Bordeaux 2011 Primeurs: Pessac-Léognan Tasting Notes
Summing up, I think it is fair to say that, for the red wines at least, this has been a very difficult vintage for the commune of Pessac-Léognan. This is true across the board, from upper first-growth echelons down to the minor châteaux. Put to one side for the moment the fact that there are always those winemakers who misbehave, liberally coating their wines in oak or demonstrating an increasing tendency to pick late and over-extract, none of which is particularly pleasant but which has nothing to do with the vintage. Look instead to those châteaux that define the appellation, those that we would normally expect to turn out the top wines, with a classic Graves style; I would put Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion and Haut-Bailly in this group with certainty. And these days I would lean strongly towards including Smith-Haut-Lafitte as well (not because I like properties with ‘Haut‘ in their name, but because the Cathiards have done amazing work in increasing quality at this estate without foregoing the Graves character). And we should include Domaine de Chevalier too, of course. None of these wines were as strong as I would have hoped in 2011. One or two were surprisingly, considering their standing, weak.
As for the white wines, if these are your thing, there are plenty to choose from here. I certainly enjoyed tasting them, especially against the backdrop of the disappointing reds. The 2011 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc and Haut Brion Blanc were certainly interesting to experience, two good wines which I know some other tasters have gone into a 100-point frenzy over. I haven’t. My main reservation about these wines is that, although neither show any overt spirit or heat on the palate, both have alcoholic degrees climbing towards 15% (14.6% and 14.4% respectively) and this may well be responsible for the rather firm and bold feel on the palate which to me didn’t appeal. Nevertheless I know many others are more tolerant of higher alcohol levels than I am (and some are less tolerant also!) and I am sure these wines will be popular. Other wines that impressed included Brown (I also tasted the 2003 when in Bordeaux, proof not only that white Bordeaux ages nicely but that the 2003 is not the avoid-at-all-costs vintage sometimes I think it is), Carbonnieux, Domaine de Chevalier, Smith-Haut-Lafitte and Pape-Clément. If white Bordeaux is your thing, then these are the names to go for. For those on a budget, Brown (again) and La Louvière are likely to give good value for money.
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