Bordeaux 2012 at Four Years: Pessac-Léognan
Even though more than three years have since passed, I recall very clearly some of my impressions during the primeur tastings of the 2012 vintage in Pessac-Léognan. I made a few individual château visits, including Château Haut-Brion and Château Haut-Bailly, but it was at the Pessac-Léognan syndicat tasting, where I encountered a broad range of wines from numerous different châteaux across the appellation in quick succession, that the higher quality present here became apparent.
I suspect this is mostly because of the much greater use of Merlot here, although terroir and the slightly warmer climate south of the city may also have helped. More important than hypothesising about why this was the case, though, is assessing whether or not the wines still show this character now they have been in bottle for a few years. Happily I think they do, and indeed they feel even more convincing than I expected, with many scores right at the top end of the ranges I used at the primeurs (or slightly better in one or two). While these are not truly great wines, they are much more convincing than many from north of Bordeaux, and indeed I think they would wipe the floor with many cuvées I have tasted from Margaux, St Julien and Pauillac.
