Château Mirebeau
The Pessac-Léognan appellation is a sprawling and fragmented vineyard, its many châteaux scattered far and wide, across many different communes and terroirs. Some of these communes have a very strong reputation, with Pessac and Léognan themselves being two of the most notable, although Talence should also not be overlooked. After all, it is where we find the vineyards of a certain Château La Mission Haut-Brion. Others, meanwhile, are less renowned, despite there being some fantastic spots for planting vines.
One historically under-appreciated commune is Martillac, which lies directly east of Léognan. If we look back one and a half centuries, the vineyards of this commune were not infrequently disregarded. In the first ever edition of Cocks et Féret, published in 1850, Charles Cocks was happy extolling the merits of many of those communes already mentioned, as well as Mérignac, today better known for its airport, Gradignan, a commune home to a multitude of unfamiliar names, and Villenave d’Ornon. And what of Martillac? This commune did not deserve detailed examination it seems, although it did receive a receive a nod as a source of petits vins rouges de Graves, one step up from the vins de côtes and vins de palus.
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