‘Agriculture Biologique’ certification just last year, rewarding long term organic practices and historical commitment to nature and biodiversity set up by Florence and Daniel Cathiard, since they acquired the estate in 1990. However, Château de Fieuzal and Domaine de Chevalier for instance both strive to be fully organic when possible, but it is not always the case.

Stylistic categories

Most exotic and opulent

Château Pape Clement

Most refined and focused

Domaine de Chevalier

Most sumptuous and elegant

Château Smith Haut Lafitte

Best price quality ratios

Château de Chantegrive

Château Couhins-Lurton

Château La Louvière

Château Latour-Martillac

Château Malartic-Lagravière

Panos Kakaviatos’ top Bordeaux dry whites from the 2015 vintage

Two bottles of Château Latour-Martillac, Cru Classé de Graves were submitted and tasted but both were corked.

Best-value Bordeaux white wines: Top 20 picks from Entre-Deux-Mers Best Bordeaux 2019 wines: Best value whites Best Bordeaux 2019 wines: Top scoring whites

Best Cru Bourgeois 2019 wines tasted en primeur

Georgie Hindle — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 14:21:18 +0000

A total of 249 châteaux were included in the 2020 ranking, comprising 14 crus bourgeois exceptionnels, 56 crus bourgeois supérieurs and 179 crus bourgeois.

Scroll down for Jane Anson’s top-scoring Crus Bourgeois en primeur tasting notes and scores

Holding over the vintages 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, this year’s en primeurs was a prime time to see the effects of the judging decision and for estates to start marketing their wines under the new titles.

Jane Anson believes that all the estates named Exceptionnel in 2020 ‘deserved their ranking’ and highlighted Belle-Vue, Cambon la Pelouse, Le Boscq and Lilian Ladouys as particular stand-outs.

Anson also pointed out several Supérieurs she would ‘have been happy to see at the higher level’ including Fourcas-Borie, La Tour de Mons and Sérilhan.

Below is a list of the best-scoring Cru Bourgeois wines, all scoring 91 points or above. It includes nine exceptionnels and nine supérieurs giving both classificaiton levels equal numbers. There are four wines at 93 points, five wines at 92 points and nine wines at 91 points.

Not only are these wines lauded for their quality but they also represent excellent value. An Anson said in her report; ‘The best cru bourgeois estates have levels of investment in both viticulture and vinification that differ very little, if at all, from those at neighbouring 1855-classified châteaux. And yet the prices they can hope to receive differ widely.’

Many of the wines listed below can be found for less than £20 a bottle with the majority under £15. For instance at:

93 points

Château Belle-Vue, Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel), £12.50

Château Le Crock, St-Estèphe (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel), £18.16

Château Lilian Ladouys, St-Estèphe (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel), £12

92 points

Château Serilhan, St-Estèphe (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur), £13.75

Château Charmail, Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur), £13.67

91 points

Château De Gironville, Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur), £9.17 in bond

Château Tour des Termes, St-Estèphe (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur), £13.33

All prices were correct at the time for either the 2019 or 2018 vintages. Actual prices for wines not yet released may vary.

See Jane Anson’s top-scoring Crus Bourgeois en primeur tasting notes and scores

Bordeaux 2019 wines: Our en primeur verdict

Best St Estèphe 2019 wines tasted en primeur

Jane Anson — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 10:33:05 +0000

Search all St Estèphe 2019 wine ratings

Better balanced in my eyes than the 2018 vintage, as St Estèphe was a little atypical last year with lots of extremely concentrated high alcohol wines.

There is less of an extreme feel in 2019, which might not suit everyone, but I found a ton of wines to love, and can thoroughly recommend it when looking for value.

Scroll down to see the top-rated St Estèphe 2019 wines

The appellation suffered the heatwave as much as everyone else, particularly from June 26 to July 27, but it didn’t have the same concentrating winds that came in during harvest.

Instead, the clay soils that underpin much of St Estèphe were able to better do their work of keeping freshness (a good sign of this is that the Merlots did better – so there is 36% Merlot in Montrose compared to 20% last year).

Scores

It meant that the highest scores were higher for me than in 2018 – 98 points at both Montrose and Cos, and particularly in the case of Montrose a clear possibility of an up-score when tasting in bottle. And for me Calon Ségur had far better balance than in 2018 and is at an extremely strong 97 points. Cos had a high 97 for its white also, showing how well this stable has done overall in 2019.

In total, five wines scored over 95 points, and 31 at 90-94 points.

The ‘strong buy signal’ of 94 points goes to Dame de Montrose, Phélan Ségur and Château Bernard Magrez. It has taken its time to bring this new wine to market, but this is a brilliant debut vintage.

Also extremely impressive at 93 points are Ormes de Pez, Marquis de Calon Ségur, Château de Pez, Le Crock, Haut-Marbuzet, Pagodes de Cos and Tronquoy Lalande.

Yields

The average yield in St Estèphe in 2019 was 50hl/ha, over last year’s already healthy 45hl/ha. Individually we saw 48hl/ha at Cos Labory and 47hl/ha at Montrose

Top Scoring

Cos Blanc, Cos d’Estournel, Phélan-Ségur, Montrose

Best Value

Ormes de Pez, Meyney, Lilian Ladouys, Le Crock, Tour des Termes, Haut Marbuzet, Petit Bocq, Domeyne

See the top-rated St Estèphe 2019 wines

The following wines have all been scored 93 points and above

Not yet tasted: Château la Croix de Pez.

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Best Pessac & Graves 2019 wines tasted en primeur

Jane Anson — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 12:27:01 +0000

Search all Pessac & Graves 2019 wine ratings

An attractive vintage in both Pessac and Graves, but with a little less consistency than in some vintages (as with Margaux for me, two appellations that outperformed their Left Bank siblings in vintages like 2015).

Scroll down to see the top-rated Pessac & Graves 2019 wines

There were many impressive performances, with a few instances of potential water stress or low acidities, a reflection of Pessac-Léognan’s location in one of the warmest spots of Bordeaux.

The entire growing season, with the exception of May, was 2°C over the 10 year average, and temperatures of 37.5°C were recorded in the shade on June 26.

During the harvest here 15mm of rain fell on September 23, a little less than in other parts of the region. The challenges of this made Carmes Haut-Brion’s work even more instructive in my opinion, where they are working with whole bunch fermentation to bring down alcohol levels (at an eyebrow-raising 55% in this vintage).

Yields

Average yield, however, shows very little sign of stress at 47.2hl/ha, up from 36hl/ha in 2018.

For the whites yields were 44hl/ha at Olivier, a full 60hl/ha for the whites of Mission and Haut-Brion, 48hl/ha at La Louviere, 45hl/ha at Carbonnieux and 49hl/ha at Haut-Bailly.

Scores

No 100-point potentials here, but a good crop of 97s in Haut-Brion white and red, Smith Haut-Lafitte and Haut-Bailly.

It’s ridiculous that I feel I have to underline that 97 is an exceptionally good score that points to wines that are at the very top of the achievement of the vintage, but such is the impact of score inflation generally.

In total 12 wines got 95 points or more, with more reds than whites achieving the highest numbers, including the brilliant Mission Haut-Brion, Malartic Lagravière, Pape Clement and Domaine de Chevalier, plus an impressive white to note with Couhins-Lurton.

At the ‘buy signal’ of 94 I can point to Olivier white, Pape Clement white, Malartic white, Fieuzal, Le Pape and Le Thil.

Changes

Down in the Graves region I suggest looking for Clos d’Uza, a new project to watch between the Guignard brothers and Jean-Luc Thunevin, with a full 94% Cabernet Sauvignon.

And finally, a word for Haut Brion, as Jean Philippe Delmas’ father passed away on October 4, just as harvest was finishing; Jean Delmas, a legendary figure in Bordeaux who has left a lasting legacy.

Top Scoring

Malartic Lagraviere, Haut Brion, La Mission Haut Brion, Haut Bailly, Carmes Haut-Brion, Pape Clement, Smith Haut Lafitte, Domaine de Chevalier.

Best Value

Ferran, Seguin, Peyrat (excellent quality in the Graves, look out for it), Clos d’Uza, Clos Floridene, Cérons, Haura, Luchey-Halde, Brown, Roquetaillade la Grange, Larrivet Haut-Brion, Saint-Robert, Agora.

See the top-rated Pessac & Graves 2019 wines

The following wines have all been scored 93 points and above

Not yet tasted: Château Gazin Rocquencourt

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Pessac-Léognan: From Larrivet Haut-Brion to hidden gems

Jane Anson — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 11:45:46 +0000

There is something supremely poignant about doing a vertical tasting at the moment.

To fully concentrate on how wine estates have responded to the challenges of individual years, no matter what the difficulties involved, somehow means more than ever.

Even more so when you can see how the challenges impacted on different parts of the vineyard, and on the quality of first and second labels of both red and white wines.

Scroll down to see Jane’s Pessac-Léognan vertical tasting notes and scores

Some years it’s clear that the pockets of white wine-producing vines did better, but other times that the reds responded better to the circumstances of the vintage.

Some years allow the second wines to shine in their own right, and in others they were better used as a crutch to hold up the estate’s main output.

This is one of the reasons that I love the appellation of Pessac-Léognan, where many estates make both colours, and also tend to produce first and second wines, conscious of doing all they can to ensure quality.

Here, I am looking at three separate Pessac properties – Haut-Lagrange, Luchey-Halde and Larrivet Haut-Brion – to assess how they have performed across a number of vintages over the past decade.

I was looking at both individual performance and what could be learnt about the wider performance of Pessac-Léognan in this decade.

Right now you might not be able to secure individual wines as easily as usual, but I hope this will give you a good idea of which bottles to open no matter which Pessac-Léognan properties you can get hold of.

Larrivet Haut-Brion: ‘From strength to strength’

First up, Larrivet-Haut-Brion. Although the name suggests that it is close to Haut-Brion itself, it’s in fact very near to Haut-Bailly in the commune of Léognan. A few decades ago, it was gently massaged by a team of lawyers to change its name from Haut-Brion Larrivet to further lessen any confusion.

This tasting completes a vertical that I carried out at the estate two years ago that went up to the 2016 vintage (an actual visit, outside of the house!). Here, I add the more recent years of 2017 and 2018 in their first and second wines, plus a few older vintages.

This is an estate that has gone from strength to strength in recent years, and is – as I have said before – one of those properties that is worth following to understand the sense of dynamism in Bordeaux.

Once again, I was struck by just how good this property is, and how its wider philosophy challenges the idea that Bordeaux doesn’t evolve.

Among the changes worth noting are: a switch from Michel Rolland to Stéphane Derenoncourt as consultant; a reduction of new oak from 100% down to around 65% for ageing; and full de-leafing in the vineyard to careful leaf cover.

The other two properties chosen are both relatively new creations, showing the vibrancy and sense of renewal that is everywhere in Pessac-Léognan.

Haut-Lagrange: ‘One to watch’

Haut-Lagrange is in the commune of Martillac, close to Smith-Haut Lafitte and Rochemorin, and dates back to 1989.

It was created by Francis Boutemy, grandson of château owners who once counted both Haut-Bailly and Larrivet Haut-Brion among their portfolio.

He planted on land that had been pine forest, although vines were there until the early 20^th century, and now has 7.5 hectares(ha) of red and 1ha of white.

His son and winemaker, Ghislain Boutemy, worked at Ata Rangi Vineyard in New Zealand before heading back to Bordeaux, and is making excellent, unfussy wines. They are doing a good job of finessing a style that can be a little difficult in its early years but which softens after around three years bottling. One to watch.

Luchey-Halde: ‘The big surprise of this tasting’

Finally, I tasted the wines of Luchey-Halde in the commune of Mérignac, another estate where vines grew until the early 20^th century before disappearing for more than 80 years.

In this case, replanting came just 21 years ago, in 1999. The property had previously been owned by the French Ministry of Defence, which bought it in 1920 and used it as a military training zone.

Somewhat ironically, this protected the area from being built over as Bordeaux city expanded and slowly but surely ate up dozens of small estates that lay within shouting distance of the city centre.

This long gap no doubt explains why Luchey-Halde is so little-known, but its red wines were honestly the big surprise of the tasting.

It’s owned today by university and research institution Bordeaux Sciences Agro, and is used as a demonstration site for environmentally-responsible viticulture.

The clear precision and skill of its winemaking team is evident in the glass, and it’s a definite tip.

Fact file

Château Larrivet Haut-Brion

Owner: Christine and Philippe Gervoson, run by their daughter Emilie Gervoson.

Size: 60ha

Consultant: Stéphane Derenoncourt consultant

Managing director: Bruno Lemoine

Château Luchey-Halde

Owner: Bordeaux Sciences Agro

Size: 23ha

Consultant: Serge Charitte

Technical director: Pierre Darriet

Château Haut-Lagrange

Owner: Francis Boutemy

Size: 8.5ha

Consultant: Alain Raynaud

Technical director: Ghislain Boutemy

See Jane Anson’s ratings and tasting notes

Biodynamic St-Emilion: Tasting a decade of Château Fonplégade wines

Larrivet Haut-Brion wines from 2010 to 2016

Pessac-Léognan 2017: Top wines re-tasted in the bottle

Jane Anson — Wed, 12 Feb 2020 12:08:46 +0000

See all Pessac-Léognan 2017 wines re-tasted in bottle

Read Jane Anson’s full Left Bank 2017 in bottle report

All reviews published online exclusively for Premium subscribers

Vineyards closest to the city generally escaped the worst of the frost, while others were almost wiped out.Some of the big names, such as Fieuzal, produced nothing at all in 2017. Others, such as Carmes Haut-Brion, showed perfectly how geography played a big part in the year.

The vines for estate’s main wine, all located around the château and close to the city of Bordeaux, were untouched by frost, but those for its second wine, C de Carmes Haut-Brion, sit around one mile away in Léognan and suffered more.

Overall there are some lovely, sculpted wines that have made it into the bottle in this appellation, which will offer good medium-term drinking.

Most will only need another five to eight years in bottle, not the full 10 required in years like 2016.

Look out for: Château Haut-Bailly, Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Domaine de Chevalier

See Jane Anson’s top Pessac-Léognan 2017 wines re-tasted in bottle

Bordeaux 2010: The top rated wines tasted 10 years on Top 10 Bordeaux 2015 wines Anson: Top five Bordeaux vintages ready to drink now Expert’s Choice: Sauternes 2015

Producer profile: Château Smith Haut Lafitte

Jane Anson — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 11:14:00 +0000

Famously, Château Haut-Brion was the only red wine outside the Médoc region to be recognised in the 1855 Grands Crus Classés ranking. But there was a second estate, just a few miles to the south in the (then) region of Graves, that played an equally important if less high-profile role. This was Château Smith Haut Lafitte, whose owner Lodi-Martin Duffour-Dubergier was mayor of Bordeaux at the time. He was the man who decided to illustrate Bordeaux’s exhibition space in Paris with a classification of the region’s best wines. He instructed the local brokers to come up with a list, so giving the world a set of names that still dominates fine wine today.

Despite having a history that dates back to the 14th century, his own property took another 100 years to be recognised in the 1953 Cru Classé de Graves ranking. But Duffour-Dubergier would be happy to know that Smith Haut Lafitte continues to set the agenda in Bordeaux, leading the way in so many areas that it can be dizzying to keep track.

Setting the standard

Today, Smith Haut Lafitte is not only certified organic (although preferring the term ‘bio- precision’ for its use of drone and satellite technology), but is the only property outside the 1855 first growths to make its own barrels from an on-site cooperage. It unquestionably sets the standard, too, that any wine tourism venture in Bordeaux has to meet, with a luxury hotel, restaurant and spa on site, and is the birthplace of the Caudalie beauty range, which uses natural ingredients from grapes and vines.

Its vines are punctuated by art installations including Barry Flanagan’s leaping bronze hare and a Jim Dine Venus sculpture, and its wines are recognised as being in the upper echelons of Bordeaux in both red and white. Certainly, they are consistently successful, and among my go-to bottles when I am looking for something that I just know is going to make friends happy when I open it.

You can put all of this firmly at the feet of Florence and Daniel Cathiard. Both ex-Olympic skiers, they met as teenagers and went on to run a successful chain of sports shops out of their hometown of Grenoble before selling up in 1989 and moving a year later to Smith Haut Lafitte, a 55ha estate on gravel soils that lies 10km to the south of Bordeaux city.

They chose to purchase a property that had been one of only 16 in the Graves area (now AP Pessac-Léognan) to merit the official 1953 classification, but that had fallen into disrepair under first the Eschenauer family, then the now-defunct British company Brent Walker, owned by former boxer turned serial entrepreneur George Walker.

A winning team

The Cathiard’s partnership is key to understanding how the estate has been turned around in the 30 years since they arrived – Daniel quiet, intuitive, analytical, taking charge of the winemaking alongside technical director and agricultural engineer Fabien Teitgen; and Florence forthright, sociable, forward-thinking, concentrating on marketing and sales. In their first vintage of 1991, frost destroyed pretty much the entire crop, followed by three difficult years that meant they had to wait until 1995 to begin to show the potential of the vineyard they had bought.

In the meantime, they undertook a huge replanting programme, and made changes to the wine range, such as bottling a second wine for the white as well as the red, and more recently introducing a third (or alternative second) wine for each colour. And to ensure all of this was made visible, Florence quit her role as vice president for Europe at ad agency McCann-Erickson to concentrate on raising the profile of Smith Haut Lafitte.

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte at a glance

The team: The Cathiards have been owners since 1990, after founding the Go Sport chain of sportswear shops, and early days in the 1965 French Olympic ski team. Fabien Teitgen is technical director, with Michel Rolland and Stéphane Derenoncourt as consultants

Vineyard area: 85ha (74ha red, 11ha white) split over 40% first wine and 60% second wine Le Petit Haut Lafitte. The estate also makes Les Hauts de Smith from young vines and specific plots

Red plantings: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot

White plantings: 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Semillon, 5% Sauvignon Gris

Château Smith Haut Lafitte timeline

1365 Verrier du Boscq signs the first recorded deeds for the estate, which even at the time includes a few rows of vines

1400s-1500s During the Middle Ages, the estate belongs to a branch of France’s royal Valois family, who give it the fleur-de-lis on its coat of arms

1729 George Smith, Scottish wine merchant and sailor, acquires the property, building the magnificent chartreuse where the Cathiards now live. He also adds the crescent moon and three-legged stool to the coat of arms

1842 Lodi-Martin Duffour-Dubergier, mayor of Bordeaux, buys the estate, then 13 years later signs the document that will become the 1855 classification

1878 Oldest vintage that remains in the estate’s cellar today

1958 Eschenauer wine merchant buys the château, building the original underground cellar (joined now by a second underground cellar in a separate part of the grounds)

1959 Awarded Cru Classé de Graves status for its red wine

1990 Florence and Daniel Cathiard acquire the estate from Brent Walker, an English company that owned breweries and leisure concerns including the Mecca casinos

1991 Devastating frosts wipe out nearly all of the Cathiards’ first year’s production

1995 Daughter Mathilde Cathiard- Thomas launches Caudalie ‘vinotherapy’ beauty range, and Smith Haut Lafitte opens an on-site cooperage

1999 Les Sources de Caudalie hotel opens, run by daughter Alice Cathiard-Tourbier and her husband Jérôme Tourbier

2013 Underground ‘stealth cellar’ opened for the second wines

2019 Organic certification secured

Her methods didn’t always go down well – one memorable comment, given to The Wall Street Journal in 1997, was from friend and Château Pontet-Canet owner Alfred Tesseron. ‘As a publicist, she’s a Ferrari,’ Tesseron told the American newspaper at the time. ‘The only problem is that we aren’t used to Ferraris around here, because our roads are too narrow.’

But it is thanks to Florence just as much as Daniel that Smith Haut Lafitte excels today. It goes above and beyond on countless environmental issues – capturing, for example, the carbon dioxide that is a by-product of fermentation and turning it into sodium bicarbonate through a technology called Velecarb (an initiative that was rewarded with a talk at the United Nations’ climate change conference in Paris in 2015), as well as reducing the levels of sulphur dioxide throughout the winemaking process.

The property also uses horses for ploughing, makes its own compost from ground vine cuttings, along with other flower and plant-based preparations for organic and biodynamic treatments, and has a carbon- neutral underground ‘stealth cellar’ solely for its second wines, which has a ‘green roof’ and uses geothermal and solar energy.

Love of nature

Perhaps most surprising of all, a vine nursery has been created on the private Ile de la Lande island in the Garonne river, bought expressly fothe purpose of ensuring a protective ecosystem for the young plants and to avoid any risk from the phylloxera louse that the American vines (necessary for the rootstocks) might bring.

‘Our love of nature is not something that we simply discovered recently,’ says Florence. ‘We met on the snowy slopes of the Alps, and have always lived outside big cities. When we first arrived at Smith Haut Lafitte, we wanted to become organic straight away. But it was such a financial and even ecological disaster to try to quickly change an estate that had become hooked on chemical viticulture that we stopped.

‘At the time, neither wine merchants nor journalists cared at all about it. It was only a few years later, when our daughter Mathilde began the Caudalie beauty range and gave 10% of all profits to environmental causes, that we looked again. A few years later, her sister Alice transformed our three-hole golf course into organic garden. We decided to re-concentrate our efforts, and this time were successful.’

The style of the wine has also evolved. There were moments in the early years where they flirted with overly oaked wines that did not fully reflect the work they were doing in the vineyard, but that has long since passed, with more sculpted and finessed, but still generous, wines in place since at least the 2000 vintage.

Nor is there any sign of them simply accepting the plaudits that come their way. I can think of no other château whose owners so consistently question the way things are done, and how to do better. Right now there is a welcome movement in Bordeaux looking at the nature of luxury wine in the face of climate change and wider issues of sustainability.

It makes the Cathiards’ initiatives with carbon capture – and with farming methods that in 2019 were given the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant label by the French Ministry of Agriculture for their respect of tradition and craftsmanship – more important than ever. If there are questions to be asked about the changing nature of fine wine, you can rest assured they are being asked here – and that most likely there will be more than a few answers provided.

Jane Anson’s Château Smith Haut Lafitte picks

See all Smith Haut Lafitte reviews and scores here

Liber Pater to release world’s most expensive wine

Georgie Hindle — Sat, 20 Jul 2019 07:30:33 +0000

Only 550 bottles of Liber Pater’s 2015 vintage were produced and just 240 set for release in September this year – priced to ‘show the real and old taste of Bordeaux’, according to the estate.

Speaking exclusively to Decanter.com, Liber Pater’s owner and winemaker, Loïc Pasquet, said that no price can truly pay justice to Bordeaux’s 150-year history but that his mission was ‘trying to maintain our ancestors’ practises and keep the original taste of Bordeaux intact’.

Pasquet acquired the estate, based in the Landiras commune of Graves, in 2005 and has set about reviving rare grape varieties, including Coulant and Castets, and using amphorae to make wine in a pre-phylloxera style. He believes that this highlights the ‘exclusivity’ of Bordeaux.

He has also planted at higher-than-usual vine densities of 20,000 vines per hectare compared to an average of 10,000 across the region today.

How Liber Pater 2015 was made

Liber Pater’s 2015 vintage is made entirely from ungrafted vines and comprises a mixture of rare grape varieties once commonly grown in Bordeaux including; Petite Vidure, Tarnay, Castets and St-Macaire, alongside the better known Petit Verdot and Malbec.

The cuvée was vinified in grey, clay amphorae of 250 and 400 litres, with a two-month maceration period followed by three years ageing.

Pasquet says the 2015 has sensations ‘rarely found in wines from Bordeaux due to the change in the taste post-phylloxera’.

He said it was ‘a pure wine with honesty, finesse and elegance, like the old taste of Bordeaux pre-phylloxera. It has a delicate nose with floral aromas and hints of crunchy black forest fruits, with silky tannins and long fine finish.’

‘Protecting’ Bordeaux heritage

When questioned on the appetite in the market for a Bordeaux wine at such prices, Pasquet said, ‘Wine aficionados and collectors want to appreciate the original fine wine of Bordeaux. It’s a unique experience. I’m doing what needs to be done to protect our heritage.’

He added: ‘I’m doing my very best to produce amazing wines and working very hard in the vineyard on a daily basis, but I don’t have any doubt that everyone is doing their best.

‘I’m a strong believer that Liber Pater wines will always be exclusive. The use of ungrafted vines is exclusive, 20,000 vine per hectare is exclusive, indigenous grape varieties is exclusive and amphorae are exclusive.’ Other wineries around the world use amphorae, notably in Georgia, but they are rare in Bordeaux.

The 2015 will be labelled as a Vin de France, unlike previous vintages that were labelled as AOC Graves, owing to the use of grape varieties not authorised by Bordeaux’s official guidelines.

World’s most expensive wine

The wine, which is being sold in six-bottle cases, has been on offer to the estate’s mailing list for the last six months on a strict allocation basis, priced at €30,000 a bottle (/£26,600/US$33,420).

That makes it six times more expensive than the estate’s 2011 vintage, which is around €4,500 per bottle.

The 2015 vintage is the estate’s sixth release since Pasquet took charge, alongside the 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

There will be no 2016 or 2017 due to frost and replanting, but a 2018 vintage will be offered in 2021.

Speaking about the 2018 vintage, Pasquet said it’s ‘going to be a fantastic year and we are very excited for what we have been tasting so far, so watch the space.’

Decanter’s Jane Anson will visit Liber Pater in the coming weeks to taste its wines. Look out for her full report on Decanter.com.

Anson: Château Malartic-Lagravière – A ‘powerhouse’ of Pessac-Léognan

Jane Anson — Thu, 23 May 2019 14:41:11 +0000

The briefest of glances over this vertical tells you why Pessac-Léognan is such a great appellation to fall in love with. You get to explore both red and white wines that more than stand up to serious ageing, from an area that is still young enough (32 years old as of 2019) to feel exciting, but with enough time under its belt to feel confident and trustworthy. And not just the years since its inception in 1997, but the 2,000 years prior to that when vines have continually been grown in this part of Bordeaux.

It feels particularly important to run this vertical this week, just a few days after André Lurton’s death, as he was in the man behind the creation of Pessac-Léognan, and therefore partly responsible for attracting outside investors such as Alfred-Alexandre and Michèle Bonnie, who arrived at Malartic-Lagravière in 1997.Born in Belgium, the Bonnies had several other businesses outside of wine, and as of 2003 handed over the day to day running of the property to their son Jean-Jacques, as general director, and his wife Sévérine as marketing director. Their daughter Véronique became financial director in 2006, with her husband Bruno Laplane sales director of their Argentinean property.All four moved from Paris to Pessac, and set about turning what was an underperforming estate into an absolute powerhouse in the appellation, now rivalling its biggest names. Malartic is one of the 14 Cru Classés of Pessac-Léognan, and one of only six estates in all of Bordeaux to be classified for both its red and white wines.Jean-Jacques Bonnie is also president of the Cru Classés de Graves organization, and the family has thrown itself into the political side of Bordeaux life, hosting this year’s opening to Vinexpo and 2017’s Fête de la Fleur – with their own inimitable twist, as anyone who saw the giant disco ball bearing down on the dance floor will attest.

Jean-Jacques and Sévérine were particularly generous to bring out the wines for this tasting, with 36 wines in total, including Malartic-Lagravière in red and white from 2017 back to 2008, a decade in to the Bonnie’s ownership. These were shown alongside the second wine Réserve de la Malartic and five vintages, again in both red and white, of Château Gazin Rocquencourt, a nearby property that the family purchased in 2013.

Located next to Fieuzal, the potential for Malartic has always been high, but the vineyard had been treated with chemical weedkillers and fertlisers since the end of World War Two, when the Bonnies arrived, and needed serious attention. The first ten years was about getting to know the characteristics of what they had under their feet. They immediately stopped all chemicals and began a big replanting programme – then also immediately stopped plans for building a new cellar that would have been located slap bang across some of their highest-quality gravel plots. They have since built a different one, with a mix of stainless steel and wooden vats for the reds, and a separate white wine cellar, at the bottom of a slope where they could partly submerge the building and not worry about uprooting precious vines.

‘La Gravière means gravelly hill,’ Jean-Jacques told me a few years ago. ‘And the gravel heads down 8m across large parts of the vineyard, interspersed with limestone, fossilised oyster shells and veins of clay. It means there is great drainage, and an excellent water supply when needed, and plenty of spots for both red and white vines’.

Michel Rolland has been consulting for the red wines from 2008, and as of 2013 also the whites – which were first under the eye of Denis Dubourdieu, and then Greek specialist Athanese Fakorellis. From 2013, Rolland also consults at Gazin Rocquencourt, which was an entirely red vineyard until 2010, and now makes both colours, bringing back a wine that was last made at Gazin in the 1960s.

The whites at both estates are brilliant, easily showcasing why Pessac-Léognan is right to classify both colours, and I have tasted several vintages older than the ones shown here that are still going strong.

But it’s the reds that are unmissable, and that Malartic particularly have begun to rival the most elegant, concentrated and complex Bordeaux – think Rauzan-Ségla, Haut-Bailly and La Gaffelière in terms of style and philosophy.

What helps with this is the layer of limestone that sits under the deep gravel. Once they had stopped the intensive vineyard treatments and began manually working the soils, the roots were able to reach down to this layer, and the pH lowered, bringing a natural freshness. Things were also helped by less intensive green harvesting over the past decade. Gazin Rocquencourt, in contrast, has the same gravels, but more clay and is a cooler soil, giving real power to the wines, but the risk of rusticity that they have been working hard to streamline and finesse.

The ambition is clearly not finished – the size of the vineyard alone tells you that, with Malartic coming in at 20ha in 1997 and 53ha in 2018; mainly through the repurchasing of plots that were part of the estate in the 18th century. Of the vintages tasted here, the reds are a little more consistent than the whites, but both are capable of brilliance, and now more than 20 years in to the Bonnie’s stewardship of Malartic-Lagravière, it seems reasonable to say that Bordeaux has another Belgian dynasty on its hands.

Fact file

Château Malartic-Lagravière

Cru Classé de Graves (red, white)

53HA (46ha red, 7ha white

Château Gazin Rocquencourt

22ha, in a single block (19.5ha red, 2.5ha white)

Tasting Château Malartic-Lagravière and Château Gazin Rocquencourt wines:

Bordeaux wine legend André Lurton dies

Chris Mercer — Thu, 16 May 2019 17:58:16 +0000

Additional reporting by Jane Anson in Bordeaux.

The French wine world was today mourning the loss of André Lurton, a key figure in the modern history of Bordeaux winemaking.

Among his achievements, Lurton played a central role in the creation of the Pessac-Léognan appellation, which was born in 1987 following several years of lobbying and bureaucratic wrangling.

Born in 1924 in the middle of harvest, and to a winemaking family, Lurton significantly expanded the family business after first inheriting Château Bonnet in Grezillac in 1953.

First, though, came World War Two, during which Lurton worked in the French Resistance and subsequently joined the French army in order to help with the fighting in Alsace in particular.

It was partly because of this experience that Lurton was known later for his collection of 1940s army vehicles.

He joined his father, François Lurton, in the vineyards after the war, aged 21.

After inheriting Bonnet in 1953, things didn’t go to plan initially. Frost seriously damaged the estate’s 50 hectares of vineyard in 1956 and Lurton grew crops for cattle feed in order to fund a major replanting programme.

Success eventually followed at Bonnet and this enabled Lurton to expand into what was then Graves, buying Château La Louvière in 1965. Two years later, he started renting vines at Château Couhins and subsequently bought the vineyards to create Château Couhins-Lurton in 1970.

Vignobles André Lurton today has 600ha of vines across much of southern Bordeaux.

Along the way, Lurton became mayor of Grézillac, was director of the CIVB for 20 years from 1966 to 1986 and president of the winemaking syndicate of Pessac and Léognan from 1980 to 1987, at which point it became AOC Pessac-Léognan.

Decanter’s Jane Anson wrote recently that the creation of the Pessac-Léognan appellation may not have come about at all ‘if it hadn’t been for the stubborn persistency of André Lurton’.

She said of Lurton this week, ‘He might have slowed down over the past few years, but few men have done as much to shape Bordeaux as André Lurton.

‘It was his lobbying that led to the creation of the Pessac-Léognan vintage in 1987, after a steady campaign of lobbying begun following his purchase of La Louvière.

‘He also managed the difficult feat of building up a successful, sizeable and consistently good quality AOC Bordeaux wine in the form of Château Bonnet, which today covers 300ha of vines.

‘He was also extremely good company, and will be missed’.

Several of Lurton’s seven children, notably Christine, François and Jacques, have built their own successful careers in wine.

Read Jane Anson’s article on ‘Pessac-Léognan 30 years on’

Best Pessac-Léognan and Graves 2018 wines

Jane Anson — Wed, 24 Apr 2019 09:44:20 +0000

Like much of Bordeaux in 2018, the Graves and Pessac-Léognan had plenty of stress, with hail followed by mildew and then drought.

Yields are correspondingly small for some, although the average yield for reds is 45 hectolitres per hectare.

Small crops didn’t necessarily impact quality. Haut-Bailly, one of my top scorers in 2018, had a yield of 21 hl/ha and managed conditions well to combine the enjoyable, structured fruit of 2015 with the serious finish of its 2016 wine.

Pessac-Léognan fruit ripens relatively early, which helped to lessen the gap between technical and phenolic ripeness that was an issue for some Bordeaux estates in this vintage.

This was a natural advantage for Pessac in 2018, as long as vines didn’t block from the heat.

I found that the en primeur wines were not as consistent as in 2016, but were more enjoyable in many instances.

Generally speaking, I have been amazed by how welcoming the tannins are.

I expected the wines would be unapproachable, or 2010-like in their construction, but that has not been the case.

There is clear architecture on display, but of the graceful kind. Many wines show lots of depth and concentration but have good balance. Top wines have lots of layers, with great fruit and potential for ageing; Haut-Brion 2018, for example, combines generosity and elegance.

There are some alcohol spikes, although most wines are well-controlled with great tannins.

There is likely to be some brilliant value in both Graves and Pessac.

As I’ve said for some other major appellations, it’s important to track individual estates in 2018, because there are clear differences between châteaux.

Alongside the issues cited above, excellent summer and autumn weather meant that estates could time their harvests according to individual preferences, which means you see stylistic differences coming into play.

One to watch would be Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2018, which saw a high proportion of Cabernet Franc and 53% whole bunch fermentation pay off hugely in terms of balance.

Reds potentially offering great value in 2018: Rouillac, Domaine de la Solitude, Larrivet Haut-Brion, Le Pape.

Top Scoring reds: Haut-Brion, Haut-Bailly, Smith Haut Lafitte, Carmes Haut-Brion.

Dry whites

The reds are more reliable than the whites overall. Yet the whites were much better than I expected, especially in Pessac.

Most white grapes were safely in the cellars as drought intensified in September and October, which no doubt helped.

However, only a very few dry whites were exceptional enough to best the brilliant 2017s.

Copy editing by Chris Mercer

Best scoring Pessac-Léognan and Graves 2018 wines

Search all Bordeaux 2018 wine ratings here

See all Pessac 2018 red wines tasted so far

See the top Pessac 2018 white wines tasted so far

How Pessac-Léognan 2016 wines taste in the bottle

Jane Anson — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 16:55:03 +0000

Jane Anson finishes her Bordeaux 2016 in-bottle tastings, with the remaining Pessac-Léognan wines, plus some Pomerol and St-Emilion...

Pessac-Léognan 2016 wines in the bottle

Bordeaux 2016 has already established itself as a strong vintage, and possibly the best since 2010 in some areas of the Left Bank in particular.

Decanter’s contributing editor and lead Bordeaux taster, Jane Anson, tasted the newly bottled Médoc 2016s in the autumn of 2018, and now she has added Pessac-Léognan whites and reds to her in-bottle reviews of the 2016 vintage.

Although some wines are still to be tasted, many of those sampled so far have developed well since the En primeur tastings in April 2017.

See all re-tasted Pessac-Léognan 2016 wines

See all Bordeaux 2016 tasting notes and scores

First growth Haut-Brion got the full 100 points this time around, up from a rating of 98 points when tasted in the barrel 18 months previously.

Other red wines from renowned estates lived up to their En primeur promise too: samples from several châteaux, including La Mission Haut-Brion, Malartic-Lagravière and Smith Haut Lafitte, matched their in-barrel ratings.

Anson describes La Mission Haut-Brion 2016 as a ‘wonderful wine…gorgeously balanced between richness and elegance’.

Alongside Pessac, Anson also tasted 2016 wines from some Right Bank estates, including Pomerol’s Château Lafleur, which scored a perfect 100 points, and Cheval Blanc in St-Emilion, which scored 98 in the bottle.

On the Right Bank, Anson has previously highlighted Pomerol for particular praise in 2016, saying that, ‘For me, Pomerol seems to have improved the most over ageing. Pauillac and St-Julien were always clearly brilliant, but Pomerol has absolutely come into itself over the last two years’.

Bordeaux 2016 in bottle: The left bank

Bordeaux 2016 in bottle: The right bank

Château Larrivet Haut-Brion: Best of the recent vintages

Jane Anson — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 08:00:43 +0000

Greater precision in the cellar, changes to vineyard make-up and the historical location of Larrivet Haut-Brion, nestled among classified neighbours in Pessac-Léognan, make this estate an interesting one to watch, says Jane Anson. Here is an in-depth report with tasting notes and ratings on all vintages back to 2010 for both reds and whites.

An unclassified Pessac-Léognan with the name Haut-Brion attached, surrounded by classified estates in the shape of Haut-Bailly and Carbonnieux, is always going to be intriguing.

Even more so because something new is happening here every time you visit, as the generation changes and Emilie Gervoson steps up to take over from her parents Christine and Philippe, together clocking up 31 years of ownership.

Until 1929, the Château was actually…

called Haut-Brion Larrivet, but I believe a little pressure from a certain First Growth led to a reordering of the name.Today it stands among the biggest estates in the appellation at 72.5ha, up there with Carbonnieux (92ha), Fieuzel (75ha), Smith Haut Lafitte (78ha) and Pape Clément (60ha, although this may be rising after Magrez’s purchase of the 33ha Le Sartre, as there are rumours that it may be used to increase the volume of 2^nd wine Le Clémentin de Pape Clément).

The others mentioned here are all classified, and therefore have clear financial incentives for growing in size.

The evolution at Château Larrivet Haut-Brion, in contrast, points even more clearly to the dynamic movement of Pessac-Léognan, and to the recent history of so much of Bordeaux.

Before being bought by the Gervoson family, who incidentally is also behind the Bonne Maman jam brand, the property and its vineyards had fallen into disrepair, and today it is reaping the benefits of slow, sure investments.

Much of the credit to the quality of the wine over the intervening years goes to Michel Rolland, who arrived in 1993 and really did a huge amount to restore credibility.

For the past three years, the consultant role has been handed over to Stéphane Derenoncourt. Ex-Montrose director Bruno Lemoine remains estate manager, as he has been for the last decade.

As it happened, the tasting provided a rather fascinating checklist of the fashions of the last 20 years. If you are interested in what’s happening in Bordeaux, this estate is clearly one to take note of.

If, for example, you had visited Larrivet Haut-Brion in 2000 you would have found the team de-leafing not just the reds but also the whites to ensure maximum ripeness.

You would have found 100% new oak ageing for the whites – something that lasted right up until 2010 – and longer macerations times at higher temperatures in the cellars.

None of these things are true anymore.

The whites are now aged between oak and cement vats.

Experimentation and micro vinification is happening everywhere – they have even aged a 55-litre barrel of the 2009 vintage for two years under the sea in the Arcachon Bay.

Results show that, as time has passed, the sea-aged barrel has done better and better in blind tastings, and the estate will redo the experiment with its 2017 vintage.

Back at the Château itself, new oak is down, while soil studies have altered plantings and vineyard treatments, with an increase notably in Cabernet Sauvignon.

Larrivet’s cellar now also has a mix of differently sized vats and casks, cement eggs and amphora. Even more interestingly, the amphoras are being used for the Merlot for the second wine, because they feel that’s the best way to keep the fruit.

It’s thought that Cabernet Sauvignon can benefit more from some barrel ageing.

These small details clearly show that it isn’t just the very top wines of Bordeaux that are paying attention to their terroir, and pursuing, as my colleague Andrew Jefford wrote about this week, purity of fruit.

As for this tasting, Larrivet Haut-Brion’s reds were more consistent than the whites.

The white now is really coming into its own, but I know looking back at my own tasting notes from over the past five years that it has been oak-dominant at times, a touch heavier than ideal. I’m looking forward to following its evolution from here on in.

Vineyard stats: Larrivet Haut-Brion

61 hectares of vines at 7,700 vines per ha for the reds and 11.5ha for the whites.
Vines have an average age of 30 years.
17ha when the family bought the estate in 1987.
Reds planted to 55% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. Whites to 60% Sauvignon Blanc 40% Sémillon.

Larrivet Haut-Brion wine tasting notes and ratings

Click on the wines to see the full, in-depth tasting note and also stockist information, where available.

Pessac-Léognan: Then and now – the story of an appellation

Jane Anson — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 10:30:19 +0000

Pessac-Léognan has become a dynamic force among the Bordeaux appellations, despite only being around for 30 years. Read a history of the area, plus fresh reviews of how the early vintages taste now.

If you ever wonder about the human element in the creation of France’s appellation system, step into the history of Pessac-Léognan.

Today one of the most dynamic parts of Bordeaux, easily producing some of the best red and white wines in the whole of France, its birth was a long drawn-out affair that had moments of high drama intercut with years of inaction, and no small influence of a few key personalities.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2017, the appellation may never have been created if it wasn’t for two men.

The first was Pierre Seiglan, who back in the spring of 1964 was owner of Château St-Jérome in the southern Graves, and an active member of the local syndicate (he later became its president).

During the annual winemaker meeting, he made his hostility towards owners in the northern part of the appellation plainly felt, and the falling-out led, in a few months, to the establishment of a separate wine syndicate for what was known as ‘Haute’ Graves.

Scroll down for Anson’s top picks from Pessac, then and now…

This new association immediately sent a request to the French body responsible for appellations, the INAO (Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité), for its appellation, but it would take the considerable determination of a second man, André Lurton, to finally see it happen 23 years later.

North and south

It’s highly likely that the split between the two sections of Graves became a near-certainty back in 1953. This was when the wines of the Graves got their own version of the 1855 Médoc ranking. All estates in the region asked to be considered, but the final listing awarded the title Cru Classés de Graves to 14 properties that were all in the north of the region. The furthest south is Château Latour-Martillac, and even that is only 19km south of the city of Bordeaux, compared to 60km down to the far reaches of southern Graves.

‘It had been a long war between the north and south sides of the Graves,’ remembers Tristan Kressman of Latour-Martillac. As time went on, he says, ‘a divorce became inevitable’.

This unequal balance of power had deep roots. The southern Graves had the numbers – almost 500 winemakers, compared to 55 in the north. But the north had the power.

For a start, it had history on its side. Although the entire Graves appellation is known as the cradle of Bordeaux wine, it is very likely that the Romans first planted vines in the northern sector, as it is within the limit of the forest clearing that we know they carried out around Bordeaux (or Burdigala as it was at the time).

The sector also enjoys a geographic advantage, with a microclimate effect created by close proximity to the city centre that sees a harvest date of on average one week earlier than the rest of Bordeaux, and a geography that lends itself to quality winemaking thanks to the presence of gravels, slopes and natural streams, all of which help with drainage.

Then there’s economics. The average price of wines from the north has historically been around double that of those from the south (the gap is wider today). And where there were more winemakers in the southern Graves, they tended to farm a variety of other crops, whereas those in the north focused solely on vineyards, which helped to develop their financial muscle. Oh, and did I forget to mention that it is home to Château Haut-Brion?

This was all true before the arrival of Lurton upon his purchase of Château La Louvière in 1965. He didn’t even become president of the Syndicat Viticole des Hautes Graves de Bordeaux until 1974, but there is no doubt that he took up the cause with all the passion of the newly converted.

Relations between the two sides continued to sour, despite attempts at conciliation by the INAO, which no doubt was conscious of the anomaly of creating a situation where the Cru Classés de Graves would no longer be in the Graves AC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, which was replaced in 2012 by the Appellation d’Origin Protégée or AP system).

Hélène Brun-Puginier, a historian who now works full time for Château La Louvière, says, ‘It took huge energy and tenacity from André Lurton and all the wine-growers of the region, but in the end the only way to clear the air was to recognise the AC Pessac-Léognan.’

Making an impact

The difference that it has made in the years following is both clear and stark.

If you are looking to buy land in Graves today, the average price you will have to pay is around €30,000 (£26,140) per hectare. Prices range from €55,000 (£47,924) in the most sought-after parts to €10,000 (£8,714) at the lowest end.

Head up into Pessac-Léognan and that becomes an average of €450,000 (£392,173), ranging from €250,000-€600,000 (£217,880-£522,913).

Look back 10 years and the average in Pessac-Léognan was €140,000 (£122,013) while Graves was unchanged at €30,000 (£26,140).

But it is unfair and unhelpful to make this a simple comparison between the two. If a comparison is to be made, it’s between the communal appellations of the Médoc and Pessac-Léognan, all gravel-dominant soils that major on Cabernet Sauvignon. Their wines gain complexity and finesse over time – and can achieve €50-plus (£44-plus) per bottle.

Pessac-Léognan also has a classification that rewards its white wines as well as its reds. This gives it considerable appeal – particularly as it is the only appellation to make serious whites.

Domaine de Chevalier, Smith Haut Lafitte, Carbonnieux… I defy anyone not to love these wines, which turn Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon into something astonishing.

‘There was a palpable sense of wanting to push the possibilities of the appellation once it was made official,’ remembers Valérie Vialard, winemaker at Latour-Martillac. ‘It was a challenge to rise to – and an exciting one. There was a lot of exchange in the early years about how to push quality.’

Dynamic growth

There is still a way to go – for example, Pessac-Léognan sells only 20% of its production to export, compared to 40% for Bordeaux as a whole, and over 70% for appellations such as Pauillac.

But it has proved its worth, not least by providing a vital bulwark against the loss of vineyard land under threat from urbanisation. In Mérignac alone, where Bordeaux airport is now located, there were 700ha of vines in 1870 – and just 30ha in 1987. Back in the 19th century, the northern Graves had 5,000ha and 350 châteaux. By 1975 it had become 500ha.

‘Almost 1,000ha of vines have been replanted over the last 30 years,’ says Philibert Perrin of Château Carbonnieux, the current AP Pessac-Léognan president.

‘This is not an easy thing to achieve in Bordeaux, where there are strict rules over planting rights. But the new AC granted the right to plant wherever there had historically been vines and where the land was deemed worthy of production of highquality wine following a geological study.’

Much of this planting was done on former forest rather than urban land, but it helped to create an appellation that continues to be enormously dynamic.

In 1987, the Pessac- Léognan appellation comprised 55 estates over 813ha, with production of 75% red and 25% white wine. Today there are 70 châteaux across 1,791ha, producing 80% red and 20% white.

Among the new estates created in Pessac-Léognan since 1987 are Châteaux Haut- Lagrange, Lafont Menaut, Haut-Vigneau and d’Alix, while the owners attracted to the area include leading names such as Bernard Magrez at Pape Clément, the Bonnie family at Malartic-Lagravière, the Cathiards at Smith Haut Lafitte, the Wilmers family at Haut-Bailly and the Dillons at Château Haut-Brion (which makes Pessac-Léognan the only appellation in Bordeaux with a château classified in both 1855 and Crus Classés de Graves).

Achieving this over 30 years is impressive. To do it on the doorstep of one of France’s biggest cities, also in full expansion, is fairly remarkable.

As Jean-Paul Kauffman wrote in Voyage à Bordeaux back in 1989: ‘You have to see Château Haut-Brion, in the heart of (the town of) Pessac, to understand that making wine can itself be an act of resistance.’

Pessac-Léognan timeline

1964

The Syndicate Viticole des Hautes Graves de Bordeaux breaks off from the main Syndicate de Graves, although some winemakers from the southern section also join its ranks. Its first action was to send a request for a separate AC to the French appellations’ authority, the INAO

1966

André Lurton arrives at the syndicate after buying Château La Louvière

1968

Pierre Perromat, president of the INAO, begins looking into creation of AC Hautes-Graves de Bordeaux, but things stall for the next decade

1974

André Lurton becomes president of the Syndicat Viticole des Hautes Graves de Bordeaux

1978

The question of the new AC is relaunched by the INAO, and various conciliatory meetings are organised between north and south Graves

1980

To overcome the issue of having winemakers from the southern Graves in the syndicate, it is reworked to become a precise geographic region. This becomes the Syndicat Viticole de Pessac et Léognan. Its members remain within the overall Syndicat Viticole des Graves et Graves Supérieures, where they account for just six out of 42 seats on the board

1984

The INAO recommends the creation of Graves Pessac and Graves Léognan, two geographic indications that would be allowed on the label for the relevant estates

1985

Believing that this compromise doesn’t go far enough, the six members of the Syndicat Viticole de Pessac et Léognan resign from the Syndicat Viticole des Graves et Graves Supérieures. This brings events to a head

June 1987

The INAO agrees to the creation of the new AC for the 1987 vintage for whites and the 1986 for reds

September 1987

The creation of AC Pessac-Léognan (no longer Pessac et Léognan) is published in the government’s Journal Officiel. It includes wines produced in the 10 communes of Mérignac, Villenave d’Ornon, Pessac, Cadaujac, Talence, Léognan, Gradignan, Martillac, Canéjan and St-Médard-d’Eyrans, following a geological study by geologist Pierre Becheler

October 1987

Château La Mission Haut-Brion holds a celebration dinner, with 300 guests

See Anson’s top picks from Pessac, then and now…

How Bordeaux 2008 tastes now

Tasting 150 years of Lafite Rothschild wines

Top Pessac-Léognan 2017 red wines

Jane Anson — Mon, 07 May 2018 11:00:52 +0000

See Jane Anson's top scoring Pessac-Léognan red wines from the recent Bordeaux 2017 en primeur tastings. Notes are available exclusively to Premium members.

A quick summary of weather conditions is particular helpful for understanding why Pessac and Graves have produced some of the best and some of the most challenging wines of 2017.

The extremely dry autumn of 2016 and first few months of 2017, meant a 46% deficit in rainfall and average temperatures 2 degrees higher from February, so early budburst meant more exposure to the frost of 26-27 April.

Around 35% of Pessac and more than 50% of Graves was affected by frost and there was far more variability than I had found in last few vintages.As is often the case in frost years, yields tell you about quantity not quality.

Haut-Bailly, for example, was at 28 hectolitres per hectare in total but it 2hl/h from the vines worst affected by frost and 40hl/h for vineyard areas that escaped damage.

‘A blessing in retrospect,’ as Haut-Bailly general manager Véronique Sanders put it, ‘because we didn’t have to worry about what to do about any partially-frosted vines’.

Top Pessac-Léognan 2017 reds:

Below, you will find all Pessac 2017 reds rated at least 90 points. Follow the link beneath the wines to see all Pessac 2017 reds.

Search all Pessac 2017 red scores here

Graves and Pessac-Léognan white wines 2015 in bottle

Jane Anson — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 14:23:27 +0000

Jane Anson has re-tasted the Graves and Pessac-Léognan 2015 dry white wines in bottle, providing updated tasting notes and ratings exclusively for Decanter Premium members...

Introduction by Decanter editorial

Ripe fruit was a particular feature of several dry white wines from Graves and Pessac-Léognan in the Bordeaux 2015 vintage at the time of the en primeur tastings.

This was particularly apparent when compared to the 2014 vintage, which was marked by much higher acidity levels – so much so that several producers took the rare step of allowing malolactic fermentation on their Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, in order to to soften the edges.

Jane Anson said after tasting Graves and Pessac 2015 dry whites en primeur:

‘They show clearly riper fruits than vintages such as 2013 or 2014, when acidities were high and the wines showed excellent ageing potential.’

There is a danger in Pessac that the dry whites could be overshadowed by the red 2015 vintage, but the best dry white wines wines should age well over the next decade, according to Anson, who re-tasted many of the wines for Decanter two years after the harvest.

Premium members can see Jane Anson’s tasting notes and ratings below.

Bordeaux 2015: How it looks in bottle

Jane Anson’s original Graves and Pessac 2015 en primeur report

Bordeaux 2015: Pessac-Léognan reds re-tasted

Jane Anson — Thu, 08 Mar 2018 14:38:20 +0000

Château Haut-Bailly has made one of its greatest wines from the Bordeaux 2015 vintage, says Jane Anson as part of her review of Pessac-Léognan 2015 red wines in-bottle. See more notes and ratings below.

Two years in the cellar have been good to the Bordeaux 2015 vintage as a whole.

It has emerged as a particularly promising year on the Right Bank and, although more patchy on the other side of the Gironde Estuary in Médoc and across the Garonne river to the south, there are still top wines from those areas, too.

When Jane Anson tasted Pessac-Léognan 2015 wines during en primeur week in 2017, she praised them for ‘a soft, fresh and incredibly luscious elegance to the tannins in the best wines‘.

Things are progressing well at several estates, she noted in her review of the 2015 vintage now that the wines have been bottled.

‘This is a Smith Haut Lafitte that has improved during barrel ageing, and will deepen even further in bottle,’ said Jane Anson in her note on the château’s 2015, red grand vin.

She also re-iterated her view that Haut-Bailly 2015 ‘has got to be one of the greatest Haut-Baillys I have ever tasted’.

Below, Premium members cans see her up-to-date notes on the Pessac 2015 reds.

Introduction by Decanter editorial team.

Anson: 30 years of Pessac Léognan

Jane Anson — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 08:00:43 +0000

Jane Anson reports from the 30th anniversary tasting of Pessac Léognan at Latour Martillac...

Anson: Pessac Léognan 30 years on

Premières Graves. Hautes Graves de Bordeaux. Graves Supérieur. Graves de Bordeaux.

They tried all of these names, but none seemed to stick. Either they were already in use for something else, or they caused too big of a political argument. French bureaucracy is as mind-numbingly slow as in any other country, and the change might have been put off indefinitely, if it hadn’t been for the stubborn persistency of André Lurton, owner of Châteaux La Louvière, de Rochemorin and Couhins-Lurton, and today pushing 94 years old.

But finally, on September 9, 1987, Bordeaux saw the creation of a new appellation in the form of Pessac Léognan – with a production area covering the 10 communes of Mérignac, Villenave d’Ornon, Pessac, Cadaujac, Talence, Léognan, Gradignan, Martillac, Canéjan and St Médard d’Eyrans, following a geological study by Pierre Becheler and ten years of lobbying. The eventual appellation simply took the names of the two biggest communes and put them together, and the first dinner of the new AOC was held at Château La Mission Haut-Brion.

I know I’m missing the anniversary proper by a few days with this story, but I only attended the anniversary tasting in late December, just before Christmas, and rather poignantly the day after the death of one of Pessac Léognan’s most recently-anointed sons; Bob Wilmers of Château Haut-Bailly – a man who deserves to be celebrated right up alongside André Lurton in terms of his contribution to the international renown of Pessac Léognan’s name.

It’s not easy to create a new appellation to catch the imagination of the public, even when it is nudged right up against the city itself, and when it is the only one in Bordeaux to contain classified white as well as red wines. To make it even more challenging, this one has a contradiction at its very heart; it was created to mark a section of the Graves region that has different terroir to the more southerly section that stretches down to the market town of Langon, and that contains all of the 14 classified estates named in a ranking of 1953 and 1959. But these châteaux were all named Cru Classés de Graves – and would now no longer be in AOC Graves.

‘It had been a long war between the north and south sides of the Graves,’ Tristan Kressman of Château Latour Martillac remembered, as we discussed the appellation’s origins after the tasting. When the classification had taken place in the 1950s, estates across the whole of Graves had asked to be included, but in the end only the ones in the northern stretches had made the cut.

‘A divorce became inevitable,’ is how Kressman put it.

Back in 1987, Pessac Léognan comprised of 55 châteaux, over 813 hectares of vines, with 75% red and 25% white wine. Part of the logic for its birth was to fight against the urbanisation that had seen the loss of 4,500 hectares of vines over the previous century, as the city of Bordeaux grew ever bigger. In Mérignac alone, for example, where Bordeaux airport is now found, there was 700 hectares of vines in 1870 – and just 30 in 1987. Today, the appellation’s vineyards cover 1,791ha, so doubling over three decades (much of it extending into former forest rather than urban land), and 72 châteaux, with 80% red and 20% white. Compare this growth to AOC Entre-Deux-Mers, that had 2,300ha in 1997 and just 1,440ha today, even though its vines are further away from the conurbation of Bordeaux.

Among the new estates created in Pessac Léognan since 1987 are Châteaux Haut-Lagrange, Lafont-Menaut, Haut-Vigneau and d’Alix– and among the owners attracted to the area are leading names such as Bernard Magrez at Pape Clément (and now also Le Sartre), the Bonnies at Malartic-Lagravière, the Cathiards at Smith Haut-Lafitte, the Wilmers at Haut-Bailly and the Dillons at Château Haut-Brion (making Pessac Léognan the only appellation in Bordeaux with a château classified in both the 1855 and in the Crus Classés de Graves rankings).

The tasting

The anniversary tasting was held at Latour Martillac, with just under two dozen red and white wines from the year of its creation – which in fact meant the 1987 vintage for white wines and 1986 for the reds (from 1982 they had the option of listing AOC Graves Pessac or AOC Graves Léognan). I’d first asked to do this overview tasting a few months previously, after a lunch at the same estate when we drank a 1987 white that was still utterly alive and delicious. White wines that age are normally associated with Burgundy, not Bordeaux, and with Chardonnay, certainly not Sauvignon Blanc.

Not every estate sent bottles, either because they had no stock left or because they were not sufficiently confident in the quality, but of those that did, almost all are worthy of tracking down. It’s worth remembering that the estates were almost certainly picking at higher yields than today (maybe closer to 50 or 60hl/h rather than the more typical 40hl/h now), and harvest would have taken place in one long batch, rather than waiting for individual grape varieties or plots to ripen fully.

1987 in particular was not seen as a great vintage in its youth, while 1986 was a largely hot year with a few difficult rain storms that saw many fairly tannic wines in their early days. And yet tasting these wines last month was thoroughly enjoyable, a testament to the vision of André Lurton. There were traces of oxidation in some, as you’d expect, a few instances of brett, but most were soft, nuanced and rich examples of why Pessac Léognan is such a beautiful mix of Left and Right Banks.

A few of the best…

Château Haut-Bailly owner Bob Wilmers dies

Jane Anson — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 16:26:12 +0000

Bob Wilmers, the American owner of Château Haut-Bailly in Bordeaux, has died aged 83.

Robert G Wilmers, known widely as Bob Wilmers, died at his home in Buffalo, New York State, on Saturday night. He was aged 83.

Owner of Château Haut-Bailly in Pessac-Léognan since 1998, and neighbouring Château le Pape since 2012, Wilmers was also the long-term CEO of M&T bank in Buffalo that he grew into one of the biggest financial institutions in the United States, all while retaining his image as a careful, risk-averse steward.

Investor Warren Buffet said of him when learning of his death, ‘he was a remarkable banker, an even more remarkable citizen and wonderful friend’.

In Bordeaux, he will be remembered for elevating Château Haut-Bailly into one of the very top estates of the region, investing in both vineyard and cellar and giving full trust to the considerable talents of director Véronique Sanders.

‘Bob arrived at Haut-Bailly extremely discreetly,’ Olivier Bernard, president of the union for Bordeaux grands crus (UGC), told Decanter.com.

‘He listened a lot and didn’t say too much, and instinctively understood the complexities of running a grand cru in Bordeaux.

‘For that his partnership with Véronique Sanders was key – showing he understood the importance of heritage, of the need to invest for the long-term with no huge ruptures along the way.

‘We were also lucky in Pessac-Léognan because as a neighbour, he was great company.’

Wilmers clearly loved his estate, and once said of Haut-Bailly, ‘I am sort of awed by the whole place. The first thing I do when I arrive back after being away is to just get reacquainted, starting with a stroll around the outer limits of the vineyards.

‘Haut-Bailly has a soul, an elegance, a subtlety that it has had for generations – our work is just to keep making tiny adjustments that build on its past.’

Wilmers and his wife supported many charitable and cultural institutions on both sides of the Atlantic, from the Cité du Vin, the Museum of Decorative Arts and the Grand Theatre in Bordeaux to major art institutes in both New York and Paris as well as local schools and charities in Buffalo.

He was key in raising funds for the non-profit Partner University Fund (PUF) between the French government, American private donors and the French-American Cultural Exchange foundation, and was also president of New York’s Alliance Française.

Wilmers was this year awarded ‘officer’ status in France’s Legion of Honour system, partly in recognition of his charity work as well as for his contribution to French wine.

Wilmers is survived by his French wife Elisabeth Roche Wilmers, his son Christopher and grandchildren Dylan and Theodore – as well as four step-children and eleven step grandchildren.

Related articles:

Bob Wilmers buys Haut-Bailly neighbour
Jane Anson’s note on the Haut-Bailly 2016 en primeur wine
New Liv-ex ‘1855 classification’: Haut-Bailly, Domaine de Chevalier gain (published 2015)

Wine Legend: La Mission Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan 1929

Decanter Staff — Sun, 14 Aug 2016 13:00:58 +0000

La Mission Haut-Brion 1929 is a legend because…

Château La Mission Haut-Brion has always been known for producing wines that are more robust and masculine than those of its immediate neighbour Château Haut-Brion. In few vintages was this difference so marked as in 1929. Although the very firm tannins of the 1929 may have resulted in some individual bottles that now show some dryness, others are going strong.

Looking back

Frédéric Woltner acquired the Pessac-Léognan estate in 1919 but a few years later put his son Henri in charge of it; Henri ran it until his death in 1974. It remained in the Woltner family until 1983, when the estate was bought by the Dillon family of Haut-Brion, though its identity was to remain separate and distinct. Henri was an oenologist and a forward-looking one at that, installing glass-lined fermentation vats as long ago as 1926. Their squat shape maximised the ratio of skins to juice, ensuring the wines would be deep in colour and dense in structure. La Mission is recognised today as equal to a first growth in quality, which simply confirms the wine trade’s view almost a century ago: the 1918 vintage was priced higher than Lafite, Latour, and Margaux, and only Haut-Brion itself was more expensive.

The vintage

The year was not only hot but exceedingly dry, with a mere 225mm of rainfall. The wines were incredibly concentrated and high in tannins, yet many of them had a youthful charm not always found in young Bordeaux from a great year. For legendary British wine critic Edmund Penning-Rowsell, 1929 was the finest vintage of the 20th century.

The terroir

The soils are remarkably stony as well as gravelly, more so than those of its neighbour Haut-Brion. The gravel beds are many metres thick. Drainage is excellent and the proximity to the city of Bordeaux usually gives precocious harvests. Henri Woltner was always careful not to pick overripe fruit, and sought to retain exemplary acidity in his wines. But the wines have always shown more muscle and meatiness than those of the more elegant Haut-Brion, and this is probably explained by terroir more than winemaking.

The wine

This vintage would have been partially fermented in the glass-lined steel vats that Henri Woltner installed in 1926, though the bulk of the crop would have been vinified in wooden vats. Woltner’s goal was to have a more even fermentation, without excessively high temperatures and the attendant risks of volatile acidity. However, the steel tanks at this time weren’t temperature-controlled. The wine was then aged in barriques for up to 30 months before being bottled.

The reaction

Henri Woltner once remarked that the 1929 was superb in its youth but unlikely to age well. However, in 1990, Michael Broadbent of Decanter and Christie’s asserted that this was ‘one of the best ever La Missions, certainly the richest’. In 2008, Neal Martin of The Wine Advocate, noted: ‘Deep broody nose, introspective but compelling. Notes of leather, mocha, roasted chestnut, sandalwood and roasted meats. The palate is full-bodied and sinewy… but the finish is a little disjointed and dry. Nevertheless this is an amazing 1929 that is in graceful decline.’ My own note from the same tasting was a touch more positive: ‘Almost opaque brick- red. Sweet, stylish nose. Mushrooms and tobacco. Intense, highly concentrated and spicy, with mocha tones. Tremendous drive and no conspicuous tannins.

The facts

Bottles produced N/A

Composition N/A

Yield N/A

Alcohol N/A

Release price N/A

Price today £2,970

Anson on Thursday: Vandalism, fraud and a rare Bordeaux wine

Jane Anson — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 08:58:12 +0000

Was a €3000 Graves wine from historic vines always too good to be true? Jane Anson scratches beneath the surface of a case involving the vandalism of rare old vines and a subsequent fraud investigation.

It was already a head-scratcher of a story, even before the news last November that rare vines owned by winery Liber Pater had been destroyed by vandals, and then the bombshell follow-up in January that owner Loïc Pasquet had been found guilty of fraud by a Bordeaux tribunal for a rather confusing assortment of things ranging from not declaring his chaptilisation levels to submitting forged receipts for close to €600,000 in promotional grants.

But before all of this came the idea of a newly-created wine (first vintage 2006) from the humble Graves appellation that sells for upwards of €3000 per bottle. This week, Morrell & Company at Rockefeller Plaza in New York had the 2009 listed for US$4,000, with three bottles in stock (although none sold recently according to the salesman I spoke with). There are margins added along the way, and the wine leaves the château for less than that of course.

Pasquet asked me to keep the exact amount off the record for some reason, but I can tell you that it is among the very highest exit prices of all Bordeaux châteaux, beating even the First Growths in 2010.

At least the price explains how he makes a living, as Liber Pater only produces between 500 and 2,000 bottles a year at best, and not a single one in 2008, 2012 or 2013. But it still leaves the question of how the reputation of this wine rose so high and so fast (to the initiated few at least, as I am pretty sure it wasn’t widely known before its owner made the front pages last month).

Admittedly there is a good story attached. Pasquet has said he wants to ‘recreate the taste of Bordeaux as it was in 1855’, and has been busy reviving long-lost varieties such as castet, mancin, saint macaire and prunelard that he promises will be blended into the wine for the 2016 vintage. But to date the only grapes in this €3,000 AOC Graves are your run-of-the-mill local classics of merlot and cabernet sauvignon. Ungrafted organic vines tended through nearly-forgotten techniques of plants pruned low to the ground, tied to individual stakes without wires running between and soils worked only with horses and mules. But still a classic Graves blend.

We had been in contact over the vandalised vines, and I was already planning to visit when the fraud story hit. I wondered if Pasquet would now cancel but he was in fact very happy for our interview to go ahead. We arranged to meet outside a 12th century church in the tiny village of St Michel de Rieufret and I drove down there earlier this week, with two main questions in mind – how did he ever manage to pull off such a spectacular coup in the first place, and was it always too good to be true?

First impressions are mixed. If Pasquet is wanting to prove that the grant money – from France Agrimer, the quasi-governmental agricultural agency – has not been put to misuse, he has chosen almost-too-perfect a car for the job. He pulls up in a tiny, battered Citroen C-Zero that is stuffed to the rafters with papers, various bits of winemaking equipment and what looks like a roll of chicken wire.

And yet he’s immediately engaging, wearing standard issue vineyard gear of old jeans, shirt and scruffy boots with a whiff of mad professor. He clears a space for me in the front seat, and we head off to examine ‘Les Vignes de Scandale’ as he cheerfully calls them – not before informing me that bodies buried in the St Michel de Rieufret cemetery take up to 1,000 years to decompose, so high in acid are the soils.

We climb up to a plateau that sits at a relatively modest 75 metres above sea level, but has a particularly interesting geological feature. Dating from the Quartenary Era (as opposed to the more usual Tertiary of much of Bordeaux) and known as the ‘anticlinal de Bordeaux’, this spot has a 50cm layer of sand and large gravel stones that sits over a good 4.3 metres of pure gravel. These are among the oldest gravels deposited in the region 60 million years ago from the Pyrénées mountains, and the same ones that continued on their journey up to Saint Julien and Pauillac. They also share the highly acidic character that marked out the church cemetery below.

‘My shoes have to be thrown away at the end of every year after working in these soils’, Pasquet tells me, adding that the acidity levels together with the sandy gravel soils are why he can plant ungrafted vines and not worry about the Phylloxera grouse. He says his plants that are regularly tested, and that he has never had a single problem.

I know all this not only because he tells me, but because he gives me a small novel’s worth of independent literature on the subject. And on many other subjects, from 18th century tomes on Bordeaux planting techniques to 19th century lists of local grape varieties. All to prove his assertion that he has done nothing wrong, and that his recent misfortunes are the result of malice. He speaks darkly of a cabal who is threatened by his desire to recreate the taste of wine as it was in 1855 and shows me the – frankly pretty incoherent – assessment of his viticultural and winemaking failures, filed in a report by an agronomic engineer commissioned in 2013 by the Bordeaux customs’ office.

The list of transgressions include using ungrafted vines and planting them at a density of 20,000 per hectare but extends also to questions over his purchase price of the rare vine cuttings, and the gap in the sales price between Liber Pater and his other wine Clos Landiras (a more typical €15 per bottle). The report was delivered in May 2014 but Pasquet says he heard nothing about it until just before Christmas 2015, when the customs office contacted him. He shows me documents dating from 2010 that gave him dispensation to plant at this unusually high density (and I know he is not the only one in Bordeaux to do so) and yet says he was found guilty ‘without any time to prepare my defense’. He is currently appealing.

I call independent commentators to try to get context. Wine merchant Jeffrey Davies is one of the more straight-talking négociants in Bordeaux, and has worked with Liber Pater since the first vintage. He is a staunch defender, and agrees with Pasquet that local jealousy is at the heart of the issue. Next up is the president of the Graves syndicate, Dominique Guignard. He tells me that the syndicate was never given warning of a problem by any official body before the court case was brought in January, which is highly unusual. ‘We write the quality charter that he apparently failed to adhere to,’ Guignard says, ‘but have not been given a copy of the judgement by the court’.

I then go to a consultant for France Agrimer, as the financial side to the case seems to have been confusingly mixed up with the technical transgressions. Pasquet says that to date only one of his grants from France Agrimer has been contested, and that he already paid back in full the sums owing in 2011. One other grant is still under discussion but with no decision reached, and therefore should not, he says, have been taken into account by the tribunal.

The consultant tells me that he can’t comment on a particular case, but that it is exceptionally rare for disputes to end up in court.

At the heart of all of this, of course, is the wine. Once back from the vineyard, we try the 2007 and 2011 Liber Pater. They are extremely strong examples of Graves wines from either vintage, particularly the over-performing 2007, and I am pleasantly surprised by the complexity and freshness. Are they overpriced? Almost certainly, but who in Bordeaux is really in a position to cast the first stone on that particular count?

It was his work on the rare grape varieties where Pasquet was the least forthcoming. He shows me receipts for purchasing buds from the mother plants at a rare vine conservatory in Isle-sur-Tarn, and sends photos of them growing in vitro but I wasn’t able to taste examples (‘they are not ready yet, come back in a month’s time’, he assures). When I ask specifics he brings the conversation back to how he is trying to defend and promote ‘the real taste of wine’, to ‘rail against the standardisation of taste’.

I leave Liber Pater with at least one of my two questions answered. He pulled off the coup through smart winemaking, smart marketing, and a sense of almost religious fervour. Planting ungrafted cabernet and merlot is brave and the results are excellent, although he will stop using merlot once the historical grapes are ready, as it was not a major part of the Bordeaux vineyard in 1855 (‘at least here, in my climat,’ he says, anxious not to cause further offence).

As to whether reclaiming the pre-Phylloxera taste is too good to be true, he asks us to wait to judge until the 2016 vintage (bottled as Vin de France) is on the market. This won’t be until 2018, when a team of 10 tasters will take part in the blending. ‘And together we will try to uncover the taste of Bordeaux as it truly was in 1855’.

It’s an intriguing prospect, and one that I can’t help but hope makes it to the finishing line.

Graves & Pessac whites 2012: panel tasting results

Decanter Staff — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 12:34:24 +0000

Graves & Pessac whites 2012: Panel tasting

The crus classés and Pessac-Léognans fared best, with the Graves AC entries more inconsistent, but all the wines came under scrutiny by our panel for their oak use. Nevertheless, 16 wines were rated highly-recommended by our expert judges – see them all here…Dry white wine in Bordeaux – which tends to be clustered around entre-deux-Mers, Blaye-Cotes de Bordeaux and Pessac-léognan/Graves – is experiencing a sales boom, with a 31% climb in overseas markets over the past five years, now standing at 47% export overall, compared to just under 40% for Bordeaux as a whole. The prestigious regions of Graves and Pessac léognan have done much to contribute to this success.Bordeaux whites from the Right Bank and entre-deux- Mers are almost invariably early drinkers, whereas those from the left Bank (so Graves and particularly Pessacléognan; the only region where the best white wines have received a cruclassé ranking), should be capable of ageing and improving in complexity in bottle for five to 10 years, or longer. Because production is small, prices have risen for classified whites over the past few years, but they are rarely seen as investment wines in the way that white Burgundy is, with a few exceptions (la Mission haut-Brion Blanc and its sister haut-Brion Blanc, and perhaps a few other sure-value picks such as Domaine de Chevalier).

White Bordeaux is an exciting area where much research into varietal aromas and the importance of effective viticulture and vinification techniques has been done at the Institute of Oenology. The results have been widely disseminated through the vineyards, meaning that as a category Graves and Pessac-léognan should offer good value for money, and real drinking pleasure.

Bordeaux wine auction for Paris victims: 10k euros raised

Chris Mercer — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 15:59:36 +0000

Classified Bordeaux châteaux in the Graves area have raised more than 10,000 euros for victims of the Paris terror attacks by auctioning double magnums of their wines.

All 14 member estates of the Crus Classés de Graves donated double magnums in the wine auction for Paris victims, which raised €10,100 (£7,300) and ran online between 1 and 11 December.

The sale was organised by iDealwine and the donation was made via charity body Fondation de France on 13 December, one month after 130 people were killed and many more injured in series of co-ordinated terrorist attacks in Paris.

The line-up of double magnums from the Crus Classés de Graves Paris auction. (Image credit: Crus Classés de Graves)

Around 300 bidders from 20 countries, including France, UK, Sweden and Hong Kong took part in the auction, organisers said.

The top selling lot went according to classification with a double magnum of first growth Château of Haut-Brion 2011 selling for €3,002.

Bordeaux 2011 as a vintage shone in the auction, even if the year as a whole has struggled in the shadow of the lauded Bordeaux 2010 and 2009 vintages. A double magnum of La Mission Haut-Brion 2011 sold for €1,574, while the third best selling lot was Smith Haut-Lafitte 2011, at €666.

‘We wanted to do something in response to the atrocities, and to show that art and culture, of which wine is a part, can be a form of resistance and solidarity,’ said Jean Jacques Bonnie, president of the Crus Classés de Graves as well as co-owner and manager of Château Malartic-Lagravière.

SEE ALSO: Improvised Burgundy auction led to donation for Paris victims

The full Graves auction results:

One double magnum of Château Bouscaut 2004
Price: €242
Château Carbonnieux 2010
Price: €506
Château Couhins 2014
Price: €276
Château Couhins-Lurton 2012
Price: €302
Domaine de Chevalier 1995
Price: €540
Château de Fieuzal 1998
Price: €408
Château Haut-Bailly 2003
Price: €662
Château Haut-Brion 2011
Price: €3,002
Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2011
Price: €1,574
Château Latour-Martillac 2002
Price: €248
Château Malartic-Lagravière 2006
Price: €482
Château Olivier 2004
Price: €236
Château Pape Clément 2012
Price: €662
Château Smith Haut Lafitte 2011
Price: €666
One case of 12 individal Crus Classés’ plates
Price: €290

Bordeaux 2015: White wine harvest to start next week

Jane Anson — Thu, 20 Aug 2015 14:50:21 +0000

The first white grapes of the Bordeaux 2015 wine harvest are set to be picked next week for the earliest ripening areas of Pessac Leognan.

Chateau Haut-Brion said it was likely to begin its Bordeaux 2015 harvest for Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris at the end of next week, but a final decision was yet to be taken.

A summer heatwave is expected to cause a relatively early wine harvest across many northern hemisphere regions in 2015, from Piedmont and Rioja to Napa Valley in California and British Columbia in Canada.

Bordeaux’s wine bureau (CIVB) said the first red grapes should be harvested in mid-September. Around 6,500 seasonal pickers will begin arriving in the area over the next few weeks.

Grapes in many Bordeaux vineyards have finished their veraison – the colour change process – and maturity was well advanced for Sauvignon Blanc, Colombard, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, according to the regional Chamber of Agriculture.

Later ripening Semillon and Cabernet Sauvignon were mid-way through colour change.

Heatwave in French vineyards evokes memories of 2003 vintage

Jonathan Ducourt, whose family owns 16 properties across six appellations, said vineyards were 15 days ahead of 2014. Potential alcohol for Sauvignons was at 10.8%, with acidity likely down on last year and picking to begin on 1 September. The first Merlots in Castillon should be picked around 15 September.

Bordeaux saw 61 hours of sunshine more than the 30-year average in June, and 30 hours more than average in July, a month that also only saw 18mm of rainfall compared to 80mm in 2014 – although this varied widely by appellation.

Nicolas Audebert, of Chateau Canon in St Emilion and Rauzan Segla in Margaux, said, ‘Sanitary conditions are very good, and [with recent rainfall] we have more water than we did four weeks ago, so the grapes are a better size.’

José Sanfins, of Chateau Cantenac Brown in Margaux, told Decanter.com, ‘Winemakers are always worried about something. But this year it is hard to find things to complain about.’

Edited by Chris Mercer

Bordeaux 2014: Pessac-Leognan reds

Decanter Staff — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 16:18:00 +0000

See the scores and tasting notes for the top 10 Pessac-Leognan red wines from the 2014 vintage, tasted by Jane Anson

For the best of Pessac-Leognan whites, this is a vintage with high appeal to lovers of fresh, classic wines in the mould of 2001 or 2011, with many that have benefitted from a touch of rounding out through either barrel ageing or lees stirring.

Many Pessac-Leognan reds are also excellent, with some markers again of 2001, clearly above both 2008 and 2012, which have been the best of ‘non-stellar’ recent years. The tannins are deceptive approachable and soft in many cases but the tannins are high and there are lots of them. Combine that with the sappy acidity and many of these wines have the potential to age well, up to 30 years in the best cases, especially when the Cabernet Sauvignon is high in the blend (this was an excellent year for cabernet on the whole). Overall, however the most typical style is medium-term drinking around the 10 to 15 year mark.

Even with the beautiful September and October sunshine, the fruit quality in the Graves has remained fresh as this was still a cool year overall, so expect raspberries, damsons and plums in the reds, and citrus, fresh cut grass and apricot in the whites. Tannins in the most successful estates are soft and approachable there are some enjoyable drinking wines here.

The best of the reds are fruit forward with well-extracted, firm but silky tannins, and will provide drinking from 5 to 15 years. And there are great whites, but beware the blanket idea that 2014 is one of the great white years acidities run high in some Graves properties.

Bordeaux 2014: First impression – Pessac Leognan and Graves

Jane Anson — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 06:29:00 +0000

There are two clear stylistic camps for the Bordeaux 2014 vintage in Pessac-Leognan and Graves, writes Jane Anson, who offers her first general impression of the wines before rating them for Decanter.

To be honest, I was pretty sceptical about whether the quality potential for 2014 would extend across the more southerly parts of the Graves, or even out of the biggest Pessac-Leognan estates that have the money, time and staff to have protected the vines during the summer rains and made the necessary adjustments for bringing the grapes in at full maturity.

But after tasting through more than 120 wines from these two appellations, my first impressions are that, by and large, there really is a lot of successful winemaking on display here, and plenty of drinking pleasure ahead.

See also: Bordeaux 2014 full Decanter ratings now available

There are a few clear features to the vintage – firstly that even with the beautiful September and October sunshine, the quality of the fruit has remained on the fresh scale. Most typically you get rich ripeness but not over-ripe, so very little figs and prunes on display in either Pessac or Graves, much more plums, damsons and raspberries.

At the same time the sunshine was prolonged enough that in the best properties the tannins are surprisingly soft and approachable – there are some excellently enjoyable drinking wines here even within the ‘value’ category. The best of the reds are fruit-forward with well-extracted firm but silky tannins and will provide excellent medium term drinking – a clear step up from the last three years, even the (under-rated in my opinion) 2012. For the best of the whites, this is a vintage with huge appeal to lovers of fresh, classic whites in the mould of 2001 or 2011.

There are however two clear stylistic camps; those who have had a controlled and confident approach to the Indian summer and those who seem to have got over-excited with the possibilities of all that unexpected sunshine and extracted for all they are worth, or gone for further plumping up of the fruit structure by drowning everything in oak, new or otherwise.

At the same time, high acidity is also a feature in both the reds and whites. The malic acid was a particular problem (or feature, depending on your point of view) in 2014 because the rainy August meant that by the end of the month the malic levels were still very high.

Producers who were on dry gravelly soils seem to have escaped with liltingly fresh rather than biting wines, as did those who green harvested to reduce yields, so leaving the rest of the crop to concentrate and ripen fully. Some cooler clay soils, or those who left yields high seem to have fairly meagre wines where the acidity hasn’t dropped low enough to be palatable.

Inevitably it means that cabernet-dominated wines have the edge, but overall it again leaves the wines falling into two camps – those with a gorgeous freshness and minerality to them, that will age beautifully, and those where the mid palate is lean and the finish is tart.

See more Bordeaux 2014 coverage:

(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Château Malartic-Lagravière: Environmental Commitment of a Classified Growth of Graves

Decanter Staff — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 10:42:00 +0000

A Decanter.com promotion

Situated on the oldest wine-growing terroir in the Bordeaux area, Château Malartic-Lagravière, owned in the 18th century by the Comte de Malartic, admiral of King of France, is taken over in 1997 by the Bonnie family.

The 53 hectares (131 acres) estate, including 7 hectares (17 acres) of white, has been completely renovated. Based on the gravity concept, the high-performance vat house, devoted entirely to traditional wine-making methods, is recognized to date as one of the most modern and efficient.

From the beginning, the Bonnie Family has been attentive to the vineyard environment and the impact of tasks carried out by its teams on the vines and the grapes, and the surrounding area: the various habitats, flora and fauna, and water courses near the plots. Several large-scale good practices have been introduced at the property since 1997, with a bio-challenging spirit.

We are delighted to present you Vignobles Malartic’s Environmental Charter, which presents a summary of the rigorous eco-dynamic good practices to which the Bonnie family and its team have been committed since 1997.

Certified in sustainable farming since 2008, in 2015 we will be tackling HEV (High Environmental Value) approval for Château Malartic-Lagravière and Château Gazin Rocquencourt’s 75 hectares (185 acres) of vines.

Well beyond these certifications, we apply our eco-dynamic measures on a daily basis to the care of the vines as well as to the whole estate (facilities, park and gardens) in order to reduce our environmental impact to a minimum. This has been beneficial for the surrounding area, and has also a direct effect on the wines; with the passing years, the latter have gained in depth, minerality, and character, and require less human intervention.

The 2014 vintage will soon be available for en primeur tasting, and you will see that it offers a superb demonstration of the impact of these environmentally friendly practices on our wines. The weather in 2014 was somewhat capricious until the beautiful Indian summer, making good management of vineyard vitally important. The results are extremely promising.

Château Malartic-Lagravière is one of the only six classified growths both for its red and white. Its wines are well known all over the world for their complexity, elegance and intensity, which are appreciated in all the best places.

Open for tours by appointment and two rooms overlooking the park and the Chateau are for rent. To contact us, visit our new website: malartic-lagraviere.com

See more Bordeaux 2014 coverage:

(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Written by eleanor douglas

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