I came to this tasting with the expectation that I would find my favourite wine either somewhere in the right bank communes, or perhaps from Pauillac, the former because this is often 'sold' as a right-bank vintage (indeed, this tasting would confirm that...to a degree) and the latter because a certain Pauillac first growth was widely touted as Wine of the Vintage during the primeur tastings.

To my surprise, it was not a wine from St Emilion, Pomerol or Pauillac that made my soul sing loudest on the day. No, it was one from Pessac-Léognan, a deliciously seductive wine with a tight frame of tannins giving it a balanced, harmonious, fine-boned structure in the mouth and which will also carry the wine along for many, many years. This wine will, I suspect, make wonderful old bones. The fruit quality is dense and concentrated, yet overall the composition remains fresh despite its breadth and texture. This is a monumental effort, on a near-equal footing with the magnificent 2005 vintage. How I wish I could have this wine in my cellar!

Are you thinking of Haut-Brion? Is that the obvious candidate? I suspect so, but Haut-Brion is not my favourite here, which means of course it must be La Mission Haut-Brion, a wine not even deemed worthy of standing alongside its peers on the first growth table at this tasting (where four of the five left-bank first growths stood, alongside Cheval Blanc). Instead I found it trying to blend in amongst its communal peers, Domaine de Chevalier, Haut-Bailly and so on. How the team at La Mission managed to fashion such a glorious mouthful I don't know. I did wonder whether the disappearance of La Tour-Haut-Brion (a label which they terminated with the 2005 vintage) may have contributed something, but as far as I am aware the La Tour fruit was always destined for La Mission's second wine, La Chapelle, so that seems unlikely. I think partly the commune has been more blessed in this vintage than previously realised, partly it is the skill of the Haut-Brion team, but whatever the reason, in 2006 La Mission is an absolute stunner. If it wasn't for the restrictions on transport of liquids when flying, I am sure I would have been compelled to trouser what was left of the bottle in order to savour the dregs at my leisure, once I had flown home to Edinburgh.

Bordeaux 2006 La Mission is not alone though. In fact, although this was a very small sampling, a lot of the wines from Pessac made my soul sing. I think this is an under-rated vintage for the region, and it wouldn't be the first time this commune has been somewhat over-looked by the Bordeaux press in a right bank vintage. It also had a fine time in 1998, when all the focus was on the wines of St Emilion and Pomerol. For some reason, many Bordeaux cognoscenti just don't seem to get very excited about Pessac. In 2006 though, they are missing out, as there is a litany of success in this commune. Haut-Brion is obviously very fine, but as I worked my way through the this rather choice selection of Pessacs the accolades cam thick and fast. Domaine de Chevalier - "super"; Haut-Bailly - "splendid"; Smith-Haut-Lafitte (pictured left, some vines at Smith-Haut-Lafitte in early 2010) - "delicious". Admittedly it is a small (just seven wines in fact) and highly-selected sample, these estates often turning out very successful wines in current times. But I wasn't quite prepared for just how rich and supply structured they seem to have turned out to be in this vintage, especially reviewing my previous scores, which have tended to be half a point (or in one or two cases a whole point) less than those dished out here. Overall, the 2006 vintage appears to be quite a success for this commune, and what is more the wines remain good value compared to some others from Bordeaux. (17/11/10)

Pessac-Léognan 2006 - Tasting Notes

Tasted at the IMW 2006 Claret Tasting in November 2010. Click to locate stockists.

Red Wines

Château Brown 2006: Warm, dark and appealing, spicy fruit here, suggesting good concentration. The palate has a slightly fat feel at the very start, but immediately settles down into a more polished and structured feel. Good substance, very meaty and with a dry and masculine structure underneath, firm tannins but with a very stylish and precise line. A solid finish. This is a good wine. 16+/20

Domaine de Chevalier 2006: Lovely perfume here, bright and fresh, crunchy but not lean, precise fruit character, dark but not dull, very appealing with a slightly crystalline edge. Very polished start, a dry structure to it, although with a very slightly high-toned polish to the fruit. A very attractive composition on the palate, lovely fruit presence, fresh and finely balanced, with great fruit on the finish. Super wine. 17.5+/20

Château Haut-Bailly 2006: Beautiful intensity on the nose here, with a sweet, crunchy and perfumed character to the fruit, dark but with high-toned nuances of cherry skin and plum stone. Lovely style on the palate, elegant and directly composed, stylish, a good fleshy substance but with a very direct composition, very linear, tobacco and fruit intertwined at its core, with a lovely seam of cottony tannins giving a robust substance to it I adore. Splendid! 17.5+/20

Château Haut-Brion 2006: A glossy hue, vibrant, moderate density. The nose is exquisitely lifted rather than dense, a central core of perfumed fruits, violets and heavenly woodland fruits, backed up by darker layers behind, at first suggestive of gravel and pebbles, then some charcoal, tobacco leaf and dark green mint, but at all times it is the crisply-lifted perfume that impresses most of all. It is simply captivating. Elegant, balanced, with a ripe tannic structure just peeping through a blanket of light fruits. A very brightly defined palate, lots of acidity coming in here, and a very precise violet perfume alongside. The meaty, stocky element sometimes found in Haut-Brion plays a subtle and minor role here. A long finish, still with that bright acidity carrying the wine along. A very fine effort, with good typicity too, although with more floral elements dominant on this tasting. Given time this should be superb. 18+/20

Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2006: A really interesting nose here, aromatic, with very high-toned fruit, intensely perfumed, rather minerally, very expressive, with red fruits more than black, but with a remarkable combination of perfumed fruit and meaty savouriness which lends it a unique character on the nose I find very difficult to describe. Other than to say it is captivating. Wonderful substance on the palate, a great texture and depth, amazing concentration of fruit with a very typical dark and spicy envelope, but around this a fine and linear framework of tannins and acidity. This is truly remarkable, both substantial and expressive, and also rather seductive. And yet it has a hard, minerally, stony edge as well. I think when a wine entrances you in the way this one has me, it is something very special. This is a monumental La Mission, set up to go for decades in the cellar. 18.5+/20

Château Malartic-Lagravière 2006: Beautifully pure fruit character on the nose, great intensity, sweet and rather heady, concentrated, with a dark, smoky character. The palate doesn't have the direction I expected from the nose and appellation, but it has plenty of big sweet character, and a soft and plush style. Lots of good texture here, slightly chewy tannins in keeping with the soft sweet substance of the wine. In no way lacking, expect for acidity perhaps. 16+/20

Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte 2006: Lovely nose, dark and smoky, intensively gravelly and tobacco infused, rose petals, bright fruit, glorious character. Lovely substance on the palate, joyfully firm and incisive acidity carrying along a raft of sweet but well framed fruit, dark, spicy-smoky, gritty too, rich and very fine. Defined, very deep but also very fresh, stylish, minerally even despite all the plush styling. Ripe slightly chewy tannins. Sweet violets. Absolutely delicious. 17.5+/20