Bordeaux 2011 at Two Years: Pessac-Léognan
The story of 2011 Bordeaux is a complicated one, in which terroir, variety and the ability to ruthlessly select all play their part. Dotted among the chapters there are moments of success and joy, moments which stand out against the more commonly encountered wines which are occasionally lean and sometimes mediocre. In such a vintage it is difficult to pick out one region or one particular style of red wine where success was more commonplace, with perhaps only 2011 St Estèphe showing a slight advantage on the left. Where there is a clear difference, however, is with the white wines of Bordeaux, both dry and sweet. Clearly here, in Pessac-Léognan, we are looking solely at the dry wines.
Pessac-Léognan 2011: White
That the white varieties should succeed in such an early-harvest vintage is perhaps something of a surprise. But we have to look back to our vintage summaries and soundbites to remind ourselves that although 2011 was an early harvest (picking of the whites kicked off on August 17th, a very early start) this was not a hot vintage. In fact, the cooler-than-average weather during the summer months will have helped to preserve the acidity in the grapes, enhancing the freshness, balance and vivacity within the wines, all very desirable features in the white wines of Bordeaux.
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